Roulette is one of the first gambling games to be created and introduced to casinos worldwide. The game became so wildly popular over the centuries, it is no surprise that it is still one of the most sought-after gambling games today, especially with the rise of online casinos. Roulette is very exciting to play, and you get a lot of opportunities to make bets ranging from very risky to very safe bets. The best part about it all? Roulette is incredibly easy to learn.
The rise of online roulette games in recent years has also made the European roulette variation increasingly commonplace among gambling enthusiasts. While the brick-and-mortar establishments primarily feature the American roulette wheel, the better odds of the European roulette wheel make it a far more attractive version of the game.
If you are new to gambling and want to start playing roulette on the right foot, you are going to love what we have in store for you with this post. Today, we are going to discuss everything you need to know about European roulette to help you make more informed betting decisions. But first, let’s go over some of the basics.
Where did the European Roulette Wheel Originate?
There are plenty of accounts of how roulette came into being. From ancient roulette-like games found in historical records of the Roman Empire to games like this in China a few hundred years later, there are several possibilities of where the game came from.
The most commonly accepted origin of the game is from the late 1700s in France through the work of a mathematician whose intention was to create a perpetual motion machine. While the laws of physics kicked in and made his original goal impossible to achieve, he did end up creating one of the most well-known casino games known to humanity.
The roulette wheel initially had two zero pockets, one was a single zero, and the second was a double-zero pocket. 1843 saw another version of the roulette wheel come forth that featured just one zero pocket. The seemingly minor adjustment to the wheel completely changed the odds and shifted them in favor of the players instead of the casino.
European Roulette Wheel 101
The European roulette wheel has 37 pockets. There are 18 red pockets and 18 black pockets with numbers ranging from one to 36 and a green pocket featuring a zero. There are eight red numbers and eight black numbers on each side of the green zero pocket. The right side of the zero contains higher bracket numbers, and the black pockets feature the lower bracket numbers.
The numbers for the red pockets starting from the right of the green zero pocket in clockwise are:
- 19
- 21
- 23
- 25
- 27
- 30
- 32
- 34
- 36
The numbers on the black pockets starting from the right of the green zero pocket in clockwise are:
- 2
- 4
- 6
- 8
- 10
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
Looking at it counterclockwise, the red numbers are low bracket numbers, and the black numbers are high bracket numbers.
The numbers on the red pockets starting from the left of the green zero pocket in counterclockwise are:
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 18
The numbers on the black pockets starting from the left of the green zero pocket in counterclockwise are:
- 20
- 22
- 24
- 26
- 28
- 29
- 31
- 33
- 35
The Roulette Betting Table in European Roulette
The European variant of roulette features a wheel different from the American variant, but the betting layout itself remains the same. The most important thing to understand about the betting layout is the classification of wagers into two groups: Inside bets and outside bets.
Inside Bets in European Roulette
Inside bets are the ones that cover only the single-number bets or a combination of a few of the numbers on the wheel. These bets are the riskier wagers with a low chance of winning, but they also come with the possibility of a greater payout if you win. Here are a few of the inside bets in European roulette you should know:
- Straight-up bet: Hands-down the riskiest bet you can make in roulette with 35:1 odds, these are single-number bets. You choose one number you want to bet on and place the chips on that number in the betting layout.
- Split bet: These bets are slightly less risky than straight-up bets. You place a bet on two corresponding numbers on the betting layout. You place the chips on the line dividing two numbers on the layout, splitting your stake between the two with 17:1 odds.
- Street bet: Street bets are bets that cover a row of any three vertical numbers on the betting layout. You make this safer bet with 11:1 odds by placing your chips on the lowest part of the row you want to place a wager on.
- Corner bet: Corner bets are another relatively safer bet with 8:1 odds that let you bet on four adjacent numbers on the betting layout by placing your chips on the corner connecting four of the numbers.
- Six-line bet: With 5:1 odds, six-line bets are the safest of the inside bets which cover two rows of three numbers instead of a single row with street bets.
Outside Bets in European Roulette
Opposite to the inside bets are the outside bets in European roulette. These are bets that you can place on entire groups of different numbers in the form of different bets. Outside bets are typically the safer option because they have a higher chance for gamblers to win, but they also give relatively lower payouts. These bets are typically easier for beginners to place because these are safer bets. Here’s a quick look at the outside bets you can make when playing European roulette:
- Column bets: These bets let you bet on any of three groups of 12 numbers as they are in the columns on the betting layout. These numbers are all numbers in different columns on the betting layout. They come with 2: 1 odds.
- Dozens bets: Dozens bets also let you bet on one of three groups, much like the column bets. The only difference is that your bet is based on the numbers in sequence from 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. Dozens bets also have 2:1 odds.
- Red/Black bet: This is one of the most popular bets people make when playing roulette. The bet essentially covers either red pockets or black pockets. With 1:1 odds, it is basically a 50:50 with each spin when placing this bet.
- High/Low bet: This is another type of even-money bet with 1:1 odds where you place a bet on either of two groups of numbers. The first group is 1-18 and the second is 19-36.
- Odd/Even bet: Lastly, the odds/even bet. It is yet another even-money bet with 1:1 odds that you place on either all the odd or even numbers on the wheel.
Wrapping it up
European roulette is one of the most player-friendly casino game variations you can find. You might have already found the game interesting, but we hope this guide helped you get a better understanding of this exciting variation. If you liked this post, there is a lot more we have in store for you.
Keep checking Fullroulette as we update our blog with more interesting and informative posts about a game that we are sure you will fall in love with.
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