Roulette - meaning "small wheel" in French - is a very popular game of chance played in casinos all around the world.

There are two different types of popular roulette wheels, the "American" or "Double zero" wheel, most common in the US, and the "European" wheel found elsewhere. The American roulette wheel contains the numbers 1 through 36, a 0 and a 00. This doubles the house edge to over 5%, whereas the European wheel contains the numbers 1 through 36. The house edge on a European wheel is about 2.5%.

There are two types of bets that can be made - "Inside" and "Outside":

• Inside Bets
  • Straight - Bet on a single number, by placing the chip directly on a number square. Odds: 35 to 1.
  • Split - Bet on 2 numbers next to each other on the table, either horizontally or vertically, by placing the chip on the line between them. Odds: 17 to 1
  • Street - Bet on 3 numbers in a horizontal line, by placing the chip on the edge of line of a number at the end of the line. Odds: 11 to 1
  • Corner (or square) - Bet on 4 numbers in a square layout, by placing chip on the intersection between the numbers. Odds: 8 to 1
  • Sixline (or 'sixaine') - Bet on 2 "streets", by placing the chip as if in between where two street bets would be placed. Odds: 5 to 1
• Outside Bets
  • Even Money - Bet on 18 numbers, by placing the chip in the a box representing the numbers (black, red, low, high, even, odd). Odds: 1 to 1
  • Group (or Dozen) Bets - Bet on the first, second, or third group of 12 numbers. Odds: 2 to 1
  • Column - Bet on all 12 numbers on any of the three vertical lines, by placing the chip is placed on the space below the final number. Odds: 2 to 1

So, if you have always wondered what all the excitement surrounding the roulette table was about, step up to the nearest roulette wheel and place a bet. Good luck!