Understanding Your Roulette Chances

Canadian gamblers who have ever played roulette or observed a game of roulette have likely heard of the terms 'inside bets' and 'outside bets'. This simply refers to the location where the chips are placed on the roulette table and has nothing to do with the ball's location on the wheel once it stops. Learning about these online roulette bets can help players feel more confident when they choose to place wagers on this classic casino game.

Safest Outside Bets

The safest outside online roulette bets are those that pay out only even money but have the best odds for the player to win against the house. These bets include things such as red or black, even or odd and high or low. Essentially, there is always going to be a 50/50 shot that the player will win. Some online casinos practice the En Prison rule, meaning that players who land on the zero pocket after placing an outside bet like this will have a shot to recoup their losses. The bet is placed En Prison and the player makes another bet. If this one wins, the player wins a payout for the second bet and also gets his or her money back.

Risky Outside Bets

While the outside bets are generally considered the safest of all of the casino roulette bets, the column and dozen bets are the riskiest of these. Rather than a 50/50 chance of winning, players have little more than 33% chance of winning. These are merely bets in which the numbers on the wheel are broken down into thirds and the player wagers on one third of the numbers.

Safest Inside Bets

Inside bets are the riskiest in general, but they also produce some large payouts. The safest of all of the inside bets is the 5-Number bet. It is only available on the American wheel, however, and consists of betting on the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 pockets. Players who win are paid out only six to one and the odds of winning are quite low. On the European wheel, one of the safest inside bets is the square bet in which a wager is placed on a block of four numbers and winners are paid out at eight to one.

Riskiest Inside Bets

Of course, the riskiest of all of the bets is the straight bet in which the player places his or her chip on a single number on the table. This has very poor odds for the player and the house has a very high advantage here, but the player could walk away with as much as a 35 to one payout. This means that a player who bets $10 on a single number and wins could win $3500! Of course, the odds are slim so players should steer clear of this type of bet if they want to make their bankrolls really last.