There may not be a more exciting fifteen-or-so seconds in gambling than the spin of the roulette ball. Roulette has always been depicted in pop culture as a game of class; of sophistication; of the demure. We can assure you, though, that for those fifteen-or-so seconds, the people standing at the table, watching that little white ball spin in circles, might long for the peace and quiet of timid teenagers screaming on a roller coaster... if they weren’t so completely engrossed with where that ball would land.

While the game really does come down to that little white ball, there are elements of the rules and odds of Roulette that you should at least have a chance to understand so your profit margins and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s what this article is about. It offers you a basic guide to the kind of bets you can make and odds that give you reasons to make them.

First, if you’re new to casino games, we can’t recommend enough clicking here. If you at least know the very basics and are confident that you can’t benefit from that kind of lesson, then read on.

AMERICAN ROULETTE VS EUROPEAN ROULETTE
Before we dive into the basics of the game, it’s important to point out that there are two kinds of roulette boards: American and European. The difference is that the European version has one green square, for zero. The American has two green squares, for zero and double zero. This is an important distinction when reading any online roulette strategy content. For the remainder of this article, we’ll be referring to the American version.

BASIC ROULETTE STRATEGY
While Roulette is clearly a game of chance, that doesn’t mean you can’t use the best roulette strategy, the basics of which we’re going to teach you right now. Below this paragraph, there is a chart. To brace you, there are a lot of numbers on the chart and it may be confusing or even intimidating, but it’s not as complicated as it looks and all will be explained. Have a look:

OK, let’s talk about the chart:

Bet type - This is the name of the bet. Numbers - These are the numbers you’re betting on when you make a bet of that type.

Payout Ratio - If you win, this is the ratio at which you get paid out. Payout on at $100 - An example of how payout ratio works based on a $100 bet. You don’t need to bet $100. You can bet whatever you like within the game limits.

Odds of a Win - Your actual odds of winning on each bet type. The 0 and 00 give the house a small edge that makes the game worth running for the house, but this is about as small an edge as you’ll find on any game in a casino.

Odds of a Win (%) - The actual chances of the bet type winning.

The chart is organized by the odds for two reasons:

1) The longer your odds, the more you can win, which means this chart directly measures your risk tolerance. If you like gambling on a longshot and don’t mind the risk in that, start at the top. If you’re more conservative than that and can get a thrill out of the most conservative bets? Start at the bottom.

2) If the odds are the same, then the bet types are the same, at least mathematically. As with all games on Golden Nugget Online Casino, you get to choose how you wager your money, but the math says that if you make the above bets for long enough, that’s how they’ll break. So, for example, betting on red is mathematically the same as betting on evens or high numbers according to the math. The chart is a long way of saying that if you’re making one bet, each square you bet upon has a 2.63% chance of winning; the more squares your single bet is on, the better your chance of winning, so the less money you stand to win. The point of the chart? Know what you’re betting on, because that will keep the game exciting instead of making it terrifying. Bet with the odds that define your comfort zone and Roulette will be a lot of fun. Use that chart. Keep coming back to this page to look at that chart until you’ve memorized it. The chart is your friend. It’s good to know what you’re wagering on.