Live Roulette Rules
Although one of the oldest online casino games, live roulette rules are quite simple and straightforward. Players are presented with a board containing numbers (inside bets) as well as a few other options, known as outside bets.
The roulette wheel contains 37 numbers (38 on American wheel with Double Zero) in total (1-36 and a 0). The roulette dealer or croupier handles the ball on each spin and once the ball lands in a particular number, payouts are made accordingly.
As mentioned, roulette bets are divided into two groups: inside bets and outside bets.
Inside bets
- Straight bet: bet on a single number – payout 35 to 1 (+your initial bet)
- Split: bet on two adjacent number – payout 17 to 1
- Street: bet on three numbers in the line – pays 11 to 1
- Corner bet: betting on four adjacent numbers – payout 8 to 1
- Six Line: betting on a group of six numbers – payout 5 to 1
While there are a few more options depending on the casino rules, these are the fundamental inside bets on the live roulette. There is also a Trio, for example, which is essentially a Street, involving Zero and two adjacent numbers.
Outside bets are named this way because they are placed outside of the main number area:
- Red or black: betting on the colour of the next number – pays 1 to 1
- Even or odd: pays 1 to 1
- Column bet: betting on one of three number columns – pays 2 to 1
- Dozens: one of three available dozens (1 to 12, 13 to 24, 25 to 36) – pays 2 to 1
Other than the bets described here, there are also special live roulette terms designated to indicate a bet that covers certain numbers like orphans, Zero game, etc.
Once bets are placed, the dealer will drop the ball inside the spinning wheel, counterclockwise, and players can still place new bets or change their mind until the ball makes two full rounds around the wheel. At that point, the betting is closed. Once the ball lands in a field on the wheel, the dealer will proceed to make the payouts according to the odds table presented above.
The house edge in roulette is around 2.70% for European roulette and somewhat bigger for American roulette with the double Zero (00).
Live Roulette Playing Tips
Although roulette is the game in which the house maintains their edge no matter what a player does, there are still things you can do to give yourself the best fighting chance.
- Bankroll management: make sure to only bet the amounts you can afford and arrange your bets in such a way as to give yourself plenty of room to win. Anything can happen on a few spins, and if you lose too quickly, you are not giving yourself the best odds.
- Stick to a strategy: there are numerous roulette strategies out there, some of them better than the others. Feel free to read, explore, and test as many as you like, but you should probably find the one you like and stick to it. Playing without any sort of a plan is not likely to be a successful endeavour.
- Don’t play for too long: if you start feeling tired or like you are not having fun anymore, walk away and take a break, even if you are down money. Games are not going to go anywhere and the table and the wheel will be waiting for you when you come back.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Live Roulette
Live roulette is great choice for Canadian players who enjoy the atmosphere of brick & mortar casinos. With real dealer and the sound of the ball spinning and dropping inside a number, you are guaranteed an exciting time at the tables.
Furthermore, some players will simply never trust computers and will always believe the games are somehow rigged to beat them. With live roulette, these concerns do not exist, as you will get to see everything unfold before your very eyes.
On the other hand, live games are much slower, so you will not get to play as many spins an hour as you would on the electronic variation. If your primary concern is getting as much gamble as possible within a short time-frame, than live roulette might fail you.
If, however, you want to have some fun, a few laughs, and relax while playing, make sure to check the live roulette offering on our recommended Canadian casinos online and pick your favourite. With generous bonuses, ability to play in CAD, and variety of deposit methods, you are guaranteed to get in action in a blink of an eye.
