Roulette is iconic among casino games. Its essence is a simple game of chance and roulette games have a low house advantage. However, many beginners can be intimidated by the array of bets available and the associated jargon. 

Inside bets are less likely to win, but have larger payouts when they do. They include straight-up bets, which are simply betting on a specific number to win. Online bets are still made on a representation of a table with straight-up bets laid by highlighting a single number. Placing the chip on the border between adjacent numbers is known as a split.  A square bet is made with a chip on the corner junction of four squares. A bet on the three numbers in a row is typically referred to as a street and is made by selecting the vertical edge of the left or right most number The name trio is typically reserved for bets on 0, 1 and 2 or 0, 2, and 3. 

Outside bets are the boxes next to the number grid. These are more likely than inside bets to win, but offer smaller payouts. For example, they include ranges like 1-18, categories like odd or even, and colours red or black. These are not completely identical, as the colouring of odds and evens is not consistent throughout the wheel. However, they all refer to 18 out of 37 pockets and so have the same odds and payouts. Practically there is no difference, because as the outcome is random, they are equally likely to win. This is perhaps an example of how the new player should not worry too much about the seemingly wide choices of bets.

Jan 13 2012