Roulette Outside Bets

Outside Bets – Better Odds of Winning and Smaller Payouts

Roulette is a casino game, which has obtained great popularity over the years. Having one of the simplest rules, the game attracts many players, who are looking for an exciting experience. Here, luck is what really matters, but the knowledge of the betting options is also an important aspect. What is really interesting about this game is the great diversity of betting options, which it offers.

• Roulette Betting Layout
• Black vs Red Bets
• Odds vs Even Bets
• High vs Low Bets
• Column Bets
• Dozen Bets
• Additional Factors of the Game
• FAQ

The idea behind roulette is quite obvious. A wheel with number pockets from 1 to 36 is spun, and players should predict where the ball will land on. Bets can be placed on a particular number, color, or range of numbers. Odds and payouts vary for each type of bet, and it is this variety in betting that brings about much versatility in the game. To place a bet, players needs to position chips on a particular section of the betting layout. Depending on the bet, chips are stacked on the inside or the outside section of the layout.

The main purpose of the article is to provide you with detailed information about all the five bets, which fall in the category of outside bets. They provide players with the opportunity to wager on different properties of numbers, with the options being Red or Black bets, Odd or Even bets, High or Low bets, Column bets, and Dozen bets. Although the payouts they provide are smaller, the odds of winning outside bets are better.

Roulette Betting Layout

The inside section of the layout consists of small squares, which represent all the numbers from the wheel from 0 (or 00 for the American variation of the game) to 36. This section is used to place an inside bet on a number or group of numbers. For instance, let us assume a player wants to place a bet on the number 17. The chance for the ball to land namely on the particular numbered-pocket is 1 out of 37 (or 38 for the American version). That is the reason why the inside bets are considered to be riskier, but the payouts are way higher.

The other section of the layout represents various categories of the numbers. To place an outside bet, players needs to position the chips on the preferred section. The categories usually represent two opposites as black vs red, high vs low, and so on. By placing an outside bet, players bet on all the numbers from the chosen category. Outside bets are from the safe side of the harbor, and thus these are more appropriate for inexperienced players.

Black vs Red Bets

This bet is placed on the color of the numbered-pocket, which the ball will land on. The wheel is made out of small pockets, which are alternately colored in black and red. The only exception is the zero-numbered pocket (and a double-zero pocket for the American table), which is colored in green. In case the ball falls in the green pocket(s), then all red or black bets are lost.

To bet on black or red, players should position chips in the box, which represents this type of bet. It is usually placed under the 2nd 12 box. To be even easier for novice players, the boxes are noted by red or black diamond. In some cases, the boxes are all filled with black and red color or these are named after the colors, they represent. On the French table, all bets are labeled in French and this one is called “Rouge ou Noir”. Here, the important thing is not the number itself, but rather the color.

The wheel consists of an equal number of pockets in black and red. Thus, the chances for the ball to fall on a red pocket are the same as to fall on a black one (excluding the green pocket, which presents the advantage of the house). Therefore, the chances to make the right prediction are almost equal (18 to 19), because of the presence of the house advantage. The payout is 1 to 1, or the so-called even money. For instance, if players wager $5 on red numbers and the ball lands on a red pocket, then they win this bet and get a total amount of $10 (the initially wagered amount of money plus the profit).

Odds vs Even Bets

The name of this type of bet is significant enough for its purpose. Here, players try to predict if the winning number will be even or odd. To place an even or odd bet, they need to position the chips on the even or odd box of the layout. You can find them easily just from each side of the red and black boxes, or under the “1st 12” box (where the even category is) and “3rd 12” box (where the odd category is). Even numbers always end with a digit of 2, 4, 6, 8, 0. It should be noted that zero-numbered pocket eliminates all even or odd bets. On the French table, you can find this type of bets under the label “Pair ou Impair”.

Here, what matters is not the number itself, but the category in which it falls. Since the wheel consists of equal numbers from both categories, the winning bets pay out even money.

High vs Low Bets

All the numbers, represented on the wheel can be separated into two categories – high (from 19 to 36) and low (from 1 to 18). In fact, you do not need to learn them by heart, because there is a simple logic behind this division. The numbers represented on the wheel are 36, so the first half is from the low category and the second half is from the high category.

With this type of bets, players try to predict if the winning number will be from the high or low range. To place such a bet, they need to put the chips on the specific box. The boxes are positioned namely on each side of the Even and Odd boxes. As we already mentioned above, the outside bets are the easiest in roulette. Thus, it should not surprise you that the boxes are labeled as “1 – 18” and “19 – 36”. The French name of this bet is “Passe and Manque”. This type of bet provides equal chances of win and loss. The payout is again even money.

Column Bets

The layout of the roulette table is constructed in a way, that combines the numbers in groups in three vertical columns, each of which consists of 12 numbers, which are not consecutive, but in every 3. In fact, with a column bet, the player covers 1/3 of all the numbers on the wheel (except 0). This means that you have 1 possibility to win and 2 to lose. Hence, the payout is higher in comparison to the previous 2 types of bets. The winning bet pays out 2 to 1. The French name for this type of bet is “Colonne”.

To place a column bet, players needs to put the chips on the farthest end of the preferred column. At the end of every column, there is an additional box, which reflects the payout of the bet. Here, they should position the chips. The main aim is for the ball to land on a number, which is part of the chosen column.

Dozen Bets

The betting layout is divided not only into columns, but also in 3 dozens, each out of 12 numbers. You can notice them easily on the layout, being organized in big boxes, outlined with thicker lines. Under every dozen, there is an additional box, marked with 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12. Depending on the preferred dozen, the chips are placed in one of the three boxes. Of course, similarly to all the other outside bets, here 0 is also excluded. By placing dozen bet, you cover again 1/3 of all the possible numbers on the wheel. The payout here is again 2 to 1.

This type of bet is very similar to the column one, with the only difference that the numbers represented in every dozen are consecutive.

Roulette Call Bets

Roulette Money Management

Roulette with Live Dealers

Introduction to Roulette

Additional Factors of the Game

As a matter of fact, the house has always an advantage over the game of the player. It is worth to know that roulette has 3 variations with 2 different figures for the house edge. With the American variation, the house gains the upper hand over the player with 5.26%, while in the European variation of the game, the profit of the casino is only 2.7%. Thus, when we talk about equal chance to win or lose, we are not talking about 50%, but about 47.3% (and 44.74% in the American variation).

But every rule has an exception. In the third variation of the game, which is the French one, there are two additional rules, which decrease the house edge. La Partage and En Prison rules are applicable only in case that the ball lands on a zero-numbered pocket and players have placed an even-money bet. These provide the opportunity to get back your bet, or at least part of it. Then, the house edge is as low as 1.35%. These rules are offered mostly by brick-and-mortar casinos, while in the online variation of the game the rules are not valid.

Another important aspect is the limits of the table. These are different for every table, so make sure that you are familiar with the specific rules, that are governing the table. Every table has a small plaque at the corner, which presents the minimum and maximum amount of money for every bet. But what is more important is that many casinos do not allow players to wager the minimum amount of money on outside bets. But if you play in an online casino, you are allowed to place the minimum amount on Even-Money bets, Columns and Dozens.

Outside bets are preferred by many inexperienced players, because of the lesser risk and their simplicity. It is true that these cannot win you a lot, but the chances of winning are a lot better.

FAQ