Without doubt, the most lucrative versions of roulette can be found online. Most online versions of roulette offer more favorable odds for players and larger and more frequent pay outs.

While most people are familiar with the roulette wheel and how it operates, the game itself can seem complicated at first. However, by learning and memorizing a few roulette rules, the game rapidly becomes simple while retaining its mysterious and exciting edge.

Over the years, two distinctly different versions of the common roulette game have adapted for casino use. One is known as French or European roulette. The other is American roulette, played at online casinos and land-based casinos throughout the United States. The major difference between the two versions is that the American roulette wheel sports a double zero field, while the French or European version has just one zero.

A roulette wheel consists of 38 slots or pockets which are numbered from 1 to 36 and colored red or black. Two special sections ''zero'' and ''double zero'' appear in green. In order to play roulette, players place wagers on a condition or a number of conditions that the roulette wheel will stop at. After bets are placed, the wheel is spun and a ball is thrown into it that runs in a counter direction from the one the wheel is spinning in.

When the ball stops and comes to rest on a section, the number of the section will dictate the win. The numbers are arranged for even distribution by value, color, high or low and odd or even so that the ball has an equal chance of ending up in any one of them.

The part that most people find initially confusing about roulette is the placing of wagers. While many online casino sites offer advice or quick reference guides to help players remember the possible wagers in a game of roulette, it is worthwhile understanding the basics if you want to play the game in a live casino.

The betting table consists of two parts, the ‘Inside’ and the ‘Outside’ bets, which refer to the betting layout on the table. If one places a bet on the inside part, he has made an “inside bet” and if he places a bet on the outside part, he has made an “outside bet.”

Roulette tables offer different minimum and maximum betting limits, which are the only factors determining how much a player can bet. Once wagers have been placed and the wheel has been spun, the player is not required to make any more decisions.

Remember that the roulette table consists of a series of colored squares. Each is marked 1 to 36 and colored black or red. The only two sections that differ from this are the zero and double zero sections colored green.

For the purposes of American Roulette, a player must place inside wagers that add up to the table minimum. The combinations used for betting are only valid within the inner table. They include:

1. Corner bet – you can place your bet on four adjacent squares for a payout of 8 to 1.
2. Straight up bet – you can place a bet on a single number for a payout of 35 to 1.
3. Street bet – you can place a bet on row of three numbers for a payout of 11 to 1.
4. Line bet – you can place two of the above street bets for a total of six numbers for a payout of 5 to 1.
5. Split bet – you can place a bet on two adjacent squares for a payout of 17 to 1.
6. Five bet – you can place a bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. This is done by laying your casino chip on the boundary line of the roulette table where the line divides the two rows that intersect it. The payout is 6 to 1. This bet is the only inside bet not available in European Roulette as the wheel has only one zero.

For the purposes of American Roulette, a player must place outside wagers that do not cover zeros. Outside wagers are made up of a range of different betting conditions. They include:

1. Colors – you can place a bet on two squares for red and black outcomes. This represents an even bet or 1 to 1.
2. Dozens – you can place a bet on three squares representing outcomes from 1 to 12, 13 to 24 and 25 to 36 for a payout of 2 to 1.
3. Columns – you can place a bet on three squares at the bottom of the inside table number columns for a payout of 2 to 1.
4. High and low – you can place a bet ontwo squares for the bottom half of the numbers (1 to 18 and 19 to 36) for a payout of 1 to 1
5. Odd or even – you can place a bet on two squares that represent odd and even outcomes for a payout of 1 to 1.