Roulette is a numbers casino game that is easy to play but not as easy to win at on a consistent basis. There are two basic forms of roulette, American roulette and European roulette. Each is made up of a wheel that consists of alternating red and black spaces that have an even or an odd number on it. The American roulette game has a green single zero and a double zero space while the European game wheel only has a single zero.

The thing that makes roulette seem as though there are many different types of the same game is the way that players can bet on the numbers. There are different combinations of numbers that can be bet upon on a single spin of the wheel. The roulette wheel has five named betting sections on the wheel and the series of number combinations are located on the wheel in specific sections. The wheel is divided into these sections by number location which is dictated by what number is next to another. The names of the five betting sections are:
-Neighbors of zero
-Zero game
-Thirds of the wheel
-Orphans (actually occupies 2 separate sections on the wheel)

In general, the way the winning number is determined in roulette is by a ball being spun in the opposite direction that the wheel is spinning, until it stops on a numbered slot. But in California, cards are used on the wheel instead of slots, and when the wheel stops that card is pulled. And now that on-line casinos are legal, roulette can be played from the just about any where. There are five different software providers that offer more than 15 versions of the game, from 3-D roulette to live roulette.

Many experienced players subscribe to the use of a betting system, which there are a variety of. These systems use observation of the wheels rotational pattern along with mathematical calculations to predict possible winning numbers. Players can place bets on inside numbers or outside numbers. Inside bets are wagers placed on the exact number or a number within a small range of slots. Outside bets are those placed on a large range of numbers, the slot color, or whether the number will be odd or even. There are nine possible inside bets that can be made by a player and 7 possible outside bets.

The only real edge that the house has in the game of roulette is the single zero and the double zero slots on the wheel. If the ball lands on one of the green spots then the players who placed outside bets will lose. The law has set the casino payout odds for roulette at either 34:1 or 35:1. The difference in the odds depend upon whether the player is playing American or European roulette. European roulette is favored by many people because the player has better odds than with the American version because of the double zero slot. The different types of bets that can be placed on one single spin of a roulette wheel is what makes the game exciting.