Atlassino Academy · First visit · Lesson 6
Read the table sign before you sit
The sign beside a live table is the table’s own rule book: the smallest and largest bet for each kind of bet, and what happens to a bet outside them.
The sixth lesson of the first-visit track. Before you sit at a table, the sign beside it has already answered most of your questions: what the smallest and largest bet are, for which kind of bet, and what the table will do with a bet outside them.
Before we start: a roulette sign gives double chances 20 units to 50 units and simple chances 20 units to 100 units — an example in betting units. You put 60 units on a dozen. What happens? Nothing is scored; the answer comes at the end.
Roulette
- Double chances20 units to 50 units
- Simple chances20 units to 100 units
- Wheel0
Example signs, drawn by our code, in betting units.
The example sign of this lesson: two lines of limits for two kinds of bet, and the wheel.
The short answer
Read the sign before the first bet. At a roulette table the limits come by kind of bet — simple chances, double chances, numbers — and they can differ from one night of the week to another. They are set by the operator under the province’s regulator and posted in the room, and once you bet they count as known to you. A bet over the maximum is cut back to it; a bet outside the limits that nobody notices is not refunded once the chips are swept.
Leoformer dealer · rules and maths
I spent years behind a table, and the sign beside it is the table’s own rule book. Read it standing up, before you take a seat, and you will never be the person told that their bet is too small — or too big.
One table, several limits
A table does not have one smallest and one largest bet: it has a pair for each kind of bet. Casino pages in one province publish their roulette limits exactly that way — one pair for the simple chances and another for the double chances.
| On the sign | The bets it covers |
|---|---|
| Simple chances | Red or black, odd or even, low or high |
| Double chances | A dozen or a column |
| Numbers | Bets on the numbers themselves, from one number to six |
The sums in the casinos’ own words are in the quote, with the date we read them: a figure in pesos goes out of date, so this page counts in betting units instead.
Who sets the limits, and where they are posted
The limits are the casino’s, under the province’s regulator. In one province’s law the licence holder defines the minimum and maximum bets and notifies the regulator for approval; in another, the permit holder sets them with prior notice to the provincial government; and one regulator writes that it checks that the approved minimums and maximums are kept.
And they are posted for you to read. Under the rules IPLyC Buenos Aires publishes for its casinos, the chip values and the minimums and maximums in force are displayed in the gaming room and are taken as known to you at the moment you bet.
One province’s law asks for more than the limits: at every game, at all times, a table of the bets and what each pays — and paying differently from that table is sanctioned. What each roulette bet pays is a lesson of its own in the roulette track.
A bet outside the limits
Bet more than the maximum, or less than the minimum, and the table does not simply let it ride. The rules for the casinos of one province set out what happens, step by step:
- Before the ball is thrown. The dealer points out the anomaly and gives back the excess.
- On a bet that pays. It is paid up to the maximum allowed, and the excess is returned to you.
- On a losing bet nobody noticed. Once the losing chips are swept in, there is no refund at all — over the maximum or under the minimum.
Which is the whole case for reading the sign first: the table corrects a bet it notices, and it owes you nothing for one it does not.
The sign on the night
A table’s limits are not always the same every night. One casino’s page gives its craps table one minimum from Monday to Thursday and twice that from Friday to Sunday, with the same maximum. So a figure from the website, or from last week, is a guide; the sign at the table on the night is the one that counts.
Does the table fit the plan?
Your plan for the evening has a bet on it. A table fits the plan when that bet sits inside the line you mean to bet on: not under the minimum, not over the maximum. With 120 units for the evening, a table whose smallest bet is 25 units gives you 4 bets; one whose smallest bet is 10 units gives you 12. A table that does not fit is a reason to walk on, or to change the plan at home next time — not to change it at the table.
Practice: read the sign
Example signs in betting units, drawn by our code. Level 1 asks what one sign says; level 2 puts three signs beside an example plan and asks which table takes the plan’s bet; level 3 is about the sign on the night, and is not scored.
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Level 1 · Find the lines
Example sign · in betting units
Roulette
- Double chances20 units to 50 units
- Simple chances20 units to 100 units
- Wheel0
Example signs, drawn by our code, in betting units.
You want to bet on red. Which line of this sign tells you the smallest and largest bet?
The answer: Simple chances.
One table, more than one pair of limits: the sign gives them by kind of bet, and red is a simple chance. Casino pages in one province publish their roulette limits exactly that way.
Chances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
Lotería de Córdoba S.E. · Casino Carlos Paz · readChances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
Lotería de Córdoba S.E. · Casino Río Cuarto · readLevel 2 · Does it fit my plan?
Example signs · in betting units
Example plan
- GameRoulette
- A bet10 units
- For the evening120 units
- Time3 hours
An example, not a suggested amount.
ARoulette
- Double chances20 units to 50 units
- Simple chances20 units to 100 units
- Wheel0
BRoulette
- Double chances10 units to 50 units
- Simple chances10 units to 100 units
- Wheel0
CRoulette
- Double chances5 units to 25 units
- Simple chances5 units to 50 units
- Wheel0
Example signs, drawn by our code, in betting units.
The plan says 10 units a spin on red or black. Which table takes that bet?
The answer: Table B.
Read the line for the bet you mean to make, and check that the plan’s bet sits inside it. Table B and Table C do.
Level 3 · The sign on the day
Example sign · in betting units · the rule is Lotería de Córdoba S.E.’s
An example in betting units: Monday to Thursday, 10 units to 600 units; Friday to Sunday, 20 units to 600 units.
You planned the evening on a Tuesday’s smallest bet, and you are going on a Saturday. What changes?
The answer: Possibly the smallest bet — read the sign on the night.
One casino’s craps page gives one minimum from Monday to Thursday and twice that from Friday to Sunday, with the same maximum. The sign on the night is the one that counts.
Mínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)
Lotería de Córdoba S.E. · Casino Carlos Paz · readMínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)
Lotería de Córdoba S.E. · Casino Villa María · readEvery moment is worked out the same way: the answer to a question about a line comes from that line, and the answer to “does this table fit the plan” from the limits on the three signs and the bet in the plan.
How the practice table works
Where the answers come from. The answer to a question about a line comes from that line; the answer to “does this table fit” from the limits and the plan’s bet; the rule ones from the published rules this page quotes, with the date we read them.
The figures are examples in betting units. A unit can stand for any amount. Progress stays in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
Check yourself
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
Five quick ones. Pick an answer, then check it. No timer, no points: just whether it stuck.
The question we opened with. 60 units on a dozen is over the double-chances maximum of 50 units. Before the ball is thrown the dealer gives back the excess; if nobody noticed and the dozen came up, it would be paid up to the maximum — and if it lost and was swept, nothing would come back.
Where to check this
18+ under each province’s rules · Play responsibly · the helplines are at the end of this page
Further reading
- Reglamento de Ruleta · Lotería de Córdoba S.E.Córdoba’s roulette rules: the bet types, what each pays, the colour chips and what “no va más” means.
- Resolución 1452/12, Anexo I: Ruleta Americana (Reglamento del Juego) · Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos de la Provincia de Buenos AiresThe Buenos Aires province rulebook: each bet with the number of paying and of losing outcomes, and the rules for chips.
- Ruleta / Juegos tradicionales de casinos (DOC-H8-GCA-CSJ-004 V00) · Instituto de Ayuda Financiera a la Acción Social, Entre RíosA one-page guide from Entre Ríos with the two kinds of chips and what every bet pays.
- Información sobre juegos vivos o de paño: ruletas, pagos, probabilidades y tablas · Instituto Provincial de Juegos y Casinos de Mendoza (SAPIA)The only Argentine regulator document we found that states the house edge: 5.26 % on a double-zero wheel, 2.70 % on a single-zero wheel.
Mayaformer floor supervisor · manners, money and breaks
The sign tells you what the table will take; your plan tells you what you will give it. When the two disagree, it is the table you change, not the plan.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. Minimum entry age: each province sets its own. Where we found the rule or regulator that sets it, we cite it on the page; those we found set it at 18. More on responsible gaming.
Show all provinces
If you are thinking about suicide, call 135 or 0800 345 1435 from anywhere in the country
How it’s worked out
Sources, numbers and hosts
Sources. Every rule on this page is quoted from the document that states it, in Spanish, with its publisher and the date we read it: the roulette rules IPLyC Buenos Aires publishes for its casinos, the casino laws of two provinces and a regulator’s own page, and the pages of casinos in one province that publish their limits. Each rule binds the casinos of the body that wrote it; where only one body publishes a rule, the page says whose it is.
Numbers. The signs on this page are examples, drawn by our code in betting units; the casinos’ own sums are quoted with the date we read them, because a price in pesos goes out of date. The bets a limit covers are division, not a forecast.
What is deliberately absent. What each bet pays and what the house keeps are lessons of their own in the roulette track. Nothing here says which table to choose.
Hosts. Leo and Maya are illustrated characters. Their backstories, a former dealer and a former floor supervisor, are written for the course: neither is a real person, and neither speaks for any casino. The rules and numbers on this page come from the sources it cites, not from their experience.
Limits by kind of bet
Chances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
Chances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
Over the maximum, before the ball
Antes de arrojar la bola, se advertirá la anomalía al Apostador procediéndose a la devolución del excedente.Free translation: Before the ball is thrown, the Bettor will be warned of the irregularity and the excess will be returned.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
Outside the limits, once swept
El Apostador que hubiere jugado más del máximo o menos del mínimo en Chance, no tendrá derecho a devolución alguna una vez ingresado el arrastre .Free translation: A Bettor who has bet more than the maximum or less than the minimum on a Chance shall have no right to any refund once the arrastre has been entered.
El jugador que hubiere apostado más del máximo o menos del mínimo en Suertes Múltiples, no tendrá derecho a devolución alguna una vez ingresado el arrastreFree translation: A player who has bet more than the maximum or less than the minimum on Suertes Múltiples shall have no right to any refund once the arrastre has been entered
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
The minimum changes with the day
Mínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)
Mínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)
Limits are posted
El público podrá tomar conocimiento de los valores de las fichas, mínimos y máximos en vigencia, exhibidos en la sala de juego, dándose como conocidos por el Apostador en el momento de efectuar su apuesta.Free translation: The public may find out the values of the chips and the minimums and maximums in force, displayed in the gaming room, and these are deemed known by the Bettor at the moment of placing their bet.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
Limits by kind of bet
Chances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
Chances Simples: Min. $20.000 Max. $100.000Free translation: Even-money bets: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 100,000
Chances dobles: Min. $20.000 Max. $50.000Free translation: Double chances: Min. ARS 20,000 Max. ARS 50,000
What one outside bet covers
Docenas: Juega doce números y su pago es de 2 a 1.Free translation: Dozens: Covers twelve numbers and pays 2 to 1.
Mayor o Menor: Juega a dieciocho números y su pago es de 1 a 1Free translation: High or Low: Covers eighteen numbers and pays 1 to 1
IAFAS Entre Ríos · Ruleta / Juegos Tradicionales de Casinos (DOC-H8-GCA-CSJ-004 V00) · read
Se llaman suertes sencillas aquellas que cubren 18 números (rojo, negro, par, impar, falta y pasa).Free translation: Simple bets are those that cover 18 numbers (red, black, even, odd, low and high).
What one inside bet covers
Hay 11 líneas distintas. Ofrece 6 posibilidades de ganar y 31 de perder. Gana 5 veces la apuesta.Free translation: There are 11 different lines. It offers 6 chances of winning and 31 of losing. It pays 5 times the bet.
Hay 14 calles distintas. Ofrece 3 posibilidades de ganar y 34 de perder. Gana 11 veces la apuesta.Free translation: There are 14 different streets. It offers 3 chances of winning and 34 of losing. It pays 11 times the bet.
Hay 24 ubicaciones distintas (23 suertes). Ofrece 4 posibilidades de ganar y 33 de perder. Gana 8 veces la apuesta.Free translation: There are 24 different positions (23 bets). It offers 4 chances of winning and 33 of losing. It pays 8 times the bet.
Apostar a Semipleno consiste en colocar la/s ficha/s sobre la línea que separa dos números. Hay 60 ubicaciones para jugarlo. Ofrece dos posibilidades de ganar y 35 de perder. Gana 17 veces la postura.Free translation: Betting on a Semipleno consists of placing the chip(s) on the line that separates two numbers. There are 60 positions in which to play it. It offers two chances of winning and 35 of losing. It pays 17 times the stake.
Apostar a Pleno consiste en colocar la/s ficha/s dentro de uno de los espacios numerados del CERO (0) al TREINTA Y SEIS (36). Hay 37 ubicaciones para jugarlo. Ofrece una posibilidad de ganar 36 de perder. Gana 35 veces la postura.Free translation: Betting on a Pleno consists of placing the chip(s) inside one of the numbered spaces from ZERO (0) to THIRTY-SIX (36). There are 37 positions in which to play it. It offers one chance of winning and 36 of losing. It pays 35 times the stake.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
Who sets the limits
El licenciatario deberá definir los programas de éxito y premio y los valores máximos y mínimos de las apuestas, notificándolos al Ente Regulador del Juego de Azar para su aprobación.Free translation: The licensee must define the success and prize programs and the maximum and minimum values of the bets, notifying them to the Ente Regulador del Juego de Azar for its approval.
SUS REGLAMENTOS COMO ASI TAMBIEN LOS IMPORTES DE LAS APUESTAS MINIMAS Y MAXIMAS POR CADA JUEGO, SERAN DISPUESTOS POR LA PERMISIONARIA, PREVIA COMUNICACION AL PODER EJECUTIVO.Free translation: ITS RULES, AS WELL AS THE AMOUNTS OF THE MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM BETS FOR EACH GAME, SHALL BE SET BY THE PERMIT HOLDER, AFTER NOTIFYING THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
Se controlan y fiscalizan el cumplimiento de las apuestas mínimas y máximas aprobados por el Directorio.Free translation: Compliance with the minimum and maximum bets approved by the Board is monitored and supervised.
Limits are posted
El público podrá tomar conocimiento de los valores de las fichas, mínimos y máximos en vigencia, exhibidos en la sala de juego, dándose como conocidos por el Apostador en el momento de efectuar su apuesta.Free translation: The public may find out the values of the chips and the minimums and maximums in force, displayed in the gaming room, and these are deemed known by the Bettor at the moment of placing their bet.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
A table of bets and payments
El licenciatario deberá exibir en cada Juego de Azar, en todo momento, un cuadro o cuadros que contengan fielmente las apuestas y pagos aplicables al Juego de Azar correspondiente.Free translation: The licensee must display at each Game of Chance, at all times, a table or tables that faithfully set out the bets and payouts applicable to the corresponding Game of Chance.
En caso de suministrarse información falsa o de no realizarse el pago de conformidad con el cuadro de apuestas y pagos, el licenciatario será pasible de las sanciones establecidas en esta Ley, sin perjucio de las acciones que el apostador tuviera contra el licenciatario.Free translation: If false information is provided or payment is not made in accordance with the table of bets and payouts, the licensee shall be liable to the penalties established in this Law, without prejudice to any actions the bettor may have against the licensee.
Before the ball
Antes de arrojar la bola, se advertirá la anomalía al Apostador procediéndose a la devolución del excedente.Free translation: Before the ball is thrown, the Bettor will be warned of the irregularity and the excess will be returned.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
On a bet that pays
Definido el número, de resultar ganador se pagará hasta el máximo permitido, devolviendo el excedente al Apostador.Free translation: Once the number is determined, if it is a winner it will be paid up to the maximum allowed, and the excess will be returned to the Bettor.
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
Once swept
El Apostador que hubiere jugado más del máximo o menos del mínimo en Chance, no tendrá derecho a devolución alguna una vez ingresado el arrastre .Free translation: A Bettor who has bet more than the maximum or less than the minimum on a Chance shall have no right to any refund once the arrastre has been entered.
El jugador que hubiere apostado más del máximo o menos del mínimo en Suertes Múltiples, no tendrá derecho a devolución alguna una vez ingresado el arrastreFree translation: A player who has bet more than the maximum or less than the minimum on Suertes Múltiples shall have no right to any refund once the arrastre has been entered
Section Capítulo 1, Ruleta Americana: Reglamento del Juego (1.1 a 1.10)
The minimum changes with the day
Mínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)
Mínimo $20.000 y máximo $600.000 (de viernes a domingo)Free translation: Minimum ARS 20,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Friday to Sunday)
Mínimo $10.000 y máximo $600.000 (de lunes a jueves)Free translation: Minimum ARS 10,000 and maximum ARS 600,000 (Monday to Thursday)