Roulette is one of the most preferred casino games of all times, which attracts the players with payouts of up to 35 times the bet.
First of all, players must be aware of the fact that Roulette wheels in Europe and America are different, so they should always check on what wheel they are playing.
Generally, the Roulette wheel in Europe contains 36 numbers and one zero. If this is the wheel you are playing at, do have in mind that the chances against you are bad – the house is provided an overall edge of 2.7%. On the other hand, in America, the wheel contains 36 numbers, one zero and one double zero, which is the reason why such wheels are called double-zero wheels. With double-zero wheels, the odds against you are very bad, due to the fact that they offer the house an overall edge of a bit over 5.25%.
The European-style Roulette is actually offered by most casinos all over the world. Such wheels feature numbers that are read from the inside outwards. The American-style Roulette, which involves a zero and a double zero, feature numbers read from outside inwards.
If you are a beginner, you should know that no matter how large the payouts are, there are still some fundamental flaws with the game of Roulette. Make sure you read our Guide thoroughly before starting to play.
Playing Roulette
First and foremost, there is one major difference between Roulette and the rest of the table games offered in a casino – Roulette chips have no monetary value printed on them. They are usually marked with the number of the table they belong to. In addition, the default denomination value of the chips is equal to the table minimum.
When the player wins, they will be paid in the same colour chips, unless they specify that they prefer some or all their winnings to be paid in standard casino chips.
The Roulette table is also special, it comes with six to eight sets of chips painted in different colours, and each set consists of 300 chips.
Always start with checking on the number of zeros that appear on the wheel. Normally, the numbers from 1 to 36 are painted in alternating colours of red and black, while the zeros are almost always displayed in green.
Preferably for you is to look for casinos, which offer a single-zero wheel, because these rules will give you better value for your money.
Then, always check for the minimum and maximum bets allowed, which are usually displayed somewhere on the table. Some casinos offer low betting limits, but there are also ones that require a relatively high minimum bet. So, be careful when making your choice.
Placing the Bets
If you play in a physical casino, the player usually places their own bets on the layout or asks the croupier to place them. This does not apply for Neighbour Bets, which are placed by the croupier only.
In the game of Roulette, there is a great variety of bets, which can be made. Here are the main ones you could come across into when at the casino table.
When playing in a physical casino, you should be aware of the fact that most casinos require the player to bet at least five times the table minimum on the Lines, Dozens and Even-Money bets.
Straight Up
When making a straight up, the player’s chips are put on a single number on the Roulette table. The chips are positioned in the middle of the number box without touching any lines of the other boxes around.
There is no limitation how many straight-up bets on various numbers a player is allowed to make, including on zero and double zero. If the player wins, they will be paid 35-1 on their bet.
Split
By making such a bet, two adjacent numbers are covered by the player. Your chip should be placed on the line between the two numbers you have chosen. If the player wins, the house will pay 17-1 on their bet.
Row
The bet covers three consecutive numbers, which are situated in a row. The chip must be placed on the line to the right of the three numbers the player wants to cover. The latter will be paid 11-1 on their bet in case they win.
Four Number – Corner
Players are also allowed to cover four numbers with a single chip, which must be placed on the intersection of the numbers. In case they win, the player will be paid 8-1 on their bet.
Six Number
This bet is actually a double row bet. If we have to put this in other words, the player places their chip on the right line between two rows they wish to cover. The house will pay 5-1 their bet if they win.
Column Bets
Choosing such a bet gives the player an opportunity to cover a line of 12 numbers. The chips must be placed at the bottom, where there are several boxes that are usually marked 2-1. If the player wins, they will get paid at 2-1.
Dozens
There are three broader boxes to the one side of the table layout, which are usually market “1st Dozen/12”, “2nd Dozen/12” and “3rd Dozen/12”. By betting on them, the player actually covers the numbers from 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36. The player will be paid at 2-1 if they win.
Even-Money Bets
There are six large boxes situated next to the Dozen bets, where players can make even-money bets.
The Even-Money bets are treated differently depending on the casino rules. In the casinos, which play the American style and on double-zero wheels, these bets usually boost the house advantage. On the other hand, the houses, which play according to the European style, an “en-prison”-called version is traditional. Still, the “en-prison” version is rarely played.
Red/Black
This is probably the most popular one of the even-money bets. The player places their chips in the boxes and covers all red numbers, or all black numbers. Zero is excluded from the bets. The casino will pay 1-1 at even money in case the player wins.
Odd/Even
These bets are placed to the left and right of the Red and Black ones. Placing your chips on these boxes wins if you manage to properly predict an even number or an odd number. If the player wins, they will be paid at even money, 1-1.
1-18 and 19-36 Bets
With this bet the player tries to predict if the next number is low (from 1 to 18) or high (from 19 to 36). In case they predict properly and win, they will be paid at even money, 1-1.
Neighbour Bets
Some casinos, which play by European rules, usually offer Neighbour bets on a secondary betting layout that us normally positioned to the left of the main betting layout. It resembles a small oval racing track with the numbers on the wheel laid out in the same order they appear.
The player could ask the croupier to place a neighbour bet in case they want to cover five numbers at once. In exchange, the player needs to leave no less than five times the minimum bet of the table.
Betting Strategy
Before talking of any strategy at all, every player should be absolutely sure that the Roulette wheel cannot be interfered with. Laws of probability usually don’t work when it comes to Roulette. Also, no projections can be made by judging on previous spins of the wheel. This makes every spin of the wheel independent, which is exactly the reason why no strategy can give the player any advantage over the wheel.
When sitting at the Roulette table, players must know that the last spins of the wheel are not relevant to what might happen next and do not predetermine in any way the result of a future spin.
Betting Systems
Casino players are inclined to try more systems for beating Roulette than any other game offered by the house.
The different types of betting systems can be:
- ProgressiveA main feature of these system is that the amount of the player’s next bet depends on the previous ones.
- Betting Zones These systems are associated with covering neighbour sections of the wheel in order to guarantee the player a win no matter where the ball lands in the covered section.
- Predictive SystemsThere are two predictive systems that stand out before the others. The first one’s goal is to exploit flaws in the equipment, and the second one’s is to focus on flaws in the roulette dealer.
It is important for all users, no matter if they are beginners or professionals, to know that there is no progressive of other type of betting strategy, which can change the casino’s edge in the game of Roulette.
There is a great number of Roulette betting systems. Here are some of the most commonly used ones:
- MartingaleThis is probably the most famous systems of all that are used when it comes to Roulette. A large number of casinos promote the Martingale system as a “guaranteed method” of beating the wheel.The Martingale systems is a progressive betting system, which is based on the principle “double up after you lose”. This basically means that the player must double the size of their next bet no matter if they lost their previous bet. The system assumes that if the player keeps on doubling their bet after every loss, they will eventually beat the wheel and recover their losses plus end up with a 1 unit profit.At first glance, this seems like a reasonable system. The Martingale method is often used for sleepers or numbers that have not come up after many spins. The problem here is that the main principle of Roulette is in action – no projections for future results can be made on past spins.
- Grand MartingalePlayers, who are not completely satisfied with the principle of the previous system, often use the Grand Martingale system, which is based on doubling your last bet plus adding one more unit.
- Laboucher (Cancellation System)This system requires from the player to choose a sequence of numbers, each of which represents a unit of betting. The total sum of the numbers represents the win goal.Here is the way the system works. The player makes his first bet the sum of the first and the last number in the sequence of their choice. If they lose the bet, the latter’s amount is added to the end of the 5-number sequence, and their next bet would be the sum of the first the last number of the new sequence. However, if the player’s initial bet wins, their next bets will equal the sum of the second and the fourth number.Unfortunately, no matter that the system looks pretty straightforward, the problem with it comes after a few consecutive losses. The sequence gets longer, which automatically means that the losses will also increase.
- D’AlembertThe betting system’s roots are stuck in the player’s assumption that if Bet A wins more than Bet B, then it is more likely for Bet B to win again. The players, who follow the D’Alembert system usually decrease their bet by one unit after a win, and increase their bet by one unit after a loss.
- Oscar GrindThis is also a progressive betting system, which is based on the principle “up as you win”. Its methodology is associated with betting the same amount after a loss, and increasing the bet by one unit after a win. According to this system, the player never bets more than the amount they need to recover prior losses plus a one-unit profit.
- The ParoliThis betting system is often used by players, who want to take advantage of hot streaks. The Paroli is a progressive betting system of a more aggressive type, which is based on the “up as you win” principle.Maybe one of the most popular Paroli methods is the “Paroli of Three”, which is associated with an aggressive betting progression and aims at winning three bets on any even play-off wager – high/low numbers, odd/even numbers or red/black numbers.
| Number of progressions | Chance of winning | Winning height in chips |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 48.60% | 2 |
| 1 | 23.60% | 4 |
| 2 | 11.50% | 8 |
| 3 | 5.60% | 16 |
| 4 | 2.70% | 32 |
| 5 | 1.30% | 64 |
| 6 | 0.60% | 128 |
- Shotwell SystemThe system’s method is to cover specific numbers, which are evenly placed around the wheel. This method provides the player with the opportunity to get a chance of winning no matter where the ball lands.
- The Red SystemThis is also quite popular betting system, which is focused on trying to take advantage of the third column of the Roulette’s table layout contains 8 red numbers versus only 4 black ones.The principle of this system is making two bets only – one on the third column and a second one, which is twice as big as the first on the black numbers.
- Betting on a Biased WheelAs we have mentioned earlier, systems and strategies rarely will do you any work in the game of Roulette. That is exactly the reason why some players try to beat the game by finding a biased wheel thanks to a small physical imperfection. A flaw of such a wheel could cause some numbers to hit more frequently.Beating such a wheel is related to tracking the winning numbers over a certain period of time in order to find out which numbers, hit more frequently.
- Dealer’s SignatureThe dealer could spin the wheel and the ball with the same speed every time due to the professional routine. Such a consistency from one spin to the next is called “the dealer’s signature”. This is also the thing some players bet on when building a strategy for Roulette.Some players believe they have found the dealer’s signature when observing the game for some time and the release point of the ball related to the wheel. The key to building a strategy is finding a dealer who has a consistent pattern after observing the game for some time.
Simple and Efficient Betting Pattern
The best betting pattern is the one that is simple, but sensible. Make sure you stick to the rule of keeping it low and bet small amounts of money in order to minimize your losses. And respectively, if you seem to be winning, increase your bet a little each time. This will provide you with the opportunity to take advantage of a winning streak by increasing your profits a bit each time.
A good idea is also not to risk all your profits gained from one successful spin when making your next bet, because the odds are not always in your favour.
When it comes to the consideration which bets to place, specialists recommend the players to stick to the Red/Black, Odd/Even and 1-18/19-36 wagers, which seem to be most profitable.