Roulette: Rules, Variants and Tips

 Sep, 13 - 2017   CasinoRoulette


Roulette is perhaps the most common casino game around the world. This popular activity is ultimately a game of chance but understanding the rules and gameplay could help you make the right choices when placing your bets. This article considers the variants of roulette across the globe and offers advice to help you maximise your chances of winning.

European Roulette

Roulette was invented in France in the 17th Century and so the European version is considered to be the purest form of the game. European roulette is played using the numbers 1-36, with some of these numbers being allocated as black and some as red. There are an equal proportion of red and black numbers and also odd and even as well as an equal number of low numbers, which are classed as 1-17 and high numbers 18-36. European roulette also features a single gree number zero. This number is known as the house number and it is there because it tilts the odds slightly in the favour of the house. For instance, in its absence a bet on a red or black number would be 50-50, having the green number in the mix reduces the odds slightly and it has been calculated that it offers the house a 2.7% advantage.

American Roulette

American roulette has the same setup as the European version but features an extra green space with a double zero, so 00. It is thought that this transformation of the wheel happened as the game moved across to America because casino owners were looking to maximise their profits. Indeed, this double zero increases the advantage of the house to 5.26%. It would seem, therefore, that European roulette offers players a distinct advantage over the American version, although American roulette often wins out in terms of popularity in the casinos.

Live Dealer Roulette

Live dealer roulette is played in exactly the same way that American roulette or European roulette are played. It is simply a version of the casino game played as a video online, through webcams, whilst users place their bets through the interface on the website. Live dealer roulette was created as a replacement to random number generators as a means of playing roulette online as users often complained that the fake manner in which the winning number was determined made the game boring. Live dealer roulette is also a good way to play at home, yet still retain the popular social aspect of the game, as playing online allows you to still play with other people.

Tips and Tricks

As European roulette offers better odds to players it is a good idea to try, if you can, to find a European table. These tables can often be found, even in American casinos and also in live dealer roulette, so to maximise profits always attempt to find one before you commence play. European roulette often allows the ‘En Prison’ rule which effectively slashes the house advantage in half, to 1.35%. In this version of the game, when a player places an even bet, such as betting on whether the ball will land on red or black, and the ball lands on the green space, the player does not lose their money. Instead, the money gambled is placed ‘in prison’ until the results of the next spin and the money is only forfeited at this point if this spin does not go in the player’s favour. In effect, American roulette and European roulette are the same game, the only difference between them is that you have more chance of winning if you play the European version. Ultimately, therefore, the only reason that a serious roulette player should consider an American roulette table is if there is no other option, always look for a European version in a casino and when you are playing live dealer roulette.


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