Roulette is a popular casino game which means little or small wheel. The game of roulette involves players choosing to place bets on individual numbers (odd or even), and colours (red or black). Players can also bet on a series of numbers or whether the number will be odd or even.
All roulette tables have an area marked with a pattern of boxes and numbers – this is known as the game layout. Players then place their chosen bets. In order to determine the winning number or colour, a croupier will spin the wheel in one direction whilst a ball is thrown into the wheel in the opposite direction. Once the ball slows down, it will fall into one of the numbered pockets on the wheel.
Roulette is very popular due to the fact that it is accommodating to a wide variety of skill levels and bet ranges. This can include basic bets such as red or black for beginners to complex strategies used by experienced players.
Roulette may seem intimidating or complicated if you are a beginner but this section is here to provide you with information on the most important aspects of playing roulette.
History of Roulette
Roulette can be traced back to France in 1655. The person responsible for inventing the roulette wheel is mathematician Blaise Pascal [1]. He is well regarded in the mathematics field and contributed to roulette history in 1655. He tried to create a perpetual motion device and the infamous roulette wheel was created as a result.
For nearly 200 years, the Roulette wheel remained unchanged. In 1842, two Frenchmen named Francois and Louis Blanc added a ‘0’ to the numbers of the Roulette wheel. There were 37 numbers ranging from ‘0’ to ‘36’ – the addition of the ‘0’ basically was introduced to increase the house’s odds of winning.
The legend has it that Francois Blanc struck a deal with the devil himself in exchange for the secrets of Roulette. This tale is based on the fact that if you add up all numbers of the Roulette wheel, you will get a grand total of ‘666’ which is the number of the beast.
During this time, the addition of the ‘0’ to the Roulette wheel was illegal in France. However, this did not stop roulette gaining popularity across Europe. Francois Blanc himself founded the first casinos in Monte Carlo – roulette became the game of choice as a result. During the 19th century, Roulette was brought into North America. A ‘00’ was introduced which made the wheel have an even 38 slots.
There are a few famous roulette players that have made history. In 1873, Joseph Jagger recorded outcomes of Roulette wheels in a Monte Carlo casino and won $450,000 before being caught [2]. In 1891, Charles Wells won over 2 million francs which was an obscene amount of money in those days.
There are many Roulette strategies, but the game is over 350 years old. The game’s popularity is not great in North America but is the game of choice in Europe, especially in France and Germany. Want to learn how to play Roulette and understand the game properly? Read on.
How to Play Roulette
First and foremost, you must know what version of roulette you are playing. There are 2 different types of roulette games – American and European Roulette.
American Roulette basically contains numbers ‘1’ through to ’36’ on the wheel as well as a ‘0’ and a ’00’. The house (online casino) therefore has a house edge of 5.26% (two zeros divided by 38 numbered pockets).
European Roulette differs in that it only has one ‘0’ (so no ’00’). This is referred to as a single zero wheel and the house edge is lower at 2.7% (one zero divided by 37 numbered pockets). This version is much more popular due to the fact that the odds are much more in favour of the player.
Image: attached (table layout on top of green felt) – alt text: European Roulette Table Layout
As stated, the game of roulette originated in France and the current layout we all recognize nowadays dates back to 1842. If you look at a roulette table, the layout has 2 different betting areas. The ‘inside’ betting area contains the individual numbers on the layout (from ‘0’ to ’36’) whilst the ‘outside’ betting area has boxes for columns, red/black, odd/even and different groups of numbers.
The numbers on the ‘inside’ betting area are in 12 rows of three numbers per row (for example: ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’). This forms three vertical columns of 12 numbers. In American Roulette, the ‘0’ and ’00’ are at the top of these columns but in European Roulette, only the ‘0’ is at the top of the columns.
Outside of this is considered the ‘outside’ betting area where ‘outside’ bets are placed. There are additional outside betting options and they are located either to the left or right of the numbers (depending on the actual table itself) as well as beneath them.
As you can see, there are both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ bets you can make on the roulette table. The next section highlights the types of bets you can make whilst playing roulette. This gives you images of the bet types themselves along with a description.
Types of Roulette Bets
More important, you need to learn how to bet using the roulette table layout. You have a variety of choices which include betting on a selected number (between 1 and 36) or a group of numbers, picking a certain colour (red or black) and placing special bets. Casino Manual will now explain the various betting options you have as a Roulette player:
Inside Bets
This type of bet gets its name from the fact that the chips used are placed ‘inside’ the numbered grid on the Roulette game table. This is also known as the number grid. If the table has a minimum bet amount such as £10, that means you can place 5 bets of £2 each on different numbers or £10 all together on 1 number – the choice is yours. The types of inside bets are as follows:
- Straight Bet – this is a single number wager or bet. This pays at 35 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) entirely inside the number of your choice.
- Split Bet – this is a bet on two numbers and pays at 17 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) on the line between the two numbers of your choice.
- Street Bet – this is a bet on three numbers on a single horizontal line and it pays 11 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) on the end of the line (can be on the left of the right depending on the casino table layout. This can also be known as a line bet.
- Corner Bet – this is also known as the Quad or Square bet and it pays 8 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) in the middle of the 4 chosen numbers.
- Double Street Bet – this is also known as a Six Line and pays 5 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) in between Street bets. This bet is basically combining two Street bets together.
- Three Line Bet – this is also known as a Trio and pays 11 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) on the intersect point between ‘0’, ‘1’ and ‘2’. This bet can only be made in the European version only.
- Basket Bet – this bet pays 6 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) on ‘0’, ’00’, ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’. This bet can only be played in the American version only and is technically the worst bet in Roulette.
- Top Line Bet – this bet pays 6 to 1. In order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) either at the corner of ‘0’ and ‘1’ or the corner ’00’ and ‘3’. This bet is only available on the American version.
Outside Bets
This type of bet gets its name from the fact that the chips used are placed ‘outside’ the numbered grid on the Roulette game table. These bets involve wagering or betting on a colour (red or black) or on a certain group of numbers. The types of outside bets are as follows:
- 1 to 18 – this bet pays 1 to 1 and in order to make this bet, you place your chip(s) on the first low eighteen numbers (‘1′ to ’18’). This is demonstrated with a 1-18 square on the table.
- 19-36 – this bet also pays 1 to 1 and in order to place this bet, you should place your chip(s) on the last high eighteen numbers (’19 to ’36’). This is shown on the table with a 19-36 square.
- Red or Black – this bet pays 1 to 1 and in order to place this bet, you should place your chip(s) on either the red square or black square. This is one of the most popular bets in roulette.
- Even or Odd – this is a bet on an even or odd number (which particular one doesn’t matter). This bets pays 1 to 1 and you should place your chip(s) on either the even or odd squares. Again, this type of bet is very popular with roulette players.
- Dozen Bet – this bet pays 2 to 1 and consists of placing a bet on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd 12 numbers (i.e. 1-12, 13-24, 25-36). To place this bet, you should place your chip(s) on the 1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12 squares.
- Column Bet – this bet also pays 2 to 1 and consists of placing a stake on the column of numbers (12 numbers). To place this bet, you should place your chip(s) on the 2 to 1 boxes at the foot end of the numbers.
Now you have an in-depth look into all the roulette bets you can make, you need to understand the house odds as well as the payout ratios for each type of bet. The next section explains what your possible return is on all bets.
Roulette House Odds and Payout
Further to knowing you’re playing and betting options, it’s important to keep in mind that the house (online casino) has an advantage in terms of the odds. This is more commonly known as the ‘house edge’. This is based on a percentage and measures, on average, how much of an average bet is won by the house.
For European Roulette, the overall house edge is 2.7% whilst on American Roulette, the overall house edge is 5.26%. This means that on a European wheel, the online casino (house) will make on average make £2.70 for every £100 bet and on an American wheel, the online casino will make an average £5.26 for every £100 wagered or bet. The difference per £100 is £2.56 which is very evident and big over the long run.
CasinoManual recommends you play European Roulette only for this exact reason. Please find the win probability of the two versions of Roulette as well as the payout ratio below:
| Type of Bet | Bet Name | European -Probability Win | American – Probability Win | Payout |
| Inside Bet | Straight Bet | 2,70% | 2,63% | 35 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Split Bet | 5,41% | 5,26% | 17 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Street Bet | 8,11% | 7,89% | 11 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Corner Bet | 10,81% | 10,53% | 8 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Double Street Bet | 16,22% | 15,79% | 5 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Three Line Bet | 8,11% | NA | 11 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Basket Bet | NA | 13,16% | 6 to 1 |
| Inside Bet | Top Line Bet | NA | 7,89% | 6 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | 1-18 | 48,65% | 47,37% | 1 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | 19-36 | 48,65% | 47,37% | 1 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | Red/Black | 48,65% | 47,37% | 1 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | Even/Odd | 48,65% | 47,37% | 1 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | Dozen Bet | 32,43% | 31,58% | 2 to 1 |
| Outside Bet | Column Bet | 32,43% | 31,58% | 2 to 1 |
As you can see from the table above, outside bets are the ones you should be making as a clever and shrewd roulette player. You need to remember that you should play within your means and more importantly play smartly. Don’t gamble on impulse as these are the ones that will quickly wipe out your bankroll. Make your money go further by using the table above.
Now you understand how to play roulette, what type of bets you have available as well as the house odds and payout, scroll down for roulette tips and tricks.
Roulette Tips and Tricks
Playing online roulette is obviously more fun when you are winning. Whilst it is a game of chance and there is no sure way to guarantee success, there are a few roulette tips that can be used in order to improve your chances of winning.
Roulette Tip 1 – Play for Free First
Whilst you won’t win any money playing roulette for free, you won’t lose anything either. Get to grips with the games, the various bets available and ultimately what works for you as an online roulette player. This will hold you in good stead and you will learn some valuable lessons to apply when you play for real. If you want to play roulette online for free on CasinoManual, scroll down.
Roulette Tip 2 – Determine your Bankroll
Prior to playing roulette, determine how much you are willing to play with and ultimately lose. Establishing this before you play is crucial as this ensure that you won’t play on impulse and therefore logic/strategy will go out the window. This also includes choosing a table with table limits that suit how much you can afford.
Start off on lower limit tables initially and once you feel more comfortable or have built up your bankroll, you can review the situation and think about playing higher limits tables.
Roulette Tip 3 – Play European Roulette
As mentioned previously, playing European Roulette is the only way to go as the overall house edge is 2.70% compared to 5.26% in American Roulette. This is a whopping difference and works out to be £2.56 advantage to the online casino. Play European Roulette – period.
Roulette Tip 4 – Don’t Purchase a Roulette System
Roulette systems simply don’t work – if they did, the online casinos as well as land-based casinos would go bust and eventually not offer roulette to gamble on. Basically, purchasing roulette systems will make the sellers rich and will make you lose your money quickly.
There are famous betting systems like the Martingale [3]. It basically consists of you doubling your bet every time you lose. It will alter you win/loss pattern whereby you have a number of small wins and eventually lose one very large sum.
In theory, the system should work but an unlimited bankroll is needed. If you still want to use roulette systems, try it with a tiny portion of your bankroll just in case (and inevitably) it doesn’t work.
Roulette Tip 5 – Forget Previous Spin Numbers
You have to remember that the roulette wheel has no memory. The game will trick inexperienced players into thinking that numbers need to be reviewed. They do this by showing the previous numbers. The online casino aims to make you see patterns that can’t exist because every spin is completely random.
Perhaps the most crucial tip is that “the wheel has no memory”. Roulette tricks some inexperienced players into thinking that a wheel resulting in ten consecutive even spins is a wheel that’s “due” to come up odd. No guide to roulette secrets can tell you how the next spin will go, because the wheel itself doesn’t know.
Roulette Tip 6 – Start Playing with Outside Bets
As mentioned in the House Odds and Payout section above, the slow and steady approach to playing roulette is advisable. The best bets to make are outside bets such as 1-18, 19-36, red or black and even or odd. These bets have the lowest payout odds because the chances of you winning are highest and therefore the biggest advantage to you.
Roulette Tip 7 – Be Sensible
A classic example of this is roulette players bet on their ‘lucky number’. This is a mistake and should be avoided. Furthermore, and this applies to other games such as blackjack, follow a pattern whereby you closely monitor your successes and failures.
For example, if you want to increase your bets, make sure you are on a winning streak. However, if you are losing, you should lower you bet amounts to avoid you losing heavily. This will keep you from playing your winnings back to the table.
This is the quickest and easiest way of you losing your entire bankroll to the online casino. On the other hand, if you are losing, take a break or decrease your bet values. Chasing losses is one of the biggest wrong-doings in gambling and can lead to serious consequences.
Roulette Tip 8 – Enjoy
Many roulette players play the game using various systems with the aim of beating the casino and getting rich. Whilst this is fine, you should always remember it’s a game that needs to be enjoyed. If you are not enjoying roulette or any other game for that matter, you should take a break or stop playing altogether. You could always try your luck with slot games which offer various themes and bonus features.
Roulette Tip 9 – Choose a Recommended Online Casino
Fancy applying what you’ve learned? Check out the Online Casinos section to read about the best UK casinos around.
Don’t think we’ve covered everything?
CasinoManual has tried to provide some good roulette tips in this guide but there is no guarantee they will make you rich. The tips are merely guidelines and the aim is to make you play sensibly. This way you will remain more in control and can therefore make better decisions. With a little luck, applying these tips will make your bankroll go longer and hopefully make you a profit.
Play Roulette Online for Free
You can play roulette online free right here at CasinoManual. You can try out European Roulette for fun below. The version provided is by Net Entertainment and can be found at most online casinos. This allows you to try all the different inside and outside bets without any risk.
Best Roulette Online Casinos
Read the extensive guide and tried European Roulette for free? You’re ready to play the infamous game at actual online casinos. Please consider that casino bonuses generally don’t allow wagering to be completed on roulette – however, some casinos allow 5% or 10% wagering contribution from roulette. Anyway, here’s our recommend roulette online casinos:
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Jagger
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martingale_(betting_system)