Online Roulette – Guide to The Best Online Roulette Casinos

If you visit a casino be it land based or online you will sooner or later have a game of roulette. The game has been a staple of casinos since its invention in the 18th century. It’s intoxicating the spinning wheel, the bouncing ball, “place your bets please”,” no more bets” and the bit we all wish for “we have a winner 36 red.” The game is very simple to play yet can get under your skin and the more you play it the more you will take advantage of the more interesting bets. Of course the game is completely random but the odds of hitting certain bets and the house edge all come into how you play it. There are hundreds of books out there on how to play roulette and win. Let’s be clear though you cannot predict the next number in a game of roulette online. The RNG is statistically foolproof so you can be sure that you and everyone else will have the same chances of winning. And let’s be honest that’s the whole reason we play, isn’t it? We love the thrill of a chance outcome, risking real money to hopefully win some back.

How Do You Play Roulette Online Then?

Well there are few different versions out there so knowing which is essential. The two main differences are the type of wheel and the bets allowed. Let’s start with the wheel. It is of course the most important part of the game. The name means little wheel in French after all. There are two types of wheel known as the American wheel and the European/French wheel. We will talk a little more about how they came about later but for now here are the differences. The American wheel has 38 pockets with the numbers 0 – 36 and a 00 pocket as well. The sequence is as follows 0 28 9 26 30 11 7 20 32 17 5 22 34 15 3 24 36 13 1 00 27 10 25 29 12 8 19 31 18 6 21 33 16 4 23 35 14 2. This sequence is the typical one used in almost all casinos. The colouring of the numbers seems a bit random but from 1-10 and 19-28 odd are red and even black and from 11-18 and 29-36 odd are black and even are red. The 0 and 00 are both green. The European wheel goes in this order 0 32 15 19 4 21 2 25 17 34 6 27 13 36 11 30 8 23 10 5 24 16 33 1 20 14 31 9 22 18 29 7 28 12 35 3 26. The colouring of numbers works the same as the American wheel. It may not seem like much of a difference but the one extra pocket the 00 increases the house edge by almost double. The next big difference in versions also affects the house odds and are also to do with the zero pockets.

Top Online Roulette Sites in the UK

Basic Roulette Rules

The original French terms are En Prison and La Partage and are associated many with the European/French versions of the game. These rules are not universal and you should check whether either is in place as these are statistically important. If the ball lands in the zero pocket with the En Prison rule all bets made on either red/black odd/even or high/low carry over to the next spin. If the next spin comes in you get the stake back. La Partage is similar in that you get half your stake on an even money bet returned if the ball lands in the zero pocket. In land-based casinos there are variations where you can choose half back or spin again also some have different rules if a second zero hits. Read the house rules very carefully and ask the customer service team if you are not sure. These rules shave what seems a small amount of the house edge but statistically it is a lot in the long run.

The Important Bit – The Betting!

Known as inside bets and outside bets the payouts between them are big. Let’s start with the inside bets the big payers:

• The single bet – as it sounds a bet on a single number to come in. Place the chip in the middle of the number it pays out 35-1

• The Split bet – any two numbers adjoining either horizontal or vertical on the betting table. Place the chip on the line that splits them it pays 17-1

• The Street bet – any three horizontal numbers (1, 2, 3 or 4, 5, 6 etc.) place the chip on the edge line of one of the numbers at the outside (1 or 3 4 or 6) it pays 11-1

• The Corner bet – any four numbers in a square (1, 2, 4, 5, etc.) place the chip at the intersecting cross it pays 8-1

• The Basket bet – 0, 1, 2, 3 place the chip on the corner shared by 0-1 or 0-3 it pays 6-1

• The Top line bet – 0, 00, 1, 2, 3, place the chip on corner 0-1 or 00-3 it pays 6-1 American wheel only

• Double Street bet – any two adjoining rows of three (1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6 etc.) place the bet on the outside corner shared by two left most or right most numbers it pays 5-1

Now we have the outside bets these have much lower odds but the payouts are much lower also:

• Red or Black – as it says a bet on either a red or black number coming in the chip is placed on the area marked red or black it pays even money

• Odd Even – again simple a bet on either an odd or an even number again there are areas marked odd and even for the chip to be placed in again it pays even money

• Low or High – a bet that the number will come within the range of 1-18 or 19-36 place the chip in the area marked high/19-36 or low/1-18 it also pays even money

• Dozen bet – you bet the number will be in either the first dozen second dozen or the third dozen there are areas to place the chip and this pays 2-1

• Column bet – the bet is that the number will be one of the 12 numbers in the column on the betting table as in 1, 4, 7 all the way to 34 the chip is placed at the bottom of the column you choose there is usually a box marked it pays 2-1

These are the main recognized bets but there are a few special bets that not all casinos that play roulette have. These bets if they are there will usually be in a drop down box and may be known as called bets. These are the likes of Neighbours of zero, the snake bet, the third of the wheel and the orphans. The house rules with these bets will vary so they need to be looked into.

The Roulette Table

The confusing thing for beginners can be that the betting table is not always the same way up. It can be laid horizontal or vertical. The thing to remember is that the sequence of numbers are the same it’s just spun round 90 degrees. The betting table is very straight forward and easy to get your head round very quickly. The best way to get used to using it is to take advantage of the free play version. If the casino you want to play at doesn’t have one find out which software it is run on and there will be a version online for free.

Roulette Winning Strategies – What’s Your Best Bet?

Short answer – no, it doesn’t. Do not believe the hype and myth game is totally random. There is the same chance it will come red or black every spin of the wheel. There’s no accumulative effect on the outcome period! There are betting methods that can if you play long enough and there are no table limits you should get your money back in the end plus one win. One is known as the ‘Martingale method’ the idea is you only bet on the even money wagers. If you lose you double your bet. If you win you go back to the original stake. But this method is by no means the ‘winning strategy’ it has ruined many a high roller! When all is said and done the house has the edge. Just look at the payout for a single bet win 35-1, there are 37 pockets so the house has the edge there. The even money bets are not even the zeros see to that. It’s in business after all just treat it as fun, have a bankroll you can afford and don’t go over it. Use the casino clock set yourself a limit and stick to it. You can’t chase the loss if you want to stay sane. Good luck have fun.