Of all the casino games, roulette can be said to have a certain spark. The stark red or black numbered choices and the uncertainty of when the wheel will stop spinning and where the ball will land make it special.
It was invented by French mathematician Blaise Pascale and is thought to derive from an Italian game called Biribi. Roulette is a casino staple – indeed it is the imagery of the roulette wheel that will spring to mind for many when they think of casino gambling.
You will find European or American roulette at land-based casinos, while Rainbow Riches Casino and other top online ones have their own exciting variants like Lightning Roulette. Getting started can feel daunting for first time players though, so why not read this handy guide to roulette first.
Let’s start with the basics of the game and how it works. There are three main elements in roulette:
- The wheel
This will have 36 pockets coloured black and red around the edge, each of which has a consecutive number. There is also another pocket coloured green that has the number 0 (an American roulette wheel will have a second of these numbered 00).
- The ball
The dealer spins this little white coloured ball within the wheel and it will land in one of the numbered pockets when the wheel stops.
- The table
Roulette tables are covered by cloth that is marked out with squares containing the same numbers as those on the wheel. Players put their chips on their chosen numbered squares to bet before the wheel is spun.
That is all there is to the essential set up. Roulette is widely considered to be second only to slots as the simplest casino option, but that does not make it any less fun or exciting.
Now we will look at the possible bets in roulette.
Roulette Betting
There is more than one type of bet that a player can place in roulette and they range from very straightforward to slightly more complex ones. These are the most common bets:
Straight Up Bet
This means betting on a solitary number, so the ball must land in that exact numbered pocket on the wheel for your bet to pay off.
Black or Red Bet
This is a safer bet that takes in all numbers coloured black or red so the ball just has to land in a pocket of that colour for you to win.
Split Bet
This involves wagering on two consecutive numbers, for example 5 and 6.
Low or High Bet
Low bets are when you wager on all of the numbers from 1 to 18, while high bets are on the numbers from 19 to 36.
Even or Odd Number Bet
Rather self-explanatory, these are when you bet that the ball will land in an odd or even numbered pocket.
Square Bet
This type of roulette bet involves picking four numbers shaped like a square on the table for your bet.
Bets that encompass multiple numbers are more complicated but also improve your winning chances. Wagering red or black rather than a single number is also lower risk for roulette players.
Roulette Strategies
Roulette is generally considered to be a game of pure chance, like slots. That does not mean that there is no use for strategies, just that none offers the guarantee of success.
The most widely known strategies for roulette are:
The Martingale System
This requires players to bet double their previous wager every time they lose. The idea behind it is that by doing so, when you eventually win, the payout will be big enough to put you back ahead.
The Fibonacci System
Here the famous maths sequence of that name is deployed in the service of roulette. You use that sequence for each bet, moving forward one number each time if you win but going back two if the bet loses.
The Labouchere System
With this system, the player must determine the amount they aim to win from their roulette play. Then you adjust the sums bet accordingly based on whether it is going well or badly.
The idea is that you are always able to see the required winnings still needed to reach your goal. It is supposed to minimise losses at the roulette table.
Each of these strategies is worth playing around with to see which you are most comfortable with. It should be obvious even to beginner players that none of them constitutes a fool-proof plan for roulette success though.
Now you have an overview of what is involved in roulette, from the game set-up to the types of bets and strategies. All you need now is to pick the right site and game for you.
