There is no doubt that Roulette carries with it a certain amount of excitement, flair if you will. If the ball drops into the number 23 pocket, you're paid off at 35-1. These are the bets on red-black, odd-even, and high-low. If you place your chips in the even box and the ball drops into the number 24, you win. If it drops into number 23, you lose. Simple as that. If you put a $5 chip in the second column and the ball drops into number 17, you win $10. You can mix, match and make as many bets as you like on a single spin. You can buy in and play with standard casino chips, but each table has its own set of special "wheel chips." Wheel chips, which come in several different colors, are used so that the dealer can distinguish among all the different players' bets on the layout. When you go to exchange your cash, or casino chips, for wheel chips, inform the dealer of the denomination (within the stated betting limits) that you want your chips to be. Say you want each chip to be worth $1. If you give the dealer a $20 bill, he'll give you back 20 wheel chips worth $1 each. It indicates the lowest wager allowed on any outside bet and the lowest total bet inside. The chip minimum tells you the least amount you can bet inside on a number. You CAN'T exchange them anywhere else in the casino, not even at the cashier's cage. Most Roulette wheels in Las Vegas have two green-colored pockets, one displaying a zero, and a second with two zeros. On occasion, you'll encounter Roulette wheels that have only one zero. While interesting to observe and look for patterns, they don't provide much information of practical use. Roulette is a game of independent trials, which means the ball has no memory of what has occurred in the past, and cannot become more predictable because of prior results. Since the casino edge on both the inside and outside bets is the same, it doesn't really matter which you choose to play. For excitement purposes, it's better to divide your stake into smaller units (defined by the chip minimum) and spread chips over several numbers inside. Be sure to read the placard that lists the table minimum and chip minimum, then buy your wheel chips from the dealer. You can place your bets anywhere and everywhere on the layout, even on the top of the chips of other players, up until the time the dealer says, "No more bets." Then stand back, relax, and pray that the ball drops into the pocket with your money in it. Did you hear the one about the young woman playing Roulette who asked her boyfriend which number she should play. The boyfriend said, "Bet your age." So his girlfriend placed a chip on 23. The ball landed on 29 and the woman fainted.

Roulette Tips

Keep in mind that all the bets on the roulette table naturally return a 5.25% Casino Advantage (except the five-number bet), although there are some situations when this advantage can be lowered to 2.6% and 1.3%.  With this in mind, here are the best non-system related tips that will help a player hold out at the roulette table:

Tip - Play the European version of Roulette

Most online casinos will offer both the American and European versions of roulette. With these bets, a 1.3% House Edge is obtainable, and will help a bankroll hold out longer with more positive return.  Additionally, it is only the even money bets that qualify for the "en prison" rule (see tip #3), which will bring the House Edge down even more.

Tip - Play a roulette table that offers the en prison or la partage rule

With this rule in place, which not all casinos offer, (and so therefore is a subject worth looking into when picking an online casino to play roulette at) the House Edge can be brought down to 1.35%.  It states that when a 0 (and 00 for the American version) is landed by the roulette ball, all even money bets are not lost, but are rather afforded the opportunity to stay on the board for the next bet, or be taken back by the player.  In the long run, this rule can be the deciding factor on whether a player ends in the red or not.  It may not even come into play during a round of roulette.  the fact that it can be exercised is quite reassuring, made evident by a House Edge reduced by half.  Las partage, called the Surrender rule, governs even money wagers in the same fashion, except that it returns half of the wager, thereby returning a 2.6% House Edge.

Tip - Do not place the five-number bet

The five-number bet, simply put, gives a House Edge of 7.3%.  This is the highest casino advantage of any other roulette wager, and should always be avoided.  With 5 to 1 payout odds, a player is better off taking the 8 to 1 payout on a corner bet.

As one can see, an approach to playing roulette can still be based on the numbers, as few as they might be.  The Casino advantage and odds still change from bet to bet, but do so in such a way that making a wise wager choice is easy to not second-guess oneself over.