There is no doubt that Roulette carries with it a certain amount of excitement, flair if you will. This image was created by that "Mother of all super spies," James Bond, who, with a beautiful woman nearby, preferred to play this fast-paced game, when not beating the bad guys at Baccarat. Although a game favored by Europeans, Roulette has managed to gather a strong following in North America, most likely for its simplicity and the chance to win big money. Roulette means "little wheel" in French. It's simply a guessing game with a little white ball and a big spinning wheel. The ball spins in one direction as the wheel spins in the other, until the ball lands in one of the 38 pockets on the wheel. If your money is on the right number, set of numbers, or color, you collect. 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. These bets pay even money. You can bet on 12 numbers each in the "column" boxes at the far end of the layout. If you've got one of those feelings that the next number will be 15 and somebody's already on that number, just pile your wheel chips right on top. Before sitting down to play, take particular note of the table-minimum betting rules. There will be a table minimum and a chip minimum. The table minimum applies to all bets on the table. A $2 table minimum and 50-cent chip minimum, means that you must bet a minimum of $2 on any outside bet, but you can combine four 50-cent bets to satisfy the minimum requirements for your inside bet. On a table that's really jamming, players twist, lunge and sometimes elbow their way past other players to get their bets down before the deadline. When you're ready to cash out, don't forget to redeem your wheel chips (for real chips) right at the table. The zeros are called house numbers, because when the ball lands in one of them, the casino collects all bets except those placed on the zeros. The casino advantage on a double-zero Roulette wheel is 5.26%. 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. 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

In an attempt to be as unbiased as possible about the game of roulette, I will, at most, point out there are several "systems" or invented strategies in existence, which claim to guarantee success at the roulette table.  And just as much as we all know that success cannot be guaranteed at any game of chance, we all know that these systems cannot be guaranteed as well.  systems have proven to be successful to some devoted roulette players who have managed to use them in a way that productively minimizes the inherent weaknesses of the system.  On the other hand, if players do the research for themselves, they will see there is a unanimous agreement between actuaries, mathematicians and legitimate gambling professionals that the structure of roulette does not allow for the implementation of a bona fide strategy such as the basic blackjack strategy.  Perhaps a jerry-rigged system is all it takes.  Therefore, on this page, player's will not find an infallibly self-proclaimed roulette strategy.  Rather, only sound tips related to playing the game with some form of structure and regularity, which in effect, could be called a strategy in itself, are offered for the player's use.  If you would like to know more about some of the most popular systems used at roulette, please see the comprehensive tips at the bottom of this page.  Our recommendation is that if you are intrigued and curious about using a system, that you do your research and learn the system inside and out.  After doing so, put the system into action at a number of practice gambling sessions.  If you are like some of the European gambles who have successfully customized a system so that it returns a small and steady profit, it may well be worth a go. 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.