Roulette Guide
Even without a legitimate, working strategy for roulette, there are some tips that can help you get the most out of your game. Here are the top 10:
- Play European roulette, if possible- You have a much better chance of winning at the European version of roulette, which has a house advantage of 2.63% as compared to the more familiar American roulette, which has a house advantage of 5.26%. (See 'roulette variations' for more information).
- Place square or quarter bets- This means that you put your chips on the intersection of four neighboring numbers, effectively betting on all four at once. You spend the same amount betting on four numbers as you would a single number. Sure, the payout is 8:1 as compared to 38:1 for a single number, but you have a much bigger chance of actually winning since you are betting on more numbers.
- Avoid the single- A single number bet provides some of the worst odds you can find in any casino game- the odds are only 1 in 35 that the ball will land on that exact number. A better idea is to bet as stated above, square bets or similar ones that allow you to wager on more than one number at a time without spending too many chips. Don't be afraid to cover more than one number on the table!
- Play for fun, not profit- This way, you will not be disappointed. Since the house odds are rather large on many of the bets, you are much better off not having expectations about how much you are going to win. Select an amount you are willing to lose, play with it and move on.
- Never play roulette for an extended period- Because the results are based on chance, playing for long periods of time almost ensures that you will lose out in the end. Play a few spins, never exceeding your bankroll. You can always come back later if you feel like it.
- Try column bets- Even though these may not payout like a single number bet, they have much better odds than the single bets, since you are covering more of the table with the same amount of money. A column bet will let you bet on more than one result, and you win if any of those results is what the ball lands on. Smaller payout, but more chances of winning.
- Avoid the "5 numbers" bet- This bet has a house advantage of 7.89%, which is over 2% more than the usual house advantage for American roulette. This is yet another sucker bet.
- Play with 'en prison' rules if available- Playing this variation takes the house edge down from 2.63% to a paltry 1.53%. (See 'roulette variations' for more information).
- Play with 'surrender' rules if available- Playing this variation takes the house edge down from 5.36% to 2.63%.
- Do not try to strategize- If the ball lands on red for three straight spins, this does not mean you should bet on black. The spins are completely random. You are better off placing bets that cover a lot of the table, such as corner bets, and wishing yourself luck than you are of betting based on a streak of previous spins.