Roulette is one of the most popular games in the gambling industry worldwide. Studies have shown this game of chance to be the third most popular game at land-based casinos after slots and craps. The game has 3 major variants that we will discuss in slight detail later:
- European roulette
- American roulette
- French roulette
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Brief History of Roulette
There is some ambiguity about the origins of roulette. The term ‘roulette’ is French and stands for ‘little wheel’, probably a reference to the wheel used in the game. The most accepted theory attributes credit for the develop of roulette to Blaise Pascal, a French scientist, after he went on holiday to a French casino in 1657 and became fascinated by the games of chance he saw there. The result was the development of the roulette wheel, which some say came about as a culmination of his efforts to build a perpetual motion machine.
Another theory attributes credit for the development of the game to a monk in a French monastery at about the same time. One of the first versions of roulette as we see today is the English game of Roly-Poly, thought to have originated around 1720. The first modern-day roulette wheels were made towards the late 1700s; these wheels feature the red and black slots for the ball to land in. Another interesting note: the European single-zero roulette game was invented only in 1842 by the Blanc brothers, Louis and Francois Blanc.
From France and Europe, roulette made its way to the USA when it landed with French immigrants in New Orleans in the 19th century. The game evolved towards the double-zero version in the US, which is why the double-zero wheel is also called the American wheel.
Types of Roulette Games
There are roulette games offered at every land based casino, and possibly every online casino. The type of roulette games continue to grow with the large number of software providers each having their own version. Some of these games are listed below:
- European Roulette
- Monopoly Roulette Tycoon
- Double Bonus Spin Roulette
- French Roulette
- American Roulette
- English Roulette
- 3-Wheel Roulette
- Multi-Ball Roulette
- Live Dealer Roulette
- Premiere Roulette Diamond Edition
- Mini Roulette
- Spingo
Another form of roulette that is available is California Roulette. It has been played since the State of California legalized it. Unlike other roulette games, you play with cards instead of slots in the roulette wheel.
Of the roulette games listed above we discuss American, European and French roulette in a little detail here.
European Roulette
European roulette is a very popular version of roulette that uses a single zero (0) wheel and has 37 slots for the numbers 1 to 36 and another for the single 0. The presence of just a single zero gives this variant of roulette a house edge of 2.63%. The standard roulette rules and bets apply to this game, and you get announced bets as well.
There is one special rule in European roulette that you do not see in American roulette – the En Prison rule. This rule ensures that a player does not lose his bet if he makes an even money bet and the ball lands on zero. Instead, the bet is held till the next spin. If the player lands the ball on the number corresponding to his wager he wins his money back, otherwise he loses the bet. If a player opts to use the En Prison rule he can bring the house edge down from 2.63% to 1.35%.
American Roulette
American roulette is another variant of roulette that employs a double zero along with the standard single zero. This means there are 38 slots for the ball to land in – the single zero, the double zero and the numbers 1 to 36. As a result of the presence of the double zero, the house edge in this game is higher than European or French roulette, at 5.26%.
French Roulette
French roulette is another roulette variant that is quite popular among players. It is a spinoff of European roulette and has the same layout and even-money bets. This game also has a 2.63% house edge and one additional advantage: apart from the En Prison rule you also find the La Partage rule.
The La Partage rule kicks in when the ball lands on the single zero: all even money bets for the round are split into 2, which means you get half your original bet amount back. With the La Partage rule in action, the house edge for the game drops, like for the En Prison rule in European roulette, to 1.35% from the standard 2.63%. Like European roulette, the announced bets work in French roulette too.
How to Play Roulette: Objectives, Rules and Bets
At a land-based casino a maximum of 8 players can play at a roulette table. An online casino does not have this limitation as the game is between the player and the dealer and not between players. At land-based casinos, each player gets a different coloured chip to minimise confusion and ensure smooth and seamless play. The basic objective of roulette is to predict where the ball will land once the wheel stops spinning and place wagers to cover different possibilities.
The first step in roulette is placing your wager. You place the bets at the different sections on the table, depending on which numbers and number sets you want to cover. Once all the bets are placed, the wheel is spun and the ball rolls along around the table. The ball finally stops at a number and you get your payout depending on the bets you have placed.
The following are the main types of bets in roulette:
Outside bets
The different outside bets available include:
- Red/Black
- Odd/Even
- High/Low
- Columns
- Dozens
Inside bets
The different inside bets available include:
- Straight Up
- Split
- Street
- Corner
- Line
- Five-Number Bet
- Basket
- Snake Bet
Call bets
These bets are available only in European and French roulette. They include:
- Voisins du Zero
- Jeu Zero
- Tiers du Cylindre
- Orphelins
- Neighbours
Final bet
This bet is also available only on European and French roulette and requires you to make a wager on the final digit; so a final 7 bet would cover all numbers on the table ending with 7.
Full Complete/Maximum/Complete bet
This bet is seen in high roller casinos and places all inside bets on one number.
Roulette Bonuses
Every casino offers bonuses to its players as incentive to sign up and play the different games available. There are bonuses available for playing roulette as well; however, the low house edge that roulette has is one of the reasons that not too many casinos offer these bonuses to players. The house edge is already low in European and French roulette at 2.63% (1.35% for even money bets in French roulette); bonuses and comp points can help the player lower it further.
While some casinos offer bonuses for roulette, there are stringent terms and conditions attached to them. The wagering contribution for European and American roulette is quite low compared to slots, 10% to 20% compared to 100% for slots. The wagering requirement can be quite steep too, depending on the casino. Many casinos also offer roulette bets that cover only specific types of wagers available for you to place.
There are quite a few casinos that offer different kinds of bonuses to players to help them play roulette. You can pick these casinos from the list of top roulette casinos we have listed earlier.
Roulette Strategy and Betting Systems
Roulette is a game of chance: there is no way of predicting accurately each time the number the ball is likely to land in. At a very basic level, in terms of the colours on the slots, the chances of the ball landing on a red or black slot are 50:50. However, there are a number of other factors to consider and an extensive range of bets; that is why you find quite a few popular roulette strategies and betting systems designed to help players win more.
We list the top strategies here and will discuss them separately on individual pages on betting strategy:
- Martingale System: This is the most commonly followed strategy and betting system in roulette and also other games with fixed odds.
- 2 Up 2 Down System: This is a basic roulette strategy system and works well for beginners as it is easy to grasp.
- Fibonacci System: This is based on the Fibonacci number series created almost a millennium ago by Leo Piano, an Italian man whose nickname was Fibonacci. It is one of the oldest systems and also among the most advanced for roulette.
- D’Alembert System: This system was developed in the 18th century by Rond D’Alembert a philosopher and mathematician and is another of the older strategy systems for roulette.
- Labouchere Roulette System: This is a sophisticated roulette strategy system that is also known as the Split Martingale and Cancellation system.
- Parlay System: This strategy system is one of the simplest for roulette and needs more of luck than skill. It is also known as the Let It Ride system.
- Pivot System: This is one of the newer roulette strategy systems and mixes a good dose of luck with good old mathematics to improve the odds of your winning.
The most basic roulette strategy, however, is to manage your bankroll smartly. Work out the roulette game you are going to play, how you are going to play it, the bets you are going to place and more. It is also important to know each roulette bet thoroughly.