How To Play Roulette
Roulette is a fun and popular casino game where players can wager money on either a single number, group of numbers, odd or even and red or black. The name derives from the french word for ‘little wheel’ which is roulette. The game dates back as far as the 17th century, and is now popular in nearly every country in the world. Roulette’s popularity is in part due to its simplicity and the speed in which it is played. There are two main types of roulette, European and American. European is now regarded as the most popular form of roulette. In this article we will be specifically talking about European roulette.
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Equipment and basic rules
The game of roulette requires a spinning roulette wheel, a roulette table for taking bets, chips and small white ball.
The roulette wheel contains 36 numbers in total, as well as a ‘0’. A small white ball is the next essential item to play roulette. The ball is spun round the roulette wheel by a croupier (dealer), where the ball lands determines all winning and losing bets. The table will have clear markings for players to place their bets/predictions. All bets will be placed by using betting chips. Players can place their bets while the ball is rolling, but when the dealer calls ‘no more bets’ then no more bets will be taken. Once the ball has settled it is the job of the dealer to determine any winning and losing bets. When doing this he will place a marker (a dolly) on a winning number on the roulette table. When the dolly is on the table players must not interfere with the table, ie place bets, collect bets or remove bets from the table of play. The dealer then proceeds to clear the table of losing chips before paying any inside and outside winning bets. Once the marker has been removed by the dealer all winnings can be collected by players.
Below is a list of the betting options available to players.
- Any single number/value from 0-37
- 1st 12
- 2nd 12
- 3rd 12
- 1-18
- 19-36
- Even
- Odd
- Black
- Red
Win probability European Roulette
Here is a list of the winning probability on all betting combinations in roulette. We have done the list in percentages on winning combinations on European roulette.
Odd – 48.6%
Even – 48.6%
Black – 48.6%
Red – 48.6%
1-18 – 48.6%
19-36 – 48.6%
1-12 – 32.4%
13-24 – 32.4%
25-36 – 32.4%
Combination of 6 numbers – 16.2%
Combination of 4 numbers – 10.8%
Combination of 3 numbers – 8.1%
Combination of 2 numbers – 5.4%
Single number – 2.7%
House edge (European)
On a European table there is always a house edge of 2.70%. On the table and wheel the only house edge is the green square. In the event of the ball landing on a green square all outside bets would lose. When betting on a single number in Roulette there is a 1 in 37 chance that the player will win. The house will always pay out at odds of 35/1 on these types of bets which leaves them with a house edge of 2.70%.
Single number wins 1/37 and loses 36/37
-1×36/37 + 35×1/37 = -0.0270 (2.70 house edge)
Betting Strategies
Roulette players have come up with a number of different betting strategies over the years, in attempts to guarantee profit. The most popular strategy is undoubtedly the martingale betting strategy. This strategy involves placing bets on even-money bets/outcomes such as red/black, odd/even and below or above 18. Players attempt to beat the game by doubling up on every losing bet. Should the first attempt at this win then the player would win their stake back as well as a profit equal to their original stake. However this is a very dangerous strategy that is likely to see players lose money long time. It is still very much possible for a player to lose a number of bets in a row, and in doing so wiping out his entire balance. Tables will also have limits on them which help to eliminate these scenarios.
It is worth noting that there are no betting strategies that will overcome the house edge in roulette. That is the unfortunate truth of it all. Another popular strategy is betting on the same number for 35 consecutive spins of the wheel. Should the ball land on your number within that team you guarantee to win your original stake back. With the remaining spins you can then play on money given to you by the house. Again this strategy will not guarantee players money and the house edge remains at 2.70% for every bet.