Roulette

When a person thinks about casino games, the first thought in their head is always roulette. It’s one of the oldest games whose roots go all the way back to 17th century France. As a matter of fact, the word roulette means “little wheel” in French. Through the years, the game has grown in popularity drastically. The reason for that is simple, it’s an exciting game that has easy gameplay. At the moment, there are several different versions of the game, as well as an online option. Players can enjoy computer-based titles or even play with a real dealer from the comfort of their own homes.

Below, we will explain the history of the game, how it was incorporated in every casino in the world and everything you need to know to successfully play it. Additionally, we will cover all the rules, the different variations, as well as the most popular roulette strategies. Keep reading this article to learn all the important facts about this casino game and how you can excel at it as a casino player.

The History of Roulette

As we mentioned above, the first mention of roulette happened back in 1657 in France. Blaise Pascal, a famous mathematician was trying to create an infinite motion machine. His experiments led to the creation of the first “little wheel” and that’s how the story began. However, this explains only how the wheel of the game was built. The appearance of the actual game was never credited to a specific person. There are several stories about the background of roulette but none of them offers concrete evidence. The most famous one suggests that the game was created by a French monk. Another one claims that it was a monk but he wasn’t French but rather Dominican and based the game on some old Tibetan game.

Based on the rules, we can also claim that the game’s origin was somewhere in England because it has similarities to old games like Roly Poly, Ace of Hearts, etc. Nevertheless, what we definitely know is that the Roulette casino game we know today was first played in France, at the end of the 19th century. However, it’s important to note that the first version had a zero and a double zero spot on the wheel. Initially, these slots were red and black but were later replaced by green to avoid confusion. The double zero version was more popular for a long time but then twins Francois and Louis Blanc came up with the idea to use a single zero wheel.

Variations

Their version was introduced to Germany in the 19th century and became more popular than the double zero roulette. However, Germany banned the game for a while which is when the brothers took their game to Monte Carlo. Over time, the single zero roulette wheel became the most popular casino game in almost every casino in the world.

Once the game moved to Monte Carlo, one of the gambling capitals in the world, different variations of the game became popular in different parts of the world. For instance, the early American version of roulette had numbers from 1-36, both the zero and the double zero, as well as an eagle. As a symbol of American liberty, the eagle was used in many things which is how it made its way to this casino game. However, with time, this version lost its popularity and was replaced with the French double-zero variation. Today, the double-zero version is very popular in both North and South America. On the other hand, the European/French single-zero version rules over the rest of the world.

There are other variations as well but the European/French and American versions are the most popular ones. In the past, players had to find a casino that had the variation they proffered. However, that’s all in the past because online casinos today have all versions available. This is especially true for online casinos where every online roulette version can be found.

How to Play Roulette?

As we already mentioned, roulette is a very simple game when it comes to understanding the rules. Anyone can learn how to play in a matter of minutes which is why the game is so popular at casinos. All you need to do is to set the betting amount, pick a number, and then wait for the roulette wheel to spin. If the ball lands on your number, you win. So, the only thing casino players need to learn is the different types of bets that exist out there.

How to Bet on Roulette?

If you look at the roulette table, you will notice that it’s kind of divided into two sections. The “inside” part has all the numbers from 1-36 and the zero (or the double zero). Half of the numbers are black and the other half are red while the zeroes are green. Inside bets are all the bets that you place on these numbers and it’s the simplest way of playing this game. On the other hand, outside bets are the ones you can place without picking specific numbers. For instance, odd/even numbers, red/black, a group of 12 numbers, etc. Below, we will explain both types of bets.

Inside Bets

There are different inside bets out there but the most popular ones can be classified into five categories.

1. Straight Bet – This is the simplest bet in the game. You pick one of the numbers on the wheel and you bet on it. If the ball lands on your number, you win 35x your stake.
2. Split Number – Bet on two numbers that are next to each other on the table. It doesn’t matter if they are adjacent horizontally or vertically. To place this bet, you need to put your chips on the shared line between two numbers. If the ball drops on either number, the player wins 17x the stake.
3. Street Bet – This is a bet that’s placed on three numbers that are located on the same row. For instance, 1;2;3 or 4;5;6. To place this bet, the chips need to be placed on the outer line of that row. This bet will pay 11x the stake.
4. Corner Bet – Similar to the split bet but instead of betting on just two numbers, you can bet on four numbers. To play this bet simply put your chips on the common corner between four numbers. If the ball falls on one of the four numbers, the player wins 8x the stake.
5. Line Bet – Just like the street bet but instead of picking numbers on one row, you place your bet on two rows that are next to each other. For example, from 1-6 or from 4-9. The payout for this bet is 5x the stake.

Outside Bets

As we already said, outside bets in roulette are the ones that are outside of the main table where all the numbers are located. There are fewer options as there are only five types of outside bets. These bets are a less risky way to win; however, their payouts are lower as well.

1. Color Bet – This bet is just as simple as it looks. Bet on either red or black. So, whatever number is chosen on the roulette wheel, if it’s a red colored number and you picked red, you win the bet. Basically, this bet allows you to cover half the numbers, excluding the zero (or double zero). It’s the easiest bet to win which is why it can only double your stake.
2. Odd/Even – Just like the color bet, this one allows you to cover half of the numbers on the board. You can pick an odd or an even number thus always covering 18 numbers. For that reason, this bet type also doubles your stake.
3. High/Low – Another bet that’s pretty much 50/50. The numbers from 1-18 are low and the rest of them, up to 36 are high. Just like the bets above, this one doubles your stake.
4. Column Bet – The numbers on a live roulette table are divided into three columns. Each column covers 12 numbers. Since its a riskier bet than the ones above, it pays 2x the stake.
5. Dozens – Last but not least, we have the dozens bet. If we look at the name of this bet, its pretty much self-explanatory how it works. Bet on either 1-12; 13-24; or 25-36. Just like the column bet, this one pays 2x the stake.

How to Win at Roulette?

Now that we covered how the game of roulette works, we need to share a few words on strategies that will make you a better player. The perfect place for testing the strategies we will explain below is at an online casino where you can play roulette online. However, it’s important to remember that these strategies are just tips and tricks on how to win at the game. Success is not 100% guaranteed which is why casino players should be careful and do proper research before playing. There are a lot of different strategies out there but some have proved to be more successful than others. We can divide all of them into two categories:

• Progressive Betting Strategies
• Non-progressive Betting Strategies

Progressive Betting

The term progressive betting is used for the type of betting where the bet size is increased after the player the outcome of a round. To get the most out of progressive betting, every time you lose, you need to double your stake. One of the most famous and widely used roulette strategies – the Martingale system – is a great example of a progressive strategy. Martingale suggests that you double your bet after every loss. This method is popular and very easy to understand which means anyone can use it. However, we suggest that players heed caution because doubling your stakes could get out of hand quickly.

Another popular method is the Paroli system, also known as the Reverse Martingale. This strategy tells you to double your bet after every win, which makes it a bit safer than the Martingale. Some players might end up feeling like they are playing with only the casino’s money by using this strategy; however, that’s rarely the case. Below, we will explain some of the progressive betting strategies in detail.

Martingale Roulette Strategy

This is a method that’s often used in a lot of casino table games. It’s popular with players because it’s simple and easy to learn. The Martingale roulette strategy is oriented around doubling your bets, each time you take a loss. The main goal is to cover all previous losses while gaining a small profit. For instance, you keep placing wagers on one colour and you keep doubling until you win. When that happens, you will recover your losses, no matter the amount. However, you must keep doubling on all losing bets. How to use the Martingale Strategy:

1. Playing at a table with a low minimum bet and a high maximum bet is encouraged. Such a table will allow players to extend the life of their bankroll if they happen to go through a long run of bad results.
2. When you win, keep your winnings and return to the initial bet amount.
3. On the other hand, when you lose, double your stake and keep doubling it until you win.

So, the rules of this strategy are rather simple. When you lose, keep doubling your stake until you win. However, once you win, return to the original wager amount. The one disadvantage of this strategy is not getting a win and reaching the maximum bet. That would mean that you can’t double the next wager which would make it impossible to cover your losses.

D’Alembert Roulette Strategy

This strategy is a lot safer than the one we explained above. We believe it’s the perfect strategy for new players as well as experienced ones. It’s still progressive betting but instead of doubling your stake every time you lose, you would just increase it by 1. Additionally, when you win, you just reduce your stake by one. How to use the D’Alembert Strategy:

1. Place a small inside bet as a win is easier to trigger with those bets.
2. If you lose, increase your starting wager by one.
3. If you win, decrease the last wager you placed by one.
4. When you have as many wins as losses, you should take your winnings and stop playing.
5. In case you are on a losing streak, keep playing until you score several wins, and then get up from the table.

It’s important to remember that you have to keep playing if you are on a losing streak. Make sure you get several wins before you get up from the table.

Fibonacci Roulette Strategy

The last progressive betting strategy we will explain is known as the Fibonacci strategy. It was named after Fibonacci who was a very famous mathematician from Italy. He studied and wrote papers about patterns back in the 13th century. Several centuries later, in the 19th century, one of his sequences became known as the “Fibonacci Sequence”. This is how the sequence looks like: every number after the first two is essentially the sum of the two preceding numbers. For example, 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55-89, etc. How to use the Fibonacci Strategy:

1. Place a small inside bet as a win is easier to trigger with those bets.
2. If you lose, increase your bet according to the above mentioned roulette strategy. (If you started with $1 and lost, bet $1 again. In case you lose again, then the next bet should be $2, and the one after that should be $3.)
3. When you win, go back two numbers in the sequence.
4. Stop playing as soon as you are profitable.

The idea behind this strategy is to stop playing before the sequence gets out of hand. You should strike fast and big as soon as possible and then get up from the table.

Non-Progressive Betting

The second type of betting is non-progressive betting and is completely different from the ones we explained above. Strategies that are part of non-progressive betting either tell you to keep your bet the same through the entire game, or allow you to change it however you please. A little less known but very interesting system is the James Bond strategy. It was created by Ian Fleming and is the strategy that 007 always used. This strategy covers more than half of the table in bets, thus trying to turn the odds of the game in favour of the player. This is not really possible because of the house edge but it’s still an interesting casino roulette strategy that can lead to some wins.

James Bond Roulette Strategy

Since we covered the three most popular progressive strategies, we have to share a few words about a very interesting non-progressive strategy. James Bond is a world-famous character from the original works of British author Ian Fleming. Most of us know James Bond and his well-known code number 007 from the quite numerous Movies made over the years. One particular kind of place, where the character of James Bond meets people, “does business”, and faces off his opponents, is a casino.

The James Bond Roulette strategy is a combination bet, where a total amount of usually 200 $ is distributed to three bets as follows: 140 $ on the high numbers (19 to 36), 50 $ on a Six Line or Double Street (the numbers 13 to 18), and 10 $ on the Single number 0.

The usual expectation that players have with this kind of bet is that the combination of the parts covers more possible outcomes, thus somehow reducing the risk of a loss. However, the number of uncovered numbers is not an important point to consider. It is more important to calculate the average expected profit, and we’ll do that in just a minute. Before that, we need to clarify a few more things. In the end, we have to mention that most of these strategies work better on live casino roulette whether it’s at an online casino or a land-based casino. The computer-generated versions of the game that can be found at online casinos are not really good for testing these strategies.