Roulette Strategy

Roulette is one of the easiest and most exciting casino games, and its rules are fairly simple to understand and remember.

The roulette wheel itself is easily identified by its distinctive appearance. Numbers in red and black areas are placed around the outside rim of the wheel. Two different types of roulette wheel are used in the world’s casinos – the American roulette wheel and the French or European roulette wheel, and there is one major difference between them. The American roulette wheel features 36 numbers and a double zero, resulting in 38 numbers in total. The French or European wheel features a single zero which gives the house a lower advantage (2.7%) than casinos using the American wheel (5.26%).

A few variations in roulette rules occur depending on which version of roulette you are playing. For example, in European rules using a wheel with one zero, an imprisonment rule is used. This means that if the ball lands on the zero on the wheel, all bets are forfeit. The bet can be won back if the player wins in the following round.

European rules are used in Atlantic City roulette. Despite the fact that a double zero is featured on the roulette wheel, the imprisonment rule is still used, lowering the house odds on odd and even bets.

The odds and payouts on roulette games in the United States are standard despite which casino you play at and are listed below:

• For a 6 to 1 payout with 13.6% odds, place a bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3

• For a 5 to 1 payout with 15.79% odds, place a bet on a selection of six numbers

• For a 8 to 1 payout with 10.53% odds, place a bet on a selection of four numbers

• For a 11 to 1 payout with 7.89% odds, place a bet on a selection of three numbers

• For a 17 to 1 payout with 5.26% odds, place a bet on a two number pair

• For a payout of 35 to 1 with 2.63% odds, place a bet on one number being the winning number

• For a payout of 2 to 1 with 31.58% odds, place a bet on a column of numbers

• For a payout of 2 to 1 with 31.58% odds, place a bet on numbers 25-36

• For a payout of 2 to 1 with 31.58% odds, place a bet on numbers 13 to 24

• For a payout of 2 to 1 with 31.58% odds, place a bet on numbers 1-12

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.3% odds, place a bet on numbers 19-36

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.3% odds, place a bet on numbers 1-18

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.37% odds, place a bet on red numbers

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.37% odds, place a bet on black numbers

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.37% odds, place a bet on odd numbers

• For a payout of 1 to 1 with 47.37% odds, place a bet on red numbers

Chips used in a game are unique to roulette. They are without individual value and appear in different colours. In American roulette each player has individually coloured chips to indicate his betting in the game. In European roulette all players chips are the same color and the player and croupier monitor a player’s performance mentally.