First association when one hears the word casino is Roulette – one of most
popular casino games, which never goes out of fashion. Roulette is a French
word and means a small wheel. The Roulette game originates in France and has
been played in its present form since the late 1790s.
One cannot play the
Roulette unless they are familiar with the rules of the game, which are
simple, yet they have their wheels within wheels.
The Roulette wheel has three basic divisions - the ball track where the ball
circulates, the base track where the ball begins its descent when it leaves
the ball track and the wheel head with the pockets where the ball bounces
and finally settles into a pocket. There are also two types of Roulette
wheels - European or single-zero wheel and American or double-zero wheel.
The single-zero wheel features 37 numbers, while the double-zero wheel has
38. The house edges on the single-zero wheel are smaller than the house
edges on the double-zero wheel. Regardless of the type of the wheel, the
ball's landing is always unpredictable.
Rules of the Game
You want to join the game? You first need to get your chips. The Roulette
dealer will exchange your money for chips at the value that you desire. The
betting begins as soon as the dealer removes the “buck” object showing the
last hit number from the table. Players make their wagers by placing their
chips on a layout, where numbers are in numerical order.
There are different
types of bets with different pay rate. Inside bets are placed directly on
one or more numbers. Outside bets are placed on certain propositions such as
high-low, odd-even, red-black, etc. Once the dealer says “No more bets”,
players cannot place any more chips on the table.
When the ball lands, the
dealer calls out the number and the colour and then puts the buck on the
winning number on the table. Then he sweeps the board of all the losing
bets. All winning bets get paid at that point.
What about Online Roulette?
Online casinos also offer the Roulette game and Video Poker but watching a screen is quite
different whom seeing the ball go round and round on the spinning wheel
right in front of your eyes. The main concern of online gamblers is not to
get cheated. Testing the waters with a small amount of money is therefore a
wise practice when starting to deal with an online casino.
However, today’s
online Roulettes are as reliable as the old-school Roulette table. They are
based
on a random number generator (RNG), which is a computer programme
that
selects various number sequences at random. Every winning or losing result
is dictated by this RNG. Once a player presses the button, the RNG gives an
instant and random result.
The odds on an RNG Roulette game are the exact
same as on a regular Roulette game.
Many of today’s online casinos offer a Live Roulette option, which involves
real dealers and a real-time video streaming technology.
In this case, the
players can actually see a real spinning Roulette wheel, a real layout with
numbers and even converse with the dealer and other players. Playing a Live
Roulette game, gamblers have a chance to experience the game as
authentically as if they were sitting at an actual Roulette table in a real
casino.
Can the roulette wheel be outsmarted?
Some Roulette freaks believe they have found ways to predict where exactly
the ball will land. These betting strategies are based on a certain defect
or a bias of the wheel, or, in other cases, on a so-called signature of the
dealer. People who observe the wheel and seek biases to take advantage of
are called wheel-clockers.
Once they find a deeper pocket or any other
not-so-perfect thing on the Roulette wheel, they start betting on that
number, which is more likely to “hold” the ball. However, today’s Roulette
tables and wheels are products of advanced technology and such biases are
very rarely seen. As for the dealer’s signature – one can never be sure
whether it is a real signature or just seems like it.
S
ome other techniques to win at Roulette include trend betting,
advantage-play technique, or analyzing the scoreboard. Other approaches,
such as the every-second-spin wagering, are aimed at reducing the possible
losses of a player. Regardless of the game-winning strategies one follows,
the Roulette remains unpredictable and no one is really able to overcome the
randomness of its results.
The same applies to online Roulettes, as the RNG
programmes are even more difficult to figure out than the spinning Roulette
wheel.
Roulette Odds
Roulette odds depend on the number of pockets on the wheel. As the
single-zero and double-zero wheels are different, their odds are also not
the same. For the double-zero wheel with 38 pockets, the odds stand at 37 to
1, while for the single-zero wheel and its 37 pockets, the odds are
calculated at 36 to 1.
However, the Roulette game won’t pay you what the bet
is worth. If you win, your pay will be calculated at odds of 35 to 1 for
both types of wheel. This is why double-zero wheels have a house edge of
5.26% and the basic edge on the European single-zero wheels is 2.70%.
This
means that a roulette player on the double-zero wheel will lose 5.26 units
for every 100 units he wagers, while the single-zero player stands to lose
2.7 units per 100 units wagered.
Go for It!
Roulette’s everlasting popularity makes it one of casinos’ must-have games.
It may seem not worth betting you money on it at first sight but nothing can
make up for the excitement of watching the spinning wheel, of trying to read
it, figure out the dealer or simply the feeling of “owning” the ball once it
hits your number.
The game has simple rules, attractive setting and layout
and is a true casino classic. Hopefully, after reading this article, you
already know the basics and can truly enjoy the vibe.
