Roulette Guide

Named after the French word meaning 'little wheel', one of the most popular games in online casinos is online roulette. This game has an iconic status among various casino games due to its fascinating origin story that goes back to the 18th century. Like many other great inventions, online roulette is among those stories which started as a 'happy accident'.

One of the first variations of roulette was devised in France by French inventor and mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. While he was searching for the perpetual motion machine, he accidentally invented a wheel concept later known as the roulette wheel. For people to gamble as comfortably as possible, the table was added later. The idea of the wheel containing numbers was further modified with time. This guide suits for both roulette for beginners but also more advanced roulette.

Pascal's plan to come up with a device which can be self-powering failed, but the game became popular instantly. The game has been played in this present form since early 1796 in France. It is interesting to point out that until the nineteenth century, the previous versions of the roulette didn't include any zeros.

Gambling Center of Europe

The game remained simple until fellow Frenchmen Francois Blanc and Louis were ordered by King Charles III of Monaco to improve the game and increase the casino advantage. They introduced the single zero roulette wheel making the game even more challenging and fascinating.

After the introduction of the refined roulette wheel containing a single zero, roulette became the main attraction. In order to generate more money, the king had created the first casino. In a short period, Monaco gained the reputation of being the gambling center of Europe. Later France had outlawed gambling, and their single gambling destination for French players was Monaco.

After many refined versions of roulette, French roulette eventually came to the New World across the Atlantic. There, the game was modified once more, and another zero was added to increase the house edge further. This new roulette wheel with the 'double zero' contained in total 38 numbers. This newly refined version was named American Roulette. Today the 'double zero' roulette are found in Canada, United States, Caribbean, and South America, while the single zero dominants elsewhere.

Becoming one of the most popular casino games, in the 19th-century roulette spread all over the United States and Europe. To the present day, roulette served as an iconic background in a significant number of movies including Bond films and several classic casino movies.

Understanding the Game - Basic Rules of Online Roulette

To the present day, roulette has been one of the most exciting games in the casino world since the 17th century. The game is present worldwide due to its relatively simple rules which are simple-to-understand. Online versions of roulette mimic every aspect of the original game no matter which variation you are playing.

Before putting any real money on the table, you should get familiar with few ground rules on playing online roulette. It won't take long to familiarize yourself with the roulette, and the game is an easy game to learn and even master.

Understanding the wheel:

When you sit to play online roulette, the first thing you will notice is the wheel. If you are playing American version, it contains 38 numbers including numbers from 1 to 36, a single and a double zero. On the other hand, the European version includes only 37 number as the double zero is not included.

The second thing you will notice is that the numbers on the wheel are not in consecutive order, they are out of sequence instead. Colors do alternate from black to red. Single and double zeros are green. You might notice that the wheel and the ball are spinning in the opposite direction. This may not seem that relevant while playing online, but it is always good to know these details.

Roulette board:

Roulette board is made for players to place their bets on a table which contains the numbers from the wheel. Other betting options can be found on the outskirts of the central grid containing numbers. To begin the game players are placing their chips corresponding to different betting options.

These options include putting chips on a particular number, at the bottom of a column of numbers, placing chips at intersecting numbers and so on. These various options make online roulette one of the most versatile casino games. When all bets are placed, the online roulette wheel will start spinning.

While the roulette wheel is spinning, a tiny ball is placed inside the wheel, allowing it to run along the wheel. The ball will finally land into one of the pockets. These pockets are placed along the edge of the wheel. Each of these pockets contains a certain number.

Each number has a corresponding color. Numbers are in black or red color with an exception of zero or double zero, which are marked green. Once the ball has stopped, winning numbers and corresponding color are announced. Losing bets are collected by the house while winners will receive the original bets plus winnings which are calculated based on the preset odds.

Understand Your Odds

Experienced players of online roulette enjoy employing different betting strategies in order to increase the success rate of their bets. For beginners, a recommendation is to understand and get familiar with different outside bets. Outside betting is an option in which the bets take place outside of the grid containing numbers. Outside bets are a safer choice for sure. They offer much lower odds which are the one downside of these bets. Outside bets include:

Color betting (black or red)
Column betting (betting on 12 numbers)
Betting on odd or even numbers to win
Dozen betting (1st, 2nd or 3rd dozen to win)

Besides getting to know outside bets, you should get familiar with inside bets as well. Inside bets are bets that are placed on a certain number, have generally higher paying odds. You can choose from different betting options which may include:

'Straight up' – placing a bet on a single number, payout of 35 to 1
'Split' - placing a bet on a pair of numbers, payout of 17 to 1
'Street' – placing a bet on 3 numbers, payout of 11 to 1
'Corner' - placing a bet on 4 numbers, payout of 8 to 1

Beat the Online Roulette

Being one of the oldest gambling games around, the game seems to be purely based on chance, but there are certain tips you can use to maximize your profit. There is no hundred percent winning strategy, but these tips can help you to minimize your loss.

Know how much to bet: When it comes to roulette or any other gambling game, the most important thing you should keep in mind is how much can you afford to lose.

Stick to the outside: Yes, profit is smaller, but you have a much better chance of not losing.

Increase your odds on the inside: You don't have to bet just one number on the inside grid. Pick several numbers which are near each other on the board with a single bet.

Play online European Roulette: In European online roulette chances of winning are slightly higher.

Multiplayer online roulette: You are still playing against the house, but at the same table with you are other players as well, which makes things much more fun.

It is impossible to be entirely certain that you can turn a high profit. There is no such money making strategy when it comes to the gambling games. On the other hand, by exploring and learning about the game inside and out, you are increasing your odds at winning.

Remember to also have fun while learning the game and even when playing for real money, as that is what online casino games are mainly made for.