General Info

Roulette is a glamorous, exciting game and easy to play. Roulette, translated as "small wheel" is the most popular game of chance in Europe. Legend has it that Roman soldiers tipped their chariots over to play games on the spinning wheel as a diversion between campaigns, and others tell of monks bringing a wheeled game back from China in the middle ages. A very primitive version of roulette was introduced in the 17th century by the French scientist, Blaise Pascal. The year 1720 saw the first spinning ball and rotating horizontal wheel combination to be used as methods of gaming. This game was called "roly-poly". The gaming acts of 1739 banned this game in England. Beau Nash, the Master of Ceremonies at Bath England, ignored these laws, and began a new game called "Even-Odd" which was similar to roulette. This game too was banned in 1745.

In 1842, a modernized version of Roulette was invented by two Frenchmen, Francois and Louis Blanc, who created the single “0”game. Because gambling was illegal in France during this time , the game was introduced in Hamburg, Germany where it became very popular and replaced an earlier version that featured higher odds. At a later date, Francois and his son Camille were responsible for bringing the game of roulette back to southern France for the Prince of Monaco, Charles III. As a result, the lavish, world-famous resort of Monte Carlo was developed. Upon arrival in America, the single “0” Roulette game was rejected and replaced with the “00” game, which gained immense popularity during the California Gold Rush. As a result, the different Roulette wheels are called the European (French) Wheel and the American Wheel in order to distinguish between the two. Both versions can be found in casinos today around the world.

Roulette is one of the easiest games to play and understand . As usual the easier a game is to understand the greater the house edge, and roulette is no exception. The Roulette Wheel is marked with numbers 1 through 36 and the symbols “0” and “00”.  The numbers are alternately colored red and black, and the “0” and “00” are green. Color and number combinations offer a variety of betting options. Wagers can be placed on individual numbers or groups of numbers. While bets are being placed , the dealer spins the wheel in one direction and releases a small ivory ball in the opposite direction into the outer edge of the wheel, where it circles many times before slowing down. Bets may be placed until the dealer announces “no more bets” as the ball begins to drop. As the ball loses momentum it falls toward the centre of the wheel and drops into one of the slots. It may bounce around from slot to slot but eventually it settles into a single slot to end that round of the game. Each form of online roulette has a piece of software called a random number generator (RNG) determines where the ball will drop in an online roulette wheel.
One difference between roulette and all other table games is that roulette chips have no value denomination printed on them (in Europe, roulette games do not use the non-value chips.). This actually is the true definition of a chip, one which indicates its value is technically called a check. The roulette table comes with six to eight sets of different colored chips, each set consisting of 300 chips. When a player buys-in they get their own color and the value would be the buy-in divided by the number of chips received. The dealer will place a token on top of the dealer's stack of that color of chips to indicate the value.

The procedures at the European table are slightly different than the American game. While American dealers sweep the layout with their hands and arms, European croupiers use a long stick known as the “rake” to sweep in all bets.

Variations

American Roulette

In American Roulette, the perfectly balanced roulette wheel consists of 38 identical slots, individually numbered from 0, 00, 1 through 36.

In total, 38 numbers are represented on the betting layout . On the standard roulette wheel the numbers are not arranged consecutively . By design, they alternate between red and black and exactly opposite each other number is the corresponding higher and lower number. Look straight across one side of the wheel to the other and you will see that the O is opposite the 00, 1 is opposite the 2, and so on up to the 35 being directly opposite the 36. All red numbers are opposite the black numbers. The house edge is set at 5.26%.

French Roulette also known as European Roulette

French Roulette is a single-zero European-style roulette table that includes the En Prison Rule. This allows players to keep half their even-money outside bets when the spin result is a Zero (Green 0), or take an all-or-nothing chance on the next spin.

European Roulette wheels are divided into 37 evenly spaced slots numbered 0, and 1 through 36. The house edge is about 1.35%.

Roulette Monte Carlo

Roulette Monte Carlo is a single-zero roulette without the En Prison Rule. Roulette Monte Carlo wheels are divided into 37 evenly spaced slots numbered 0, and 1 through 36. The house edge is 2.70%.

Rules

Players make bets against the House by placing chips in various boxes or on the lines between the boxes on the layout table. Players can place additional bets, modify existing bets or move chips from one location to another. While bets are being placed, the dealer spins the roulette ball in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel.  Bets may be placed until the dealer announces “no more bets” as the ball begins to drop. From that moment no one is allowed to place or change bets until the ball drops on a slot. When the ball falls into a number on the roulette wheel, the dealer places a marker on the winning number on the table layout and pays the winning bets. The winners are those bets that are on or around the number that comes up. Also the bets on the outside of the layout win if the winning number is represented.

Bet Options in detail

There are 2 betting types, called the “Inside” and “Outside” bets. The Inside Bets require you put a total of the table's minimum bet, and the Outside Bets have to be at least the minimum table bet each. You can place as many bets as you like on a single spin of the wheel up to the table maximum.

Inside Bets are bets placed inside the grid of numbers on the layout table. The Inside Bets can also include the numbers 0 and 00. Inside bets include:

Straight Up Bet/En plein — The easiest, simplest roulette bet you can find. The player is betting that one number will come up (like 0, 4, 23 or 35). Any number can be bet, including 0 and 00. Winning singles bets are paid at 35:1.

Split Bet/Cheval — This bet is placed on the line between two numbers (like 2 & 3, or 13 & 16). If the ball lands on either number, the odds paid are 17:1. The 0 and 00 bet can be made to overlap the two numbers or placed on the line separating the second and third dozen. It is the only bet that can be made at two places on the layout.

Row Bet also known as Street Bet/Transversale — Similar to Split, this bet allows you to bet on 3 numbers together, as long as these numbers are of the same row (like 7, 8, 9). The chips are placed on the outside of the desired row. When betting the 1-3 row, the bet will be placed on the outer edge of the number 3. If the ball lands in any one of the numbers in a row, the odds paid are 11:1.

Triple – This bet is placed on three touching numbers. The only triple bets are the intersections of (0, 1, 2) or (2, 3, 0). If the ball lands in any one of the numbers touching a triple intersection, the odds paid are 11:1.

Top Line — The player is betting the first 4 numbers at the top of the grid (0, 1, 2, 3). If the ball lands in any one of these four spots, odds are paid at 8:1. To make this bet, place your chips on the left-hand side of the grid at the horizontal line separating the 0 spot from the 1, 2, 3 row.

Five Number Bet – There's a specific combination of numbers, called “the Five Number Bet”, which contains the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The chips are placed on the intersection between the 5 numbers, and win 6:1 if any of the numbers come out in the roulette. It is the worst bet on the table, with a house edge 50 percent higher than any other bet. This bet does not exist on the European game since there is no "00".

Corner sometimes called a Square Bet /Carre — Players are betting that one of four numbers will come up. Bets are placed at the intersection of the four numbers (such as 19, 20, 22, 23). If the ball lands on any one of the four numbers, odds are paid at 8:1.

Line Bet/Sixainne — The player is betting a group of six numbers in two adjacent rows, all touching the same grid line (such as 28, 29, 30 and 31, 32, 33). If the ball lands on any one of the six numbers in the Line, odds are paid at 5:1. To make a Line bet, place your chips on the horizontal street line at the left-hand edge of the grid. The three outside bets are outside of the 00, 0 and 1-36 playing area.

Outside Bets are bets placed outside the grid of numbers on the layout table. They include:

Even Money Bet — There are three types of Even Money Bet with a payoff of 1:1. You can place a bet on “Low” (1-18) or “High” (19-36) numbers. You can place a bet on “Red” (“Rouge”) or “Black” (“Noir”) or bet on “Odd” (“Impair”) or “Even” (“Pair”).

Column Bet/Colonne — A Column Bet is wagered on 12 numbers contained in any one of the three long columns of numbers (for example 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36), with a payoff of 2:1. You place your bet outside the grid at the bottom of the column, in the boxes marked with "2 to 1". Zero (0) is not part of any column.

Dozen Bet/Douzaine — Similar to Column Bet, this bet allows you to bet on dozen, becouse the roulette table is divided into three sets of 12. So, you can place a bet on the first (1-12), the second (13-24) and third (25-36) dozen. If the ball lands on any one of the dozens, odds are paid at 2:1.

Roulette Glossary

A bet on the layout - A bet anywhere on the numbers portion of the table.
American Wheel - A roulette wheel with 38 slots numbered 1 to 36 plus two zeros, 0 and 00.
A spin - One game. Can be while the ball is still in action, a current result or a recorded result.
Carré - French for Corner bet.
Cheval - French for Split bet.
Column bet - One of the three longer divisions of the layout. (This is an outside bet.)
Corner bet - A bet on four numbers.
Dozen bet - One of three dozen numbers on the layout. (This is an outside bet.)
En plein - French for Straight up bet.
En prison - French phrase. A rule applied to even money bets only. When the outcome is zero, some casinos will allow the player to either take back half his bet or leave the bet (in prison) for another spin. In the second case, if the following spin the outcome is again zero, then the whole bet is lost.
European wheel - A roulette wheel with 37 slots numbered 1 to 36 plus one zero, 0.
Five number bet - Common with American double zero roulette wheels. It is a bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
High or low bet - An even money bet, either for the top half (19-36) or the bottom half (1-18) of the numbers. (This is an outside bet.)
Inside bet - A bet anywhere on the layout (on numbers).
La partage - roulette rule similar to the en prison rule, only in this case the player loses half the bet and does not have the option of leaving the bet en prison for another spin. This refers to the "outside" even-money bets Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even and applies when the outcome is zero.
Non-value Chip - A gaming chip which the dollar value is determined by the amount of the buy-in and the amount of chips taken (example: in roulette). Thus, a buy-in of $300.00 for 60 chips equals a value of $5.00 per chip. In roulette, this is uaually established by the "Table Minimum Bet" amount displayed on the table.
Orphans - French phrase. Common in European casinos. It's a bet on three specific numbers 6, 34 and 17 that are neighbours on the wheel, but far apart on the layout.
Orphelins - French phrase. Common in European casinos. It's a bet on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel that are neighbours on the wheel, but apart on the layout.
Oustide bet - Bets on 1 to 1 even money (red/black, odd/even, high/low) and 2 to 1 (dozen or column) payouts.
Sixainne - French for Six line bet.
Six line bet - A bet on six numbers.
Split bet - A bet on two numbers.
Straight up bet - A bet on one single number.
Street bet - A bet on three numbers.
Tiers du cylindre - French phrase. Common in European casinos. It's a bet on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel that are paired neighbours on the layout.
Transversale - French for Street bet.
Voisins du zero - French phrase. Common in European casinos. It's a bet on a specific group of numbers on a section of the roulette wheel neighbouring the zero.

The Playing Strategy

The Martingale System

”The Martingale System” is the most common Roulette system. This system is generally played with an even money game such as the Red/Black bet in Roulette or the Pass/Don't Pass in Craps. This system is old, simple and very good for the inexperienced players. It is based on the probability of losing infinite times in a row and is usually applied to “even money” bets. The idea is that by doubling your bet after a loss, you would always win enough to cover all past losses plus one unit. So, start betting with one unit, if you win take the winnings but leave the original bet. If you loose you must double the bet until you win. The Martingale system requires a large bankroll, has a very low return and is a very risky one because of the maximum bet limits imposed by the casinos. So, if you run out of money or reach the house limit, you can lose a lot with no chance to recover your losses.

Don’t forget:

The Martingale +1 System

According to this system, each time you lose you double the bet and add the value of the first, lowest bet (1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, etc.). When you win, you bet the lowest bet until you lose, like in the case of Martingale (winning three times in a row: 1, 1, 1). This system guarantees gaining one lowest bet ($1) each on each spin of the wheel or card dealing, even if you lose more often than win (of course doubling the bet is limited by the amount of money you have).

The Ormond System

The Ormond System is a variation of the Martingale System. Assumes you will win before you reach the house limit and can bankroll the losing run. Bet an initial amount (“N”). For each win, on the next bet “N” again. For each lose bet N*x+N where “x” is the number of losing bets. Thus if you finally win, you will recover all bet money , plus N for every loss. The progression on a $5 table looks good (5, 15, 35, 75, 155, 315, etc). System requires a large bankroll, too.

The Paroli System

This system is in a way the opposite of the Martingale system. You start with one bet and you increase your bet when you win rather than when you lose. However, you will need to plan a betting procedure whereby you know how far you will let the bet build before you take it down to the initial starting bet and how much to raise after each win. This obviously depends on the type of game played and the odds of the bet. The advantage of this system is that you do not require a large bankroll. It lets the profit run and cuts short the losses.

The Pivot System

The “Pivot” system is based on the “Law of unequal distribution'. Numbers on a roulette wheel tend to repeat.
You should write down the winning number of each spin until one number repeats. The repeat number is your “Pivot number” and you place your first bet on it, straight up.

The Labouchere System

This system is also called the “Cancellation” system. There are many variations. In its simplest form, you write down a series or a set of numbers. The series can be short or long and not necessarily sequential such as 1 2 3 4 5 6. Each number represents the amount in units or chips to bet. You bet the first and last of these numbers. In this example 1 and 6, which totals 7 units.
If you win, you cross out the two numbers and bet the next two “ends” (the outside numbers). In this instance 2 and 5. If you win again you bet on the next two remaining numbers 3 and 4, and if you win that too, you would have made a “coup” or completed one game. Then you start all over again.
If you lose, then you add that one number to the end of the series. Say you lost your first bet of 7 units (1+6). Then you add number 7 to the end of the series to look like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 and your next bet would be 8 units (1+7). If you won the first bet but lost the second 2 and 5, then the series of numbers would look like this: 2 3 4 5 7. If you work it out, you will see that when the series is completed or when you make a “coup”, there is always a profit. The negative side of this system is that you could end up betting large sums of money even if your initial bet is small.

Consider this

Mathematics and gambling don't mix. In mathematics you know exactly what will happen. Gambling is the exact opposite, you never know what will happen, otherwise it wouldn't be gambling. If you try to calculate the possibilities of winning mathematically, it is unlikely that you will get anywhere even if there was no casino advantage - no 0, 00. Obviously you want to look for casinos that offer the European, single-zero wheel. If you can find one that also offers en prison, so much the better.

Remember, the two major factors that determine how much you win or lose at roulette are: 1) your luck on the day and 2) deciding when is the best time to quit.

Don't bet against yourself.

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