Roulette is a fairly easy game to play in which you simply make bets and hope that the ball lands on one of your numbers more often than not. However, this doesn’t mean there aren’t some roulette tips that you can use for a more enjoyable experience, especially if you’ve never played before.
The following roulette pointers and tips should help you get the most out of your time playing the great casino game:
- Whenever possible, make sure to play European roulette. While American roulette is a fun and exciting game, European roulette offers the best possible odds to the player. This is due to the fact that, while both forms of the game feature payouts that would be fair if there were 36 pockets on the wheel (for instance, 35-1 on single number bets) the European wheel actually features 37 numbers, including a zero. The American wheel has 38 numbers, including both a zero and a double zero. This makes the house edge in European roulette 2.70%, while in American roulette the house edge is 5.26%.
- If you do play American roulette, be sure to avoid the infamous “Top Line” bet. This bet covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, and pays out at odds of 6-1. While all other bets on the roulette table have the same house edge, this bet offers a less promising return, having a casino edge of nearly 8%.
- While most bets feature the same house edge, picking the right kind of bets can help you shape your roulette game to match the style of gambling you’d like to enjoy. If you like to go on streaks and prefer to either slowly win or lose money, even money bets are the best choices for you. If you instead like to take big risks and want to have a chance to walk away with a small fortune if you get lucky, focus on betting on single numbers. Finally, if you’d rather win on most spins and are not afraid of occasionally suffering a big loss, try spreading lots of bets all over the table to cover most of the wheel.
- After the croupier marks the winning number, they will sweep losing bets off the table and begin paying the winning bets. Do not begin making new bets until after the dealer has finished paying the winning bets, and do not attempt to collect your bets until all winning wagers have been paid.
- Unlike in most casino games, standard casino chips are not commonly used in roulette. If you want to stop at a roulette table and make just a handful of bets quickly, it is okay to use chips from the casino. However, if you’d like to stay at the table and play for a while, it is standard etiquette to exchange your chips for special roulette chips. Each player will receive their own color and when you first receive those chips, you’ll assign a value per chip (most commonly at regular roulette tables, each chip will be worth $1, though values of $5 or more are also quite normal).
- Call bets – those bets where you announce your intentions without immediately placing the chips on the table in the appropriate spot – may look dramatic or make you feel like a high roller, but try to use them only when you feel they are absolutely necessary to get a bet on the table. In many casinos such bets aren’t even allowed as, technically, only announced bets will be accepted. This means you’ll need to put up the money for the bet as quickly as possible after announcing your wager. In any case, do not argue with your croupier or dealer over whether or not you made the bet in time. If the bet is not explicitly accepted by casino personnel, it was not made.
- If you plan to use a betting system while playing roulette, understand going in what your rules are going to be and how you plan to use the system. It’s important to know that the system will not overcome the house edge in the long run, but can help determine how your short term results are structured. Some systems, like the popular Martingale system, will result in frequent small wins, but will occasionally result in suffering extremely large losses. Other systems that are based on making parlay bets will maximize your chances of winning a large prize, but will usually see you leave the table with small losses. In addition, be aware of table minimums and maximums as these realities will often impact which systems can reasonably be used at your table.
- Roulette is a very social game, but that doesn’t mean you should berate or criticize other players. In order to keep the atmosphere at the roulette table friendly (and keep the game fun) players are expected to behave respectfully towards other players and the casino’s dealers and croupiers.
- While there is no such thing as influencing a lucky streak, many players like to play their hot rushes in different manners. Some players bet with the streak (E.g. they keep betting on black) and some players like to bet against the streak. (E.g. they bet on the opposite colour that just won.) While there is no correct way to play the streak, it is important that the gambler understands the odds surrounding each spin and how streak bets influence the player’s winning outcome. Hint: It has no influence.
Some extra ninja-like roulette tips:
Tip #1 Try to find a casino that offers the surrender option. In the case of even-money bets, the surrender will increase your odds.
Tip #2 Free roulette games may be found at pretty much every reputable casino site and they help players to practice and learn the ins and outs of the game for free.
Tip #3 Always set your bankroll and play within your limits. We’ve all had the temptation to bet more than we can afford to, however prudence is key – this means sensible betting with money you can afford to lose.
Tip #4 Don’t try and win back losses and don’t get too excited when you win. Treat it as a fun game and one where you can win and if you do it is a bonus. Don’t get too emotional.
Tip #5 Find casino roulette that allows the ‘en prison’ option. This option reduces the house edge by 50% on even-money bets.
Tip #6 Remember the single-number bets have almost the worst odds of all casino games. It is quite difficult to guess a right number between 1 and 37 (including zero, and 38 for double zero). The smarter bets are the ones that pay as close to even money as possible.