Roulette History

European Roulette and 'The Devils' Game'

The translation of Roulette is "little wheel" from the French. The origins of Roulette are typically thought to be from France; however like most casino games you will find the waters are a little muddy. It is hard to determine where the game truly came from. Most note the game was invented by Blaise Pascal, a mathematician in the 17th century. From there the game was adapted by Louis and Francois Blanc in the late 19th century. They were the ones to add the zero to make the house edge more. The game was not allowed in France during the 19th century, so the two decided to begin in Germany with the new wheel.

Francois began the Monte Carlo Casinos when he brought Roulette to the country. The devil theory came from this move in which Blanc had to talk with the devil in order to get the roulette wheels secrets. When you add the numbers zero through 36 together you get 666, which is the devils number, and therefore the reason roulette was banished for a time.

American Roulette

American Roulette came from the European version in the 19th century. About the time the Blancs added the zero the game began to move to North America. To make sure that the game could be thought of as different the double zero was added. It was also a way to increase the odds for the house. The fact is in the 19th century America was not the only place enamored with the game. Several countries in Europe were also playing the game. It has been considered the most popular casino game throughout history.

If you want to know about the strategy of the game then you have to look at the betting options you have. This is the only place you can find help. You see you have no control over the wheel or marble, therefore you have to rely on your instincts and chance to win the bets. The marble will be thrown by the Croupier in the opposite direction of the spinning wheel. This provides the momentum needed in order to get the marble going and landing in a random spot. You have 38 slots on the American Roulette wheel that the marble can land. Two of those slots are the zero and double zero in which you lose if the marble lands there. The only way to win if the zero or double zero is selected is on the five number bet. You have better odds on the European Roulette wheel because you have 37 slots, with only one trap.

After all the bets are placed the Croupier will spin the wheel and put the marble going in the other direction. Once the wheel starts spinning no other bets can be placed. The marble will fall into a slot and that will state the winning bets or lost bets

Roulette is going to be about fun over making a big win. You really can't win much unless you bet the larger harder to get bets, and that is like throwing money away. The Martingale system can be useful, but there again you are doubling the bet in hopes you win the next round, so you could end up losing more than you wanted. Probability is what this game is about.

Online Roulette

With computers came the online casinos. No casino is complete without having Roulette. Since the late 1990's you have had the option of playing either American Roulette or European Roulette in online casinos. Most casinos will have both games. With the online casinos you have better betting options because of the computer program spinning. While it should be random you might even pick up a few patterns. This is one of the reasons online casinos are so popular today.

Roulette Rules

Roulette is a very simple game to learn. You can learn to play the game online or in a land casino in a matter of minutes, without truly understanding the probabilities. Of course the more you know on a game the better off you are for winning. You will always have to contend with the house advantage. It doesn't matter what game you play, they will usually have a better chance of getting your money. When you start out with Roulette you are better off choosing a slower table with not a lot of individuals. This helps you learn the game and still get a decent amount of winnings for the bet.

In Roulette you are going to get chips to place the bets. Unlike other games these chips don't have any numerical value printed on them. Roulette usually has six to eight sets of colored chips with about 300 chips in each color. In this game the chip denominations are determined by you. Each player at the table is going to have their own color chips and the numerical value on those chips is decided by how much you have wagered. In other words if you exchange 100 dollars for chips you will get chips so that your lowest denomination would be 5 dollars. Most Roulette tables will not allow for any lower bet. The token given to the player on top of the chips offers the value the casino is awarding those chips.

American Roulette Rules
With American Roulette you have 38 slots from 1 to 36, and then the zero and double zero slots. You have a grid with every number on that table grid, and then a host of outside bets. The players will need to make any bets before the dealer calls no bets. This is when the wheel begins to spin and the marble goes round. Whatever number the marble lands in states the winning bets.

The table is going to show you the winning bets under the US rules. We have listed the probabilities and payouts for each bet. In America the Atlantic City casinos follow a different rule. The house edge is 5.26 percent on American Roulette, except for the five number bet. The house edge on that bet is 7.89 percent.

Single Zero Rules
In Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Tunica, and Connecticut you are going to find a single zero wheel in the casinos. The limits on these wheels are usually higher, so they are often played by the high rollers. The double zero wheels will not require a high bet. Nevada Palace in Las Vegas is an exception as they have a single zero wheel with a 25 cent minimum. The house edge for the American single zero wheel is 2.70 percent.

European Roulette Rules
With European Roulette you have a rule called 'en prison' in which the player can make an even money bet ,and if the marble lands on zero the player can get half the bet back or it will be 'en prison.' To have your bet imprisoned means you are going to leave the bet on that spot. If the imprisoned bet wins on the next round it is released, but you don't get winnings. There are a few rules regarding the zero and this 'en prison' maneuver, but standard protocol means you need the next spin to land on zero in order to get your bet back without winnings.

Roulette Strategy

Roulette has some very rigid rules and is not as involved as other games, especially when compared to things like poker. Roulette is also a game of chance more so than some of the other table games. You are betting on a marble spin. There are still some individuals who believe in the strategy. The truth is that with Roulette there really isn't any strategy that will help you win big. Casinos have rules so that the house edge will win more than you, but there are a few things you should consider regarding the Roulette play. They can make it a little easier for you to win more often.

While there are some that believe in strategy systems, they are usually based on statistical analysis of your options. While you have a probability of the marble landing on a certain number and different types of bets, you can predict if you would be right. You can only say you have more of a chance to win on say, odd numbers than you would on the number 7. The individual numbers all have the same odds, so it doesn't matter if the number 13 hasn't come up in 7 spins. In this case the strategy may be full of false hope. When you bet you need to bet on a wider range of numbers to get a better chance of winning, because you are betting on say 18 numbers and one out of that pot could be the winner.

You don't want to play American Roulette if the other option is available. The wheel is against you in that version. You may also want to look out for the 'En Prison' or 'Surrender' option for a chance to recoup losses.