Online roulette is a virtual copy of the Devil’s wheel from a land-based casino. The only difference is that the outcomes of the game are determined by a computer, instead of the croupier’s hand sealing the fate of your bet.
If the online casino where you gamble is fair and transparent and the Random Number Generator works properly, the outcomes must be unpredictable. Just like at any land-based casino where the wheel itself is unbiased and the croupier is professional.
You can play roulette online for real money, just as if you were gambling somewhere in Vegas. However, in comparison to Sin City, you have a chance to put the game to trial first and play it in demo mode. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Whatever many people and gambling ‘experts’ might say, there is no way of predicting the odds or beating the House edge. Roulette is a game of chance, guys. Accept it.
Roulette bets
All the roulette bets are split into 2 groups: inside and outside bets. These names refer to the ways gamblers place chips on the layout. But their main difference is the payout rate and the winning odds.
Inside bets
They cover a single number or combinations of them. Here’s how you do it:
- Straight (single) – a bet on one number, including 0 or 00;
- Split – a bet on 2 adjoining numbers that can be located horizontally or vertically (7 and 8, 20 and 23);
- Street – a bet on 3 adjoining numbers making up one horizontal line (1, 2, 3);
- Square (Corner) – a bet on 4 adjoining numbers making up a square (1, 2, 4, 5 or 10, 11, 13, 14);
- Double Street (Six Line) – a bet on 6 numbers making up 2 horizontal rows (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21);
- Trio – a bet on 3 adjoining numbers that include zero (0, 1, 2 or 0, 2, 3, or 00, 2, 3);
- Top Line or Basket – a bet on 0,1,2,3 at European roulette and on 00,0,1,2,3 at American.
All the bets have different winning odds and payouts that you can calculate using the formula: 36/n – 1, where n = the number of covered numbers on the wheel.
Outside bets
Although they have more modest payouts in comparison to the inside bets, the winning odds here are higher. So, these are the safest Roulette bets you will ever find.
- High – we bet that the winning number will be inside the range from 1 to 18;
- Low – we bet on the range from 19 to 36;
- Red – we bet that the ball will fall on a red number;
- Black – we bet that the ball will fall on a black number;
- Even – we cover all the even numbers;
- Odd – we cover all the odd numbers;
- Dozens – we want the winning number to be inside the 1st (1 – 12), 2nd (13 – 24), or 3rd (25 – 36) dozen;
- Columns – we want the winning number to be in one of the 3 columns: the 1st (1 – 34), the 2nd (2 – 35), or the 3rd (3 – 36);
- Snake (not always available) – we bet on the numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, 34. Their layout pattern looks like a snake.
While the winning odds of inside bets can be 35:1, 17.5:1, 8.25:1, etc, the outside bets have chances that look much better: 21⁄12 :1 and 11⁄18:1.
But as always, the choice is totally up to you.
Roulette betting strategies
Do any of these strategies help you to beat the House? Unfortunately, in the long run, none of the systems will eliminate the House edge.
Plus, most of them are suitable only for extremely high bankrolls. And even if someone with a deep pocket decides to test one of these systems, they have to quit as soon as they win. We want you to remember that the winning odds are not getting better with time, they are always the same: 1:37 for single bets, for instance.
So, if we take an average player at an average casino table, we’ll advise them not to apply any of these strategies.
We will still list them here for the fun of it.
Predicting the odds
This method only works when biased roulette wheels, lasers, or computers inside the players’ shoes are involved. Thanks to the daredevils possessed by the idea to predict where the ball will fall next time, the roulette wheels were remodeled and perfected over time. Nevertheless, some odds geniuses managed to win a couple of bucks applying the illegal ways we’ve just mentioned.
The Martingale Roulette strategy
Super easy to understand, very hard to follow. And not because it requires extraordinary mental abilities. You just need a huge gambling budget.
The Martingale formula goes like this: every bet = 2x the previous bet. The idea behind the concept is to compensate for all the losses by winning just once. Hypothetically, it will work. Imagine you bet $1 and lose, then you double your first stake – $2 – and lose again. One more time – minus $4 from your wallet, and then you bet $8 and win. The casino is going to pay you according to the standard Roulette payout of 35/1. It will give us 35×8+8=280. $280 sounds amazing in comparison to the $15 that you’ve spent. However, our hypothetical lucky duck wins on the fourth go. Let’s admit it: the scenario is too optimistic. Let’s see what will happen if they aren’t as fortunate as we want them to be. The chain of losses will look like this: $1 – $2 – $4 – $8 – $16 – $32 – $64 – $128 – $256 – $512 – $1024. With the average number of 40 Roulette spins per hour, following the Martingale strategy, you will lose $1024 within 15-20 minutes. We don’t want to argue with Math. The strategy will work. In the vacuum, laboratory, on paper, or in cases when your bankroll is unlimited. In the real world – we are not so sure, though.
The Grand martingale Roulette strategy
In essence, it is the Martingale system 2.0. Double your bet and add the amount of your very first bet to it.
For example, you started with $1 and lost. The second bet has to be 2x $1 + $1 = $3. The third one: 2x $3 + $1 = $7.
The verdict on this system is the same as the first one. The math is right, the strategy is too unrealistic for our world. In the long run, the House will always win. No exceptions here.
The Reverse Martingale Roulette strategy (aka Paroli)
In contrast to the classic Martingale, you have to double your bet after you win without changing the amount when losing. The creator of this system, for some reason, believed that there are such things as winning or losing streaks. Only if they exist, and gamblers are bound to win many times in a row, can the strategy work. We remind you that the idea of streaks is nothing else but a fallacy, and there’s even a term for it (Gambler’s fallacy).
There are a few more variations of the Martingale strategy, such as Labouchère and D’Alembert systems.
The James Bond Roulette strategy
Here the bets are placed on combinations. The main idea is to cover all the numbers except the sequence from 1 to 12.
You can place chips like this: cover the “high numbers” from 19 to 36 (outside bet), “double street” (“Six Line”) from 13 to 18, and place a single bet on 0.
This combination allows players to cover the most numbers with the best payouts on the layout. Yes, the chances look better and give you a sense of security. But never forget that there are 12 uncovered numbers, and each of them has a 1:37 chance to turn up.
Even though we love the charming 007, we know that the House will not give in. They are always a few steps ahead, thanks to 0 and 00 pockets on the wheel.