Roulette is one of the oldest casino games in existence, dating back to Greeks and Romans who played roulette on chariot wheels. Thousands of years later, the game’s popularity stretches across virtual casinos, live casinos and traditional top European online casino for UK players alike. Even the crypto enthusiasts are playing crypto Roulette and winning fortunes. Roulette is still very much a game of chance though, just like it was back then. In fact, not a lot has changed since the early days of roulette, except a few key rules and design changes. Stay with us as we discuss a bit about those changes and how we can use tips and tricks to somewhat affect the final outcome in our favour.
Roulette: The Ancient Game of Chance
The classic or original game of roulette is divided into three main categories, which are:
- European Roulette
- French Roulette
- American Roulette
Even though we will be focussing on European roulette here, let’s take a brief look through the aspects which separates these three from each other. That’s important since understanding the different rules is necessary to understand the strategies that will follow.
What Separates American, French and European Roulette from Each Other?
Instead of making it sound overly complicated for someone new to the game of roulette, we will simply list the key factors which are either unique or common to the three variants. This should be enough to provide a clear idea regarding what to expect from each variant.
- Both European and French roulette is played on the same European roulette wheel
- There is only one other variant of the roulette wheel and it is used almost exclusively in the US
- American roulette wheels have two separate zeroes (0, 00), while European roulette wheels only sport a single zero (0)
- Due to the double zero counters, the house enjoys a 5.3% advantage over players in American roulette
- As European roulette wheels have just a single zero counter, that sky-high house advantage is reduced to a fair 2.7% in the European version
- In American roulette, players will lose all of their outside bets as a whole, if either one of the two zeroes come into play
- The frequency of getting a zero is approximately halved in European roulette, but players lose all their outside bets on getting a zero, just like American roulette
- In French Roulette, the player does not lose all outside bets at once on getting zero, but only half the total amount (La Partage)
- Another variant of French roulette (En Prison) requires players to get two zeros on consecutive spins, or they do not lose any of their outside bets
By now, it should be clear that French roulette gives players the best chance at winning, European roulette provides a fair chance to both the player and the house, while American roulette is the variant that keeps casinos rich!
Tips, Tricks and Strategies for Winning in European Roulette
Despite being a game of chance just like any other casino game, there are strategies that can improve your chances of winning. As it happens we have already discussed the very first tip; if you ever decide to play roulette, be sure to choose online European roulette in the United Kingdom or French roulette to have a significantly greater chance at winning. As far as the more specific strategies are concerned though, go through the following to increase your winnings with the welcome credits.
The Martingale Strategy
To make this one work, you will first need a table where they allow low minimum betting, but a high limit on the maximum betting amount. Bet small on odd/even, red/black or high/low on your first bet, and then follow the steps mentioned next, from thereon:
- On winning, place the same bet once again
- On losing on the first spin or after losing for the first time, place 2x the lost amount on the same bet
- If you lose on the consequent spin, double the wagered amount once again and place the same bet as before
- On winning, subtract the original wager from the total amount and only bet that initial small amount you had wagered
- Continue till the maximum betting limit is reached, or if you end up losing all your money!
The Reverse Martingale Strategy differs from the original Martingale Strategy in only two rules:
- You keep doubling only when you win
- You keep betting the same amount until you win
The D’Alembert Strategy
Begin in the same way as mentioned above while explaining the Martingale Strategy. This is to say, start by placing a small bet on odd/even, red/black or high/low. Every time you lose, add one to the original bet while deducting one after every win. The main advantage of the D’Alembert Strategy is the fact that as long as the player continues to wager as directed, and plays until they reach at least a 1:1; win: loss ratio, they will always be going home with a profit!
The Fibonacci Strategy
Invented over a millennium ago by the famous Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, it utilizes the Fibonacci Sequence to drastically improve the player’s chances of winning big in European roulette. This is the most complicated of the ones mentioned here, so understand the Fibonacci Sequence well first.
The idea is to create a sequence of numbers (bets in this case) where only the first two are identical, but all of the following numbers are a total of the two numbers that preceded it in the sequence. For example, if you start with a bet of £2, then the sequence will be 2, 2, 4, 6, 10, 16, 26, 42, 68 and 110 for the next ten bets. Now carefully take note of the rules mentioned next.
- Place the first two small bets on odd/even, red/black or high/low
- Every time you lose, simply follow the sequence, as illustrated above
- Every time you win, go back by two positions on the sequence and place the resulting amount as the next bet
The Fibonacci Sequence is complicated, so don’t assume you are in red or black, based on your win: loss ratio, but keep count of the differences in between to stay on top and walk away as a winner.
There is still a lot more to learn, of course, but much of that will come from experience. We strongly advise betting only low amounts initially, so you can get to grips with the strategies involved.