One of the “big three” games (the other two are dice and blackjack), Roulette, which takes its French name “petit roulette”, is one of the oldest casino games in existence. Originating in the 18th century in a form very close to its current form, Roulette is as easy to play as Baccarat (players do nothing but place bets) and is the easiest to understand.
In simple terms, players can bet on a single number, or they can bet on multiple numbers. In addition, players can bet on multiple single numbers (or multiple bets consisting of multiple numbers) if they wish. While some players stick to betting 1:1 or 3:1 (more on specific bets later) most live casino players seem to prefer to intuitively choose single numbers or numbers that they have some affinity for.
Roulette used to be more popular than it is now, although it has recently seen a resurgence in popularity in some Las Vegas casinos due to the millennials’ love of playing the game. This is probably due to the simplicity of the game and the relaxed pace. While roulette has a higher house edge than games like blackjack, in some cases, players may actually lose less per hour at roulette due to the slower pace of live play.
Roulette felt is usually green, especially in live casinos, but online casinos (and some live casinos) prefer to change the color scheme to support the aesthetics of the casino. Some casinos may use sand-colored felt, and I have personally seen blue felt.
Aside from a few unspecified side bets, roulette is a simple game where the dealer (the official term for a roulette dealer) spins the ball until it comes to rest in one of the slots. If the ball comes to rest on a single number that the player wins, or on a number that corresponds to a multi-number bet (for example, if the player bet on black, black 29 wins), the bet wins. If the number hit does not match the player’s bet, the bet loses.
Misconceptions about Roulette
Before we get into the details of roulette, let’s first dispel some misconceptions. I want to dispel these misconceptions now because it is very important to avoid falling into “traps”.
Number Tracking
Many players think that if they “track” the wheel, then they can bet on what they “should” win by betting on the streak or the reverse streak. How’s that for a thought? If betting on the streak is possible, then all of these players will win, and the players betting on the reverse streak will make a mistake. If betting on the reverse streak is possible, then the players “betting on the streak” will make a mistake.
The truth is, most bets on roulette have the same house edge. If we’re talking about a “European” (single zero) wheel, then the probability of any number winning is 1 in 37. Some players like to wait for a certain number to appear two or three times in a row and then bet on that number, thinking it will come up again. This is not the case. While it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll see this happen, the wheel won’t care if the same number appears twelve times in a row, as long as it’s not defective.
Many players believe in a concept called “visual ballistics.” This essentially means watching the ball spin in the wheel and having a rough idea of where it will land before the bets are closed. While it is theoretically possible to successfully adopt this practice, one would have to spend a significant amount of time training/practicing, and even then, many gambling experts question its feasibility. I personally think it is possible, albeit very difficult, in a live casino. There are many more easily accessible advantages.
Some people believe they can identify a flawed wheel and take advantage of that. I will say that many casinos frequently recalibrate their wheels to ensure that the wheel is “balanced.” In other words, all results from the wheel are fed back to the casino, which itself is able to recognize any wheel bias that may exist before most players are able to recognize it (assuming that individual players are able to recognize it). Again, this may have once been a viable way to beat roulette before computer tracking on the casino end, but now it is very difficult, if not impossible.
In the meantime, many players like to adopt betting systems to win the game. These systems include the Martingale, which we have discussed in detail elsewhere, and other popular systems include Labouchere’ and Fibonacci. Feel free to look up these systems if you are interested.
For the purposes of this article, the only thing I want to say is that roulette systems are completely useless and that after enough spins, your long-term results will be very close to your expected losses calculated based on the house edge. In fact, betting systems will perform worse in roulette than in games like craps or baccarat, because roulette has a much larger house edge for the player. More on the house edge later.
While roulette can be a viable casino game if someone wants to get a chance at a loss return, etc., most of the time, roulette is not even the best game to play. Again, this is because the house edge in roulette is larger than in many other table games.
In terms of direct play, unless you really enjoy playing roulette, just for fun, and you can afford to lose, roulette should generally be avoided. Games like craps, baccarat, blackjack, and video poker almost always have a lower house edge than roulette. Pai Gow Poker has a lower house edge than American (double-zero) roulette, and the player can basically control the speed of PGP directly. In terms of decisions per hour vs. bets vs. house edge, a player’s expected hourly losses at roulette may be lower than at video poker or blackjack (depending on other factors), but in the long run, players will lose more money for every dollar they bet.
If you’re alone at the table when you’re there, there’s one benefit to land-based casinos: you can play as slowly as you want! If there’s a dealer present anyway, they can’t say much about how long you bet. It’s important to remember, though, that if you play slowly, the dealer may just spin the wheel and drop the ball as soon as the first bet hits the felt! If you’re really nice and good at talking, though, they’ll sometimes let you play as slowly as you want if you’re the only player. No matter how slow you play, you’re better than an empty table!
