On a straight number bet, it is well known that roulette odds aren't the most favorable to players. Yet, despite this, it remains one of the most widely played online casino games.
Perhaps due to the unshakeable association with Sean Connery's portrayal of 007, our romance with roulette shows no signs of fading. Whilst this is the case, it is worth ensuring you maximize your enjoyment of the game through a carefully chosen strategy.
Though roulette doesn't perhaps command the same skills of other casino classics, such as poker or blackjack, it is still possible to push the needle of luck slightly in your favor. While we very much appreciate that the innate randomness of roulette is a central part of its thrill, using a strategy can help balance excitement and reward.
Online casinos have been enhancing their gaming collection with different sorts of games, but mostly with online roulette. Players can choose from different roulette variations that suit their taste and can expand their knowledge of the rules of every type of this fantastic gaming option. The following are some of the most popular roulette variations that can be found in the top-tiered online casinos around the world.
Types of Online Roulette
There are plenty of online roulette types and every offers a different, but exciting gaming experience. We'll start with the live dealer roulette. The live dealer roulette comes in a couple of forms, and every form differs in the appearance of the wheel and the staking levels. While some come together with a live croupier, others show just the casino wheel without the croupier.
The one that comes with the live dealer is the most popular form of online roulette. The live croupier interacts with every player and you can see him or her spinning the wheel. With the widely-known call "no more bets" the croupier releases the ball and starts the gaming action.
The type of online roulette that doesn't show the dealer is called Live Static. It shows only one camera angle and you won't get the chance to interact with the croupier. The only thing that can be seen that represents the dealer is the hand when releasing the ball or picking it up. The name of this type of online roulette explains the camera angle, as it is always static.
Another type of no-dealer-available online roulette is the Live Multi-View. Apart from Live Static, this type of online roulette offers different views, as it offers multiple camera angles. You can switch between the offered sites and spectate the game according to your viewing choice.
And last, but not least, the Live Auto. This type of roulette variation, despite the automated wheel, doesn't offer you a RNG experience. It's not an animation, as it features real elements (a real ball and a real wheel). UK players can try out the best 10 casino sites in United Kingdom that offer an immersive online roulette experience and find the one that fits the most.
Calculating Roulette Odds
Before getting started, it is useful to know how to quickly calculate roulette odds. A simple method for this is to divide either 37 (on an American roulette table, featuring 0 & 00) or 36 (on a European roulette table featuring only 0), by the amount of numbers your bet covers. Then, subtract 1 from that number to get the pay-out rate of that bet.
So, for a straight bet on one number you should divide 37 by 1. Subtracting 1 from this gives you 36. This gives you a pay-out rate of 36:1, so a winning $10 bet will result in $360 win.
#1 Go for the Outside
The first strategy on our list may not be the most flash, but it hugely increased your odds of hitting a win. Whilst single number bets pay up to 36 times the original stake, they also only have a one in 38 (37 on a European wheel) chance of landing. Outside bets - a bet on red/black or odd/even - on the other hand, have a one in two chance of landing.
Whilst this increased chance of winning comes with much lower pay-outs, it gives you a much better opportunity to play into the night. If you're planning a long evening in the casino, then this strategy gives you a good chance of building your bankroll at the start of your session.
#2 Go European
As mentioned previously, European roulette wheels differ from their American equivalents, in that they only have just one 0. Although this may seem a minor detail, it is actually an easy win all players should take advantage of.
This is because switching to a European wheel allows players to slash the house edge in half. Whilst the house advantage stands at 5.3% on an American wheel, it drops to around 2.7% on a European equivalent. There's no question that anyone concerned with roulette odds should take advantage of this difference.
#3 Try for Free
The greatest benefit to playing online is the ability to play a free version of the game. This offers an ideal environment for trying new strategies or practicing your ability to quickly calculate odds.
Strategy to Avoid
Whilst we're on the topic of roulette strategy, there are also some strategies that are best avoided. For example, the Martingale strategy - which is one of the better-known strategies out there.
This strategy requires players to double their bet size each time they lose. In theory, this will eventually result in a player recouping their losses, but it rarely works out in practice. It is far more likely to result in you quickly burning through your bankroll, so we'd suggest giving it a swerve. For other
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