Roulette: What Makes it so Enticing for Beginners?

If you think of a glamourous Las Vegas Casino, you will immediately picture luxurious surroundings, well dressed people, and roulette wheels. The game of roulette has been played in one form or another for hundreds of years, and there is a reason it remains one of the most popular casino games, both in brick-and-mortar venues and in an online casino.

If you’ve never played, you might be wondering what you are missing out on – and this short guide will give you all you need to know about the game and how you can win.

A Brief History of Roulette
The earliest version of roulette that mirrors our modern game was played in 18th Century France, although similar games like Biribi in Italy and E/O in England were played even earlier.

The game is simple; a wheel is spun by the croupier in one direction, and a small ball is propelled in the opposite direction. The tilted circular track has numbered pockets on the outside, and players place bets where the ball will land.

Simple in structure, and easy enough to learn.

How to Play

There are three main types of roulette wheel that you might find in a casino. They are all similar in that they have 36 numbered pockets, colored either red or black. The difference comes from the house edge that each wheel has – the 0 pocket(s).
• French/European roulette – single 0 – 37 pockets in total.

• American – double 0 (0,00) – 38 pockets in total.
• Sands – Triple 0 (0, 00, 000) – 39 pockets in total.

The 0 is colored green.

There are lots of betting options, some more complicated than others.

The easiest bet comes from deciding if the ball will land on red or black, or on an odd or even number. This offers a 50/50 chance of a win. Of course, you can go for a single number, which is riskier but offers more reward.

Things can get more complicated when you consider that you can bet positionally, like a corner covering several different numbers, or a row.

Essentially, outside bets are less risky and inside bets are riskier – but you can develop strategies to help you maximize your chances of winning using mathematical concepts, and that makes roulette a game that really is for everyone, even the most experienced of players.

Winning Strategies
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular playing strategies that are associated with roulette. Most of these work best on outside bets, with an even chance of winning.

Martingale
Essentially, you need to double your stake after every loss. Choose a unit stake and place the first bet, say $1. If that loses, bet $2. If that loses, bet $4. Keep going until you win – and by that point, you will have won back your money (and then some.)

Say you’ve bet up to $6, and then that one wins. You’ll make $6 plus your original stake of $6, a total of $12, have spent ($1 + $2 + $4) $7.

To make the most of this strategy you need to start with the smallest amount you can, as a series of losses can eat into your bankroll quickly.

D’Alembert
This is a similar system, where your next bet depends on the way your previous bet worked out. Choose a betting unit (probably about 1% of your bankroll) and start with 5 units as a bet. If the bet loses, add another unit. If the bet wins, subtract a unit.

This system is not as punishing as the Martingale if you have a series of losses, which means that you can usually play for longer.

Fibonacci

The Fibonacci sequence is one of those mathematical principles that pops up everywhere – and it works for roulette, too.

The sequence is as follows:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 etc.

Set your bet unit as you would for the above strategies, and every time you lose bet the next number in the sequence.
For example, if you started with $10, and lose three times in a row, the fourth bet would be $50.

If you win, go back two numbers, and continue.

This is a strategy that needs a big bankroll as the numbers get bigger quickly, but the payouts can be huge too.

Double Street Quad
This last strategy is one that is specifically for roulette and is the only one in this list that doesn’t work with even chances.

Essentially this is a non-progressive strategy that can generate a series of smaller wins and the chance of a bigger payout because of the sheer number of numbers you are covering.

You’ll need to place four bets, as below:
• 2 x double street bets (rows)
• 1 x corner bet (group of four numbers)
• 1 x straight bet (single number)

In this way, you will cover 17 of the available 36 numbers in one go, maximizing the chances of a win.
Playing roulette can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be – and as a quick game that requires no skill it is great for beginners.