Roulette wheels are a staple of the casino floor and a favourite with online players looking for fuss-free wagering and big prize potential. Heavily inspired by the older Italian game, Biribi, French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal invented the first roulette wheel that we’d recognise today in the 1700s. Roulette quickly became popular in the casino houses of 18th-century Paris, later spreading to Monte Carlo, wider Europe, and further afield to the United States. In the modern era of online casino platforms, virtual roulette is a favourite with players. According to one report by the UK Gambling Commission, other than virtual slots, online roulette was the most frequently played casino game online, with 36% of respondents having staked a wager on the wheel.
Simple wagers and accessible game mechanics make roulette a go-to for beginners. While roulette is ultimately a game of chance with a notable house edge, there’s always a way to increase your odds of winning big at the wheel. Rookies weary of breaking the bank can stick to progressive wagers, while high rollers chasing bigger returns can turn to one of several tried-and-tested betting strategies.
Eager to increase your odds of landing a life-changing payout at the roulette wheel? Online training platforms and game demos offer an easy way to get to grips with different variants and experiment with new roulette strategies.
Master the Basics with Online Roulette Simulators
Primarily a game of chance, roulette doesn’t require bags of insight for your first spin of the wheel. However, whether you’re hitting a brick-and-mortar casino or logging into your favourite online platform, it makes sense to master the basics of gameplay before you start betting with your bankroll. Finding a good online simulator will introduce you to the fundamentals of roulette, from variant-specific table layouts to different betting options. Whether you’re looking to experiment with inside and outside bets or to simply train without risk, roulette simulators should be your first port of call.
Get Acquainted with Regional Roulette Variants
After cementing itself as a casino classic in the gambling houses of Paris, roulette quickly spread across the European continent and further afield. As the game was picked up by gamblers in new locales, different variants were born. Today, the majority of online casinos offer at least a handful of the most popular variants. If you’re serious about winning big at the wheels, you’ll want to get familiar with the most common versions you’re likely to encounter.
If you’re a roulette newbie, one of your first ports of call will probably be European or American roulette. At first glance, these two variants seem largely identical. Both versions of the game use an alternating red and black wheel, with numbers spanning from 1 to 36. European roulette has a single zero in green, while American roulette features an additional double zero.
While both variants include identical odds, the addition of that double zero on the American roulette wheels increases the house edge slightly. It also gives wind to other betting options, meaning there’s more to play for if you’ve earmarked an American wheel for your next roulette spin. Already an old hat with European roulette? Look for an American roulette simulator or fire up an online demo to play around with five-number bets.
Another popular variant is French roulette. Sharing much of its DNA with European roulette, the French version differs slightly by introducing some unique betting options into the mix. These special rules, La Partage and En Prison, are good news for players seeking more surefire returns. Both reduce the house edge to around 1.35%, a marked improvement on European roulette, where the house edge stands at 2.7%.
Boosting Your Odds with Roulette Betting Strategies
While decreased house edges make some roulette variants a smarter choice for serious players, the best way to increase your odds of success is to familiarise yourself with different betting strategies. Some favour the first-timer looking to keep things simple, while others encourage bigger bets to cover consecutive losses. As with many casino game tactics, choosing the right strategy for you ultimately hinges on risk vs. reward.
Progressive betting is one of the most common ways to wager on roulette. Exact approaches vary, but all progressive strategies encourage players to fine-tune their bets based on the outcomes of previous spins. Doubling Down, otherwise known as the Martingale Stategy, was originally developed in the 1700s as a strategy to bet on the outcome of coin-toss games. In later years, it was embraced by roulette players and remains a popular choice for even-money betting. Here, players chase every loss by doubling the amount of their previous bet. While there are no guarantees with this strategy, the logic is that you’ll eventually land a win, with any payout covering previous losses and delivering a modest profit.
For the more experienced player looking for progressive betting options, there’s the Labouchere Strategy. Otherwise known as the Cancellation System, this strategy calls for the player to first decide how much they’re willing to spend on a session at the roulette wheel. Then, this total needs to be broken down into a list of smaller increments. To decide your first bet, combine the lowest and highest increments. If your bet wins, remove these betting increments from your list. If you suffer a loss, add the combined amount of the losing bet to your list.
If you’re someone prone to seeing patterns in roulette gameplay, the Adrucci System might be the strategy for you. To put this approach to work, you’ll need to make between 30 and 37 individual bets. After the outcome of every spin, make a note of what number the ball has landed on. While games like roulette are ultimately driven by random outcomes, the theory here is that you’ll eventually start to see hot numbers hitting the pockets more frequently. However, if Lady Luck smiles upon you, you’ll earn generous payouts at 35:1.
Bet Smarter and Spin Strategically with Roulette Simulators and Demos
With stripped-back gameplay and accessible betting, roulette is one of the most beginner-friendly casino games around. While it’s an obvious choice for novice gamblers looking to keep wagers small, there are a few ways you can increase your odds of a meatier payout. Whether taking advantage of the reduced house edge of the American variant or making the Martingale Strategy work for you, mastering the finer mechanics of roulette is easy and risk-free when you make use of an online simulator or demo.
