Roulette

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby Right Round

The Game of Kings

As every monkey knows, roulette is known as the Game of Kings. I can pass off as royalty with my background, so I should know.

So, apart from the serious cache associated with roulette (we all know that class act James Bond 007 loves a spin of the wheel) why has this game, an accidental discovery by French scientist Blaise Pascale, proven to be such a universally loved table game since the 17th century?

The answer of course is that on the surface, roulette is far simpler than many other table games. What could be easier that betting on red or black, and feeling the thrill of watching the white ball jumping around the roulette wheel to see where it lands?

It’s easy to have a flutter and keep your risk low. Take our 20p roulette game for example. This is a simple, easy to play variant with very chilled betting limits.

Monkey Roulette Basics
Pared back to its basic elements, roulette consists of a numbered wheel with either 37 or 38 pockets, a ball and a roulette table, where you place your bets using your gambling chips or in this technical age, simply using the click of a mouse or a tap of the finger to place your wager.
Just place your bets on the roulette table and the wheel is set in motion with the white ball being released in the opposite direction to the wheel. As the wheel slows, the ball travels around chaotically, lands in a pocket and the round is completed.

As with much in life, the game’s simplicity belies how complex this game can actually be, with different betting strategies making the game as complex as you want it to be.

Some players prefer the long game but equally roulette suits a rapid fire approach which offers an attraction to a different kind of player. It’s roulette’s flexibility that makes it such an enduring hit with players everywhere.

Systems for Winning
We all seek the secret to the winning formula but the main systems in roulette are the Martingale, Fibonacci or Labouchere; each with different approaches and all have their fans and detractors. Remember, though. You can’t change the odds you get at the wheel.

Crack the Roulette Code

American or European roulette?
There are different variants of the game depending on where you play. Both American and European roulette variant have a wheel with 18 red and 18 black pockets. Try our 3D European Roulette for example, if you want a good looking Old Continent game.

So far so good, but from here the odds change dramatically depending on which game you play.

On the Continent and in the UK you can expect to find European Roulette. European roulette offers its players a 37 pocket wheel which is numbered 1-36 with a green pocket with the number zero. This version of the game is popular as it offers a lower edge to the player compared ot its American cousin: the casino’s edge is 2.70%.

There is also French Roulette. This variant of the game is very similar to the European game but with a different roulette table lay out, wheel lay out and some unique Call Bets which sound complicated but aren’t really – Voisins du Zero and Tiers du Cylindre are less intimidating than they sound!

The game changer in French roulette is La Partage or dividing rule which is a bonus for roulette players as it comes into use when the ball lands on the zero.

All even payout bets (such as rted/black, even/odd etc) are divided in two, and half of the wager is returned to the player. En Prison is another rule which is similar to La Partage, and again this reduces the house edge on even money bets. If you play the game with the En Prison or La Partage rules then the House’ s edge is reduced to 1.35%.

American Roulette, which is popular in Las Vegas, (I’ve had a few missions there myself), is played on a wheel with 38 pockets.

In addition to the usual numbers, and zero, there is another pocket with a double zero. The flip side of this extra pocket is that the double zero pocket gives the casino a hefty boost, giving the house an edge of 5.26%.

En Prison and La Partage rules aren’t available in the American game. That’s simply not cricket.

So unless you like bets involving both zeros, you are better off playing the single-zero (European) wheels.

In, Out, Shake it All About

Inside and outside bets
If you’re a novice in the roulette world, there are ways to keep your play simple and cover more of the table. You won’t alter the odds of the game, but you can vary the volatility of the session.

You need to decide whether you want to play a less volatile game using outside bets or up the ante and have a crack at pursuing the inside bet route.

An outside bet is a great starting position for a Roulette learner as these bets are more likely to come in but won’t bring you such a big pay out. These include placing a wager on a black or red, an odd or even number, a group of numbers like 1-18, or 19-36, a column bet which is a physical line of numbers on the roulette board or a dozen bet which is a group of 12 numbers. These are all types of “outside bets”.

Inside bets bring a lower chance of a win but when your number comes in, the payout is bigger.

An inside bet can include a whole host of different wagers including the straight up bet, split, corner bet, trio, six line and street. It’s a good job that this Monkey is a master at game theory!

Live Video Roulette
The world has moved on from the days where you had to be tuxed up in a physical casino to have a spin on the roulette wheel, (although some of us do wear it well!).

These days you can enjoy the atmosphere of roulette from your own home thanks to technology that links your devices to a game straight from a casino floor or a high tech studio.

Enjoy the company and expertise of professional croupiers in real-time game play. With games like Immersive Roulette or Live Roulette you get extra camera angles and statistics that make for a great game experience.

Try out our selection of Live Roulette table variants on your phone or desktop and prepare to be amazed at the quality!

Virtual Roulette
For those of you who don’t want to play on a live online roulette game there is great selection of virtual roulette where you can place all the same bets as with a land based or live video game.

You will still hear the sound of the ball moving around the wheel – and have the same betting table – but you can do it at speed from wherever you choose.

Try your hand at games like 3D European Roulette or French Roulette at the casino.

Let the games commence my friends.