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Online Roulette & Casino Games
Content of this article
Everything you Need to Know about Online Roulette
Other Roulette Topics
Pay by PayPal Roulette | Low stakes roulette | High Stakes Roulette | European Roulette | French Roulette | The History of Roulette
Roulette is one of the simplest games you’ll find at online casinos. For new casino goers and beginners, roulette is a great game as it requires very little skill.
Owing to the crazy popularity of the game, roulette games are available at literally any online casino that hosts table casino games. It also comes in an abundance of different forms.
The two most popular and well-known roulette games are European and American roulette. However, in the modern digital age, there are numerous variations of roulette available in the online gambling sphere which might include different bets, mini-games and innovative features.
Check out the links just above if you want more information about roulette variants that mainly differ regarding stakes and payment methods.
If you want to learn all you possibly can about online roulette before you take the plunge, then look no further. We’ve put together this comprehensive guide in which we’ll let you in on all you need to know, including the rules of roulette, a full betting guide and a history of the game itself.
Online Casino Roulette
So, what is online roulette, and why is it so darn popular? Well, you’ll find that roulette owes its popularity and proliferation to a number of factors.
- It’s one of the most recognisable classic casino games
- It’s very simple and anyone can get their heads around the game
- The potential for big wins
The principle of roulette has remained the same since the 18th century. The main aim of the game is to guess where the roulette ball will land in the roulette wheel.
In order to place a bet in roulette, you need to ‘buy-in’. It is worth pointing out that when you play roulette online, this may be done automatically when you start the game.
To buy-in means to purchase chips to play with. Players place their bets (chips) on the roulette betting table, and then the dealer spins the wheel.
The ball will land in one of the wheel pockets. If the number or colour corresponds to the player’s bet, the player wins.
How to Play Roulette
Here’s a quick rundown of a standard game of roulette:
- Player buys chips
- Player places chips on the table in accordance with what they want to bet on
- Ball is thrown into the wheel and the wheel is spun
- Ball lands in a pocket
- Outcome of the spin decides the winning bets
- Losing bets are lost to the house
Difference Between European Roulette and American Roulette
As we mentioned, European and American roulette are the two most famous and popular versions of roulette.
What exactly is the difference?
Well, in both American and European roulette, the fundamental rules of the game are exactly the same – players are guessing where the ball will land in the roulette wheel.
However, American roulette has one extra green number (00) on its wheel.
So:
- European Roulette: 1-36 + 0
- American Roulette: 1-36 + 0 + 00
The betting table will have one extra number on it for you to bet on. The area that would usually only contain the 0 icon will have two separate betting areas for 0 and 00.
Your chances of landing on any single number go up from 1/37 to 1/38. So, the pay-outs are higher.
Additional Bets in American Roulette
If you are playing American roulette, you’ll also be given a few more betting options, due to the extra double zero slot.
But bear in mind that your odds will be lowered in American roulette because of that extra slot.
Roulette Wheel and Betting
So, now you know the basics and the difference between European and American roulette, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the roulette wheel and betting.
The roulette wheel is lined with indents or “pockets” which are marked with numbers and colours.
In European roulette, there are 36 numbered pockets and one 0 pocket where as in American roulette, there is an additional 00 pocket to take into account.
Players will be able to bet on these numbered and coloured pockets thanks to the betting table.
You’ll find all the numbers represented on the table which are divided into different sections, and each number will be either red or black, apart from 0/00, which are usually green.
Play Online with this Betting Guide
The most common bets in roulette are the bet on the number the ball will land on and the bet on the colour the ball will land on.
However, there are many other bets which players can make in roulette including bets on groups of numbers, odds and evens and highs and lows.
Different Real Money Bets in Roulette
Ordinarily, roulette bets are either called “inside bets” or “outside bets”, which refers to the different sections on the betting table.
Pay-outs depend on the likelihood of the bet which is made. For instance, the pay-out for individual numbers in roulette is the highest pay-out at 37x the original bet.
It’s always a good idea to take a look at the full betting table with any roulette game you play to know exactly what betting options are available to you.
The names of different bets might vary somewhat depending on the casino you are playing at.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the most common bets which will be available to you.
Inside Bets
When placing an inside bet, you are betting on which number the ball will land on. The fewer the numbers included in your bet, the higher the odds – and the higher the payout.
- Straight: bet on a single number
- Split: bet on 2 numbers
- Three line: bet on a row of 3 numbers (a “street”)
- Corner/Square: bet on 4 numbers that meet on one corner & form a square
- Six line: bet on two gathering streets
- Trio: Three numbers, one of which must be zero
- Basket: A bet on 0, 1, 2, 3
- Top Line: A bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, 3
Outside Bets
Outside bets are slightly different and include the bets on odd or even numbers and colour bets:
- Left/middle/right column: bet on all 12 numbers in any of those columns
- 1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12: bet on 12 numbers in 4 consecutive rows
- Snake bet: 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34
- 19-36 or 1-18: bet on all numbers in either bracket
- Red or black: all red numbers or all black numbers
- Odd or even: bet on all odd numbers or all even numbers
It’s worth noting that in some versions of the game, all outside bets are lost if a zero comes up. In UK rules, a player can only lose half of their stake if the zero is landed on.
It’s always a good idea to check a casino’s specific rules before playing so you can work out the risks of your bet.
Different Roulette Games
You’ll know by now that roulette is fundamentally a very simple game, but that doesn’t mean the door isn’t open for interesting variants and new features to augment the basic game.
Roulette Casino Games
Players are used to enjoying the staples of European roulette and American roulette, but when you play roulette at an online casino, there is a lot on offer.
The following roulette variations are often available at online casinos.
- Low stakes roulette
- High stakes roulette
- Multi-wheel roulette
- Small wheel roulette (aka Mini roulette)
- Live casino roulette
- Double ball roulette
- Roulette Royal
Add in extra side bets and special features, and these games all work to add an extra dimension of enjoyment to playing roulette online.
Roulette Game History
The origins of roulette reach all the way back to 18th century France. It was a favourite pastime of party-going aristocrats in Paris and other major cities.
In 1655, Blaise Pascal, a French scientist, inventor and mathematician was working on creating a perpetual motion machine.
Ultimately, his experiment failed, but the mechanism he designed introduced a primitive form of the roulette game we know and love today.
The Zero
The next big leap in roulette history happened in 1842. The Blanc brothers, Francois and Louis, added a zero to the roulette wheel.
Basically, they wanted to make sure the house was guaranteed a slight edge if a player was playing red or black, high or low, or odds and evens.
The brothers took their wheel to Monte Carlo where King Charles III of Monaco had set up his own casino.
With his kingdom suffering financial difficulties, he wished to get the economy booming once more and so the addition of the zero was crucial as it meant the game had a bigger house edge.
Creation of American Roulette
After roulette’s success in Monte Carlo, the game was taken overseas, and Americans went mad for it. Saloon and gambling house owners, however, were keen to make the game more lucrative for themselves.
As a result, they added the double zero to the roulette wheel. This was to give the house an even bigger edge, as the added pocket decreases the player’s odds of winning.
Transition to Roulette Online
Roulette remained a hugely popular game in brick-and-mortar casinos and is still one of the main attractions of visiting any land casino worldwide.
When internet gambling kicked off in the 1990’s, roulette was quickly added to the landscape.
As we all know by now, the online version of roulette, with its thrilling wagering options, pot luck nature and chance to win so much more than you wager, has proved to be every bit as popular as its land-based counterpart.
Advantages of Roulette Casino Games at Online Casinos
Internet gaming made casino games, including roulette, more accessible than ever before, and there are many great reasons to spin the wheel on your screen of choice.
Low Costs and Simplicity
When you play roulette online the cost can equate to just a fraction of what you would pay playing at a traditional casino, if you play wisely, of course.
What’s more, roulette is a very simple affair, making it a great game for players of all persuasions.
Play Online on any Device
When mobile gambling took off, roulette was one of the first games to be adapted for the smaller screen. The game is perfect for on-the-go games due to its fast-paced nature and simple design.
Live Casino Roulette
Live roulette is widely available in the modern-day at online casinos, and it is something not to be missed. With glamourous croupiers and a classy atmosphere, live roulette is a memorable experience which is not to be missed.
Players can interact with real-life croupiers and play against other people. The roulette tables are real, and the games are filmed from specialist studios.
Live roulette is as close to the real thing as it gets. And doing it all from the comfort of your own home is pretty hard to beat.
The Huge Winnings
Another reason why roulette captured the imaginations of so many players throughout the world is its massive winning potential.
Roulette is the only game where in one single spin you can land yourself a win of 36x your initial wager.
While we’re realistic about the fact that that doesn’t happen all that often, it’s still a thrilling potential to get excited about.
Are you Ready to Spin the Wheel?
Roulette is one of the true casino staples which never seems to get old. With all this information, you have all you need to get the ball rolling or should we say, the wheel spinning.