Roulette: An Interesting Game
By John Marchel

Roulette is a very popular game, particularly for inexperienced casino players. It has one of the highest house advantages of all the games in a casino. There is really no skill required before playing the game. The only choice the player has is what numbers to play and for how much. However, with a little bit of knowledge any player can learn to enjoy the game and still not sell the farm. Here are some facts about roulette that makes it a fun and interesting game.

Roulette is the easiest game to play in the casino. The player has 11 different ways to make a wager. The player can select one number, two numbers, three, four, five, six, twelve, or eighteen numbers, red/black, odd/even, or 1-18/19 - 36.

Roulette is the oldest game in the casino.

Francois Blanc, the man that put Monte Carlo casino on the map in the 1860s designed the roulette table and wheel layout we still use today.

The house edge on roulette with a double-zero wheel is 5.26% regardless of how one bets (with one exception). For every bet won the house will keep that percent.

The five-number bet (0,00,1,2,3,) is the worst bet in roulette; the house edge goes to a whopping 7.89%.

When visiting Las Vegas, Reno or Atlantic City, try to find a wheel with only a single zero. This is known as a French wheel and the house odds drop to only 2.7%, which is much better for the player.

One option at roulette is to play black or red, odd or even, low (1-18) or high (19-36). The house pays even money on these bets. These are known as the "outside" bets.

The house has to pay salaries, lighting, and all the overhead cost. The built-in house edge of 5.26% is how they do it.

There is a story about a South African visitor going to church in Monte Carlo in the late 1800s. Hymn No. 36 was selected for the congregation to sing. The gambler looked upon the number as a signal from heaven. He left church, went directly to the casino, staked 2,000 francs on the number 36 and won. He talked about his win and word spread and the daily visitors to church swelled tenfold.

All roulette numbers when added together equal 666.

To help understand the 5.26 percent house edge at roulette, think of it this way. If you bet one dollar on the first dozen, after 38 spins you will win $24 and lose $26.

Another way to look at the house advantage is to consider starting with $100. After cycling that 100 through the roulette table, you will end up losing $5.26 (double zero) or $2.70 (single zero wheel).

The more numbers selected for each individual wager, the lower the payout. The house will pay 35 chips for one chip bet on one single number, seventeen on two numbers, eleven on three, eight on four, six on five, five for six, two to one on columns (12 numbers) and even money on the outside bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low).

Playing the outside spots and the columns do have a smaller payout, but the odds are greatly improved compared to the single, two, three, four, five and six bet spots.

At roulette, it is better to go with the trend than going against it. If red is hitting a lot, go with it instead of playing against it by betting black.

My favorite bet is to place three chips on red and two chips on the center column (which has the most black, eight) I now have 26 numbers covered and only 12 that will hurt me. If red outside column hits, I lose two but win three. If the center column black hits, I win four but lose only three. I don't win a lot or lose a lot, but I get to play a lot.

These tips might not make you a consistent winner at roulette, but it should make your visit to the table a little more fun and maybe help reduce your losses to a reasonable and acceptable amount.