
Roulette is a classic casino game, and even people who have never so much as set foot in Las Vegas or logged on to an online casino know the spinning red and black wheel when they see one.
If you want some fun playing online casino games, we can’t recommend roulette enough. Next time you head to an online casino like Leo Vegas, give the roulette wheel a few spins – but first, check out our top tips for roulette.
How does roulette work?
Roulette is a really easy game, which is probably why it’s so popular in online casinos! Players simply place a bet on a number or a series of numbers, the wheel is spun and then it’s time to hold your breath and see if you’ve won.
The lowest payout in roulette is even money, on bets such as red/black or odd/even, while the highest payout is 35/1 for single number bets. It’s pretty easy to try to win playing online roulette, but there are a few things you should know to maximise your chances.
European vs American roulette
At this point, it’s worth noting the two main types of roulette you’ll find at an online casino.
European roulette is the standard roulette in most online casinos and all live casinos in Europe. The wheel has 37 numbers; there are 36 red and black numbers and one green zero. The zero is the key to the house edge in roulette, because it voids almost all bets.
American roulette is the same as European roulette, with one key exception: there is a zero and a double zero. That means the house edge is doubled. Needless to say, we recommend playing the European version of the game if you want to win at roulette.
Hot and cold streaks
Many online casinos will display recent numbers hit on their roulette wheels. This allows players to see the results of the past few spins and a lot of roulette players, especially online roulette players, like to try and use this to their advantage.
Unfortunately, there is no advantage to be gained by basing your bets on these numbers. If a certain number has come up frequently (this is called a hot number), there is no reason to think it is any more likely to come up in the next spin. Nevertheless, a lot of roulette players have fun making bets around these hot and cold numbers.
The Martingale System
The Martingale System is an old strategy that dates back hundreds of years. It is a strategy to beat roulette games, and at first glance it looks great.
The Martingale System works by doubling your bet each time you lose. So, let’s say you bet £10 on red and win. Great! Now you have £20, and you bet £10 of that on red again. This time it’s black, so your next bet you’ll bet £20.
Now, if you win, you’ll have covered your previous loss. However, this system doesn’t work very well in practice because you can easily wind up betting £40, £80, £160 or more a spin which might be outside your bankroll. Also, a zero can throw a spanner in the works – and will do so, if you bet for long enough.
Can I beat the casino playing online roulette?
Roulette is a game with a relatively low house edge, and the ability to make near 50/50 wagers makes it very appealing to a lot of online casino players. It’s pretty easy to spin the wheel a few times and walk away with a tidy profit.
However, in the sense of making a long-term profit, no you cannot “beat the casino”. Roulette is a game designed to give the casino an edge, no matter how hard you try – but that doesn’t mean it’s not a ton of fun to play!
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