Online Roulette Guide

Click-click-click-click! This is what the sound of 300+ years of casino history sounds like with the spinning of the roulette wheel.

We would not be wrong to say that roulette, like most of the other popular casino games such as slots and blackjack, has been successful in entertaining players from different parts of the world. This is thanks to its incredibly enticing, thrilling, exciting and easy to master gameplay. Right from the time the ball has been dropped on the roulette wheel, you’ll clasp your hands waiting in anticipation to know if your number will show up.

And from such a simple setting of a wheel and table, sprung what has now become one of the most sought after games, not only at the online casinos in Singapore but the world at large.

Given how popular the game of roulette is, we’ve decided to write this detailed online roulette guide for you. We’ve included everything from the history of the game, the game rules, different types of games to play, the best odds to wager on, tips, tricks and strategies and so much more.

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The History of Roulette

If you do a quick Google search on the history of roulette, there’s a good chance you’ll come across hundreds of different theories suggesting the game’s origin and how it has transformed over the years.  Some point the origin to be in England, others say the great Roman Empire soldiers were the first people to play the game while others suggest the game draws inspiration from a popular Italian game, Hoca and Biribi.

But they all seem to agree that the game dates back to the mid-1650s, when it was accidentally invented by a renowned French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal. His original idea was to invent the perpetual motion machine but instead ended up developing the roulette game that we know today. And this can be the truth about the origin of roulette as the game’s name is a French word that loosely translates to ‘Little Wheel’ in English.

Since the original roulette game, there has been several modifications to the wheel and general game format, most significantly the inclusion of the double zero (00). The introduction of the double zeros (00) leads to the invention of the popular American roulette game, which is as popular as the French roulette game.

If you are eager to know the difference(s) between these two games, how to play them and the different versions of the game, read on.

Roulette game

How to Play Roulette

Before you can start playing roulette, there are so many nitty gritties that you need to understand first. For instance, you have to understand the overall set up of the roulette table and roulette wheel. You also have to understand the different types of bets. Once you are conversant with these two areas, you can now spin the wheel confidently.

Roulette Wheel Setup

There are three different types of roulette wheel setups.

  • The European wheel setup
  • The American wheel setup
  • The French wheel setup

The European and French roulette wheels have a similar setup and they differ from the American roulette wheel because of the number of zeros they have. While the European and French roulette wheels have a single zero (0), the American roulette wheel tends to have a zero (0) and an extra double zero (00). This double zero introduces the whole difference in online roulette.  

The zeros on the wheel are coloured green, while the remaining numbers are coloured either black or red. These numbers are randomly spread on the roulette wheel and have been alternated as black and red. This was done to make the game as random as possible. 

Roulette Table

When it comes to the roulette tables, each one of the three roulette formats has different appearances.

  • The European roulette table is the brightest of all. It has a single zero (0) and red and black colours on it
  • The French roulette table is slightly less colourful than the European table. It also has a (0), red and black colours and the writings are in French
  • The American roulette table is much similar to the European table in a way. However, instead of one zero (0), it has both the single and double zeroes.

The Double Zeros Makes a Huge Difference In Roulette

In roulette, the double zero has a significant impact on the game’s odds. While playing the European and French roulette games, the odds of winning are 36:1. However, because of the double zeros, the odds of winning in the American roulette increase to 37:1. As for the house edge, the double zeros makes the American roulette to have a 5.24% house edge, which is twice as much as that of the European/French roulette game.

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Types Of Roulette Bets

Now that you’ve understood the different types of roulette tables and games that you’ll be playing, it’s about time we looked at the types of bets that you can place on these tables. There are more than 10 types of bets, but they are widely categorized into two groups:

  • Inside bets
  • Outside bets

Inside Bets

These are the bets that you wager on the numbers appearing on the wheel, and which are represented on the inner section of the roulette table. They include the following.

  • Straight up bet – It’s a bet placed on a single number
  • Split bet – It’s a bet placed across any two numbers
  • Street bet – It’s a bet that you place across a street and a number. It covers three numbers appearing in a row
  • Corner Bet – It’s a bet that’s placed at the intersection of any four numbers. It covers four numbers
  • Six Line bet – It’s a bet that covers up to six numbers

Outside Bets

These are the remaining bets that are found at the outer edges of the roulette table. They mostly constitute of a group of numbers as well as other special selections. They include the following:

  • Black or Red Bets: You are basically betting that the next number will either be black or red
  • Even or Odd Bets: You are basically betting that the next number will either be even or odd
  • Low or High Bets: You are basically betting that the next number will land in the numbers grouped under the low or high section

Roulette Gameplay

So, we’ve looked at the table and wheel formats as well as the type of bets that you can wager. How about we dive into the section you’ve been waiting for; playing roulette. When playing at the online casinos, this is the simple procedure that you need to follow.

  • Identify the online casino where you’d like to play roulette. When picking a platform, it’s highly advisable that you consider the number of games on offer and whether they allow for play money mode
  • Create an account and deposit some cash into it
  • Go ahead and identify the roulette game of your choice. It’s advisable that you first play the free games before committing any real money
  • Once you’ve practiced enough and you are ready to stake some cash, switch to real money mode
  • Move your chips over the betting table. It will always highlight the bets that you can place. Furthermore, you can place as many bets as you wish
  • Once you are satisfied with your selection, click on the spin button to play the game. Winning bets are usually displayed on the screen and account balance updated automatically
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Different Versions of Roulette

There are two main versions of roulette that you can play.

The Traditional Form of Roulette

This is the one that most people know of – that one that you’ll come across at the traditional brick and mortar casinos. Traditional roulette games are categorized into French, European and American roulette games and have a limited number of options as compared to the next category.

The Online Form of Roulette

Online roulette is the more popular form of a game that most of the Singapore players are looking to play. These games are usually played at the online casino platforms. To fully utilize the internet and technology, online casinos have diversified their roulette games. Yet, despite a few hundred games available online, they are categorized into the following:

  • Software based games: Software based roulette games use the Random Number Generator software to generate the game’s results. Software developers have included state of the art 3D graphics to depict the wheel and table and sleek animations to depict the spinning wheel.
  • Live Roulette: Live Roulette is the land based roulette, played over the internet. Live casino games are usually streamed straight from land based casinos or multiple studios using HD cameras straight to your PC/mobile.

Traditional vs. Online Roulette – Which One Is the Best Gaming Mode

If you’ve always loved the setting of a land based casino, there’s no doubt that you’ll incline more towards the traditional form of roulette game. It’s totally understandable, given that there’s no way technology will be able to replicate the atmosphere that’s normally experienced at the land based casinos.

However, with technology, the newer online casino platforms tend to offer so many advantages. Here are just some of the notable ones.

  • Convenience: You can always play roulette wherever you are using your mobile or laptop
  • Flexible bet limits: Given that casinos are now spending less on rent and paying out dealers, they have very low and high bet limits
  • Play roulette for free: Not sure which roulette game you want to play? The free to play option is on standby to save the day. You can play as many games as you like for free
  • Safe and Secure Services Only: Over the past decades, the online casino industry has been heavily regulated in different countries around the world. Therefore, before a brand becomes fully operational, it has to adhere to the very strict rules and regulations put in place 
  • A wide variety of games: There are more than 300 roulette games that you can play online. At the land based casinos, you can only pick a handful of games

European, French vs. American Roulette – The Three Different Types of Roulette

These are the three most common forms of roulette games that you’ll come across online. And while there are more than 300 available variations of the game, they are all derived from these. 

What’s the difference between the three? We’ve briefly stated them above, but here’s the full description. 

French Roulette

It is considered as the original version of roulette. This game has 37 pockets and a single zero. It is much similar to the European roulette game, with the main differences being the ‘En-Prison’ rule and Voisins du Zéro, Jeu Zéro, Le Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins and Finales bets.

European Roulette

European roulette is the improved version of the French roulette game. Like it’s predecessor, the game has 37 pockets and a single zero. However, it lacks the special En-Prison’ rule and Voisins du Zéro, Jeu Zéro, Le Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins and Finales bets.

American Roulette

This was the latest version of the roulette game. As the name suggests, it’s widely played in the United States of America. It was a modification of the French roulette game, which had been introduced by the French migrants. 

To make the game more interesting and tense, the French roulette wheel and table were modified by adding a double zero to the single zero. This resulted into 38 pockets instead of the 37 pockets as seen in the previous versions.

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Popular Roulette Games Online

Speaking of games, we’ve stated that there are more than 300 games to pick from at the time of writing this roulette guide. However, the number is bound to increase as newer software providers emerge and technology improves. But at the moment, these are the games making headlines in the roulette category.

  • Double Ball Roulette: From the name, you can already tell what double ball roulette is all about. This popular live roulette game uses two balls instead of one. During the first round, the wheel is spun with a single ball. On the second round, the 2nd ball is introduced, which adds more fun to the overall gameplay
  • Lightning Roulette: This is another popular live roulette game. For this, five numbers are randomly selected as ‘lightning numbers’. If one of these numbers is picked, you are awarded with a nice payout of 100x your bet. However, if all the numbers are selected, you could win as much as 500x your stake
  • Immersive Roulette: What really makes this live casino game very popular is how it focuses on the details. It brings you, the dealer and the roulette setup up-close using state of the art cameras.

How do you choose the right roulette game for you

Given the sheer number of roulette games available online, there are several factors that you need to consider to pick out the most suitable game for your gaming preferences. Here are some of the top factors:

  • Look at your bankroll: Pick a game that will let you place at least 15 successive bets
  • Are you a new player or an experienced player?: This is a question you need to ask yourself. New players are advised to start off with the software-based games before advancing to the live casino games
  • Are you looking to play roulette for fun or for real money?: Casual players can go for the lower budget, less demanding software-based games. If you are a pro player, take on some of the live dealers in different live roulette games

Roulette Tips and Tricks

So how can you increase your winning chances as you play roulette? Before we look at the tips and tricks to play roulette, it’s worth mentioning that roulette is a game highly dependent on luck. Therefore, the tips and tricks below aren’t meant to guarantee you a win with every spin, but rather increase your winning chances by lowering the house edge.

Having said that, let’s look at the meat and potatoes of roulette tips and tricks.

Tip #1: Practice! Practice! And More Practice! We’ve already said this severally but you need to hear it again. Before committing any money, practice roulette for free through the demo mode

Tip #2: It’s highly recommended that you place outside bets than inside bets. Surely, their payouts aren’t the best, but they spread the risk among the numbers, hence increasing your winning chances ‘

Tip #3: Play American roulette if you want high odds and payouts. However, if you want to increase your winning chances, it’s advisable that you play European or French roulette

Tip #4: Find and use a roulette strategy. For years, some of the pro players have attributed their success to roulette strategies. Our advice would be to use some of the common money management strategies as they tend to be more effective

Tips #5: Look at the game’s house edge: There are three different types of roulette games online, and each one of them has its house edge. To improve your chances of winning, know the house edge in each game.

Roulette House Edge

The house edge of any online casino game refers to the advantage of the casino on that game. It is usually the opposite of the Return To Player percentage, a figure that represents how much you can expect from a game in the long run. As you play roulette, there are three main variations of the game, which means that there are mostly three house edges in roulette.

  • French roulette has a house edge of approximately 2.70%. This figure, however, is slightly lowered to 1.35%, when you place even money bets because of the En-Prison rule
  • The European roulette version has a house edge 2.70%
  • The American version of the game has a house edge of approximately 5.26%

Why does the American version have a higher house edge? The double zeros introduced in the game rises the house edge. This, therefore, means that you have a better chance of winning while playing French and European roulette games than the American roulette game.

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Roulette Strategies

Below are some of the most popular roulette strategies that you can use to give your bankroll a boost. We’ve only listed them briefly but you can also find in-depth articles on roulette strategies here.

  • Martingale roulette strategy: This one dictates that you double your bet every time you lose until you land a win. When you land yourself a win, you’ll have recovered all the money wagered and locked in a profit that’s equivalent to your initial bet
  • Fibonacci roulette strategy: This strategy works in a rather peculiar way. First, you need to come up with a sequence. This sequence is determined as follows: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 35…As you have noticed each number appearing in the sequence in the sum of the two outgoing numbers.
  • Once you’ve determined the sequence, the roulette strategy dictates that every time you lose your bet, you move to the next number and wager an amount corresponding to the number. When you lose, you move to the next number and wager an amount corresponding to the number. However, when you win, you move two steps back in the sequence and start all over again
  • D’Alembert roulette strategy: Last in our list is the D’Alembert roulette strategy. It works in a much similar way like the Martingale roulette strategy only that every time you win, you only increase a single unit to your bet. Whenever you lose your bet, you decrease your bet by a single unit

Bonuses and Roulette Games

How about playing roulette for free and winning some real money? Did you know that this is a possibility at the online casinos? It’s, in fact, one of the main reasons why players choose to play at the online casinos instead of the traditional casinos.

While there are no specific roulette bonuses, there are several bonuses that online casinos will offer you. These bonuses can be used to play roulette and win some real money. You can then withdraw the cash once you’ve met the wagering requirements.

Some of the popular bonuses include:

  • Welcome bonus offer: Awarded to all new players signing up at an online casino
  • Reload bonus: Every time you ‘recharge’ or ‘top-up’ your account, this bonus is usually awarded
  • Cashback bonus: This is a rebate like a bonus, awarded when you’ve incurred some losses at the casino. It can be 10% net on your daily, weekly or monthly losses. The bonus is awarded in cash form
roulette

Relax and Enjoy Roulette!

Overall, you’ll agree with us that roulette is a much more relaxed and enjoyable game, mainly because of its simplicity and direct gameplay. Once you’ve mastered all the game’s basics, polished up on a few strategies and followed the tips included above, you’ll find yourself not only enjoying roulette more, but your winning ratio will also increase!

FAQ

Yes, it is possible to play roulette games for free. All software based games are usually playable for free. However, when you choose to play live roulette games, you have to commit some real cash

Free to play roulette is the same as real money games. The same graphics are used, the same rules are followed and the odds are the same. The only difference is that you won’t be able to win hard cash that you can withdraw

Unfortunately not! Because of all the expenses involved in running the live version of roulette, you can only play the games using real money. However, the bet limits are still much lower than at the land based casinos.

All online casino sites are nowadays mobile friendly. You can always play the game on your mobile phone as long as you have an internet connection

There are basically two formats of playing mobile roulette games:

1. The no download: This is much more popular because, as the name suggests, no additional downloads are required to play it. You only need your device’s browser and you are set to go

2. The download platform: For this, you can download an application to your device in order to enjoy the game

No, roulette games are not rigged. Online casinos use state of the art RNG software to ensure that the game’s results are totally random, unpredictable and fair. To ensure the RNG software is fully functional, they constantly invite third party bodies to audit it

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