Before you decide to play roulette it is wise to know what you're up against. While there are many systems out there, they are all susceptible to the undeniable fact that the casino doesn't lose. That means that if a gambler does win other gamblers have to lose more.
The table below shows the actual odds of any outcome on an American roulette wheel along with the standard payout odds. An American Roulette wheel contains numbers 1-36 and the two greens – 0 and 00. The probability column is just a fancy manipulation of the numbers indicating the percent chance of an outcome occurring.
American Wheel
|
Bet Type |
Bet Payoff |
True odds |
Probability |
Casino's Edge |
|
Straight up |
35 to1 |
37 to 1 |
2.63% |
5.26% |
|
Split |
17 to 1 |
18 to 1 |
5.26% |
5.26% |
|
Street |
11 to1 |
11.67 to 1 |
7.89% |
5.26% |
|
Corner |
8 to 1 |
8.5 to 1 |
10.53% |
5.26% |
|
Five number |
6 to 1 |
6.6 to 1 |
13.16% |
7.89% |
|
Line |
5 to 1 |
5.33 to 1 |
15.79% |
5.26% |
|
Red/Black |
1 to 1 |
1.11 to 1 |
47.37% |
5.26% |
|
Odd/Even |
1 to 1 |
1.11 to 1 |
47.37% |
5.26% |
|
High/Low |
1 to 1 |
1.11 to 1 |
47.37% |
5.26% |
|
Dozens |
2 to 1 |
2.17 to 1 |
31.58% |
5.26% |
|
Columns |
2 to 1 |
2.17 to 1 |
31.58% |
5.26% |
(Note: for a European wheel (no 00) the house take is cut to 2.703%)
Clearly, if you are gambling on roulette and the odds fall as they should you will lose money - %5.26 of all the bets that you lay. The more you bet the more you lose.
There are a number of systems that apply to the roulette wheel but they all depend on a variable bet which means that he more you lose the more you bet.
If you had an infinite purse (and the casino had no upper limit) then this system might work but the fact must be reiterated – casinos don't go broke. So where does this leave the roulette player?
There are two options. Firstly you can go in and bet for fun, small bets with low risk plays. Don't bet on two combinations which increases the house take – just bet on one thing and hope that the God of Chance is on your side.
The second option is a little bit more selective and a lot more serious. Note that the odds given above are the mathematical odds not the real ones. Roulette is not a total game of chance – it is based on three variables. These are the way the ball is thrown, the rate of rotation of the wheel and the point in the wheel's cycle at which the ball is thrown.
Theoretically if all three could be kept the same then the outcome would be the same every time (not accounting for chaotic behavior). It should come as no surprise that croupiers practice their throwing and it should also come as no surprise that they are quite adept at "spinning for" particular spots in the wheel.
The game of roulette does not play randomly, as mathematicians will tell you, but has events occurring in patterns. It is by following these patterns and either betting on them or betting that they will break that certain gamblers have been successful.
Take a very simple example where the table is laden with chips for numbers falling predominately on one half of the wheel. It would be an advantage for the casino if the ball was to end up on the second half of the wheel. It happens.
Whatever mode of gambling you choose – conservative fun or serious pattern betting there are two things to note. Check out all the house rules (there are some extra rules which minimize losses in some casinos) and follow them and never bet more than you would happily lose.