Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, dating back to the 18th century. The game is named after the French word for “little wheel”.Due to its age and global spread, there is a rich tradition of roulette stories. In roulette, players choose to place bets on either a single number, various groups of numbers, the colors red or black, odd and even, as well as high and low numbers. To determine the winning number and colour, a croupier spins the wheel in one direction and the ball in the opposite. The ball eventually lands on a number, which is the winning one.
But that is the case for the normal roulette, which has been well-known to players for centuries. In today’s fast-changing world, everything is turning digital – even gambling. People are searching for a quick way to play their favourite game from any location they wish, at any time during the day. So, this is when online roulette first appeared. In this review, we will get to know this fantastic game and we will get some insight into the many strategies players use to win more. I hope you enjoy!
What is Online Roulette and What Are the Main Variations?
Online roulette is in many ways similar to the regular one. The only difference is the lack of a croupier and the fact that you are relying on a machine to choose where the ball will land. If you are quick to think that the computer is rigged, and you cannot be certain of the randomness of the generator – don’t.
Nowadays, there are numerous testing houses that check for whether everything on the games is fair and square and then give certificates. You can check for the presence of such certificates on the bottom of the casino’s website. If you see them, then don’t worry about a thing – you are playing at a secure and fair operator. In terms of online roulette variations, we have the three most popular types – European, American and French. In the next few paragraphs, we will get to know the three traditional roulette styles in RNG format.
European Roulette
The online version of European Roulette is one of the easiest and most rewarding roulette variations on the internet. The Return to Player (RTP) percentage is quite high – 97-98%, which guarantees you will not lose too much of your money, even if it’s not your lucky day. The excellent graphics and effects of the game are promised, as is the case with all online casino games.
The software providers are quite advanced and aim to mirror the actual gambling experience. The best online variations you can play, are European Roulette Gold Series by Microgaming, European Roulette by Netent and Premium European Roulette by Playtech. They all offer spectacular graphics, sensible table limits and an overall amazing experience.
American Roulette
What makes this particular game different is the fact that it has 38 pockets, instead of 37. This is because of the single and double zero pocket, which results in a higher house edge than European Roulette. It is therefore a good option for seasoned gamers, who are searching for a new challenge. The three most popular online variations are Monopoly Roulette by SG Interactive, American Roulette by Microgaming and Key Bet Roulette by SG Interactive.
French Roulette
The third popular version is French Roulette. It is slightly more complicated than the previous two as it has a wider variety of betting options, which could be more confusing to new players. If you, however, learn the rules well and get some practice, this will make understanding the game easier. The best games available online are Premium Roulette French by Playtech and French Roulette by NetEnt. Even though this variation is the most complex, it is guaranteed to bring you the most joy and quickly become your Number one choice.
Exotic Roulette Variations
Apart from the regular roulette types you can play at every land-based and online casino, the digital world provides a sea of opportunities in terms of various roulette games. There are numerous software providers, which offer a great variety of games that cannot be found at any traditional casino. Such variants include Pinball Roulette, Key Bet Roulette, Penny Roulette, 3D Roulette and many others. To give you an idea of what such games look like, we will briefly review one of them – 100/1 Roulette.
What makes this game different than the others is the fact that instead of 36 pockets, it actually has 100. What that means, is that you have 100/1 chances of winning big. With a totally unique concept, this game is provided by NYX Gaming and offers you the opportunity to win 100x your bet. The maximum amount you can win with one single spin is £100,000. There are a lot of special features of this game, such as Repeat Bet, Clear All Bets and Turbo Mode, which make the game more convenient for players. But enough about the logistics of the game and let’s get to know it properly. Down below, we have uploaded a demo version of the game to let you try it out for free and see for yourself what online roulette is all about.
How is Online Roulette Played?
In this paragraph we will briefly discuss what the aim of the game online roulette is. The objective for all players is to predict where the roulette ball will land. This prediction can be an exact number, the colour segment, whether the number is odd or even and so on. The digital wheel sometimes resembles the real-life one very closely. Normally, it has 38 pockets, the numbers 1-36, a single zero and a double zero. The numbers are not listed consequently but instead they are out of sequence and alternate from black to red, with the exception of the single and double zeros, which are green. In online roulette, the wheel may be completely stationary when you start up the game and will start to spin automatically only after you have placed all your bets.
On the board, however, all numbers are in consecutive order, from left to right, separated into 3 columns. To bet on a number, you must select the coin you wish and place it directly on the number, right on the felt. Instead of betting on one specific number you can bet on the first dozen, second dozen or the third one. You can also place a street bet (3 numbers in a row), corner bet (4 numbers), split bet (2 numbers) and a line bet (6 numbers).
Tips and Strategies for a Successful Game
The first piece of advice we can offer roulette lovers is to play with a betting system. The Martingale Betting System, for instance, is a perfect choice – the idea there is to start with a lowest table limit bet size and place your bet on an even-odds payout like Black/ Red or High/ Low. Keep making the same bet but double your wager every time you lose. When you do win, you’ll be up by one bet unit. After that simply start at the lowest bet size and repeat.
Another important rule of thumb to remember is that if you bet on many numbers, you have higher chances of winning but will receive a lower payout. On the other hand, betting on a smaller amount of numbers will reward you with higher payouts. If you play American Roulette, never place a bet on the 5-number combination of 0-00-1-2-3. It carries the worst odds, with a 7.89% house edge. However, your best bet would be to avoid playing American Roulette if the European version is available. European Roulette has slightly better odds because it lacks the 00.
A little tip for those who want to play Roulette for as long as possible – stick to wagers that pay even money. Such include the Black/Red, Odd/Even and Low/High betting options. They carry a payout percentage of just over 47%, and that’s as good as it gets in Roulette! Furthermore, be sure your bankroll is going to last. If you have £200, don’t place £50 bets. Instead divide your bankroll by at least 20 and make this your standard bet size. Having that in mind – the golden rule of any gambling experience is to never bring more money than you can afford to lose.
Another common trick is the Labouchere online roulette strategy. It works as follows: You pick a row of numbers and each number would represent a betting unit. You then proceed to add the first and last number which would amount to a specific number of units. With every loss, you add a bet to the end of the line. It is very similar to the Martingale betting system which is why it’s very popular with many roulette players.
The last strategy we will discuss is the The D’Alembert online roulette strategy. Also known as the Gambler’s Fallacy, the D’Alembert strategy states that if a specific number turns up a lot in say, 100 spins, then the number is likely to stop turning up as the universe is likely to want the other numbers to catch up. We are baffled about this one as well.
To sum up, online roulette is a popular game, which is preferred by a large portion of the gamblers out there. Its digital form is just as safe and secure as the traditional and is therefore becoming more and more popular with time. There are several strategies you can use to multiply your chances of winning, but the most important advice anyone can give you is – have fun while playing and don’t get your head caught up in the game!