Roulette
The game of roulette has been around for a long time, in fact it was in
1838 that the game of roulette began to take over from the not-so-sophisticated
cards games which where subsequently ousts from the casino's. How
to play
Players place their chips on the roulette table, there is usually a minimum
five dollar bet.
The table is divided into 37 sections, ( the American version has 38)
numbered from 0 - 36.
Players have a choice in their type of bet, keeping in mind the more numbers
you bet on the lesser the odds and therefore winnings!
Once players have placed their chips on the table the Croupier spins
the roulette wheel. Usually there is a reader boards which displays the
last 20 numbers that have been spun.
Once the wheel has been spun there is nothing more you can do but wait
and hope that the ball comes to a stop on your number.
Roulette Etiquette
When playing roulette there are some guidelines and game courtesies to
abide by in order to ensure smooth sailing. Firstly wait until the roulette
table is cleared and chips have been paid out before you start placing
down your chips for the next game. Also do not lean on the screen around
the roulette wheel, especially while the ball is still in motion, you
may be a little too close for comfort. Never throw the chips onto the
roulette table, if you cannot reach ask someone closer to the table to
put the chips down for you. And finally be polite, if you feel there has
been a mistake do not scream and yell, suggest calmly that their may have
been an error.
Roulette Strategy
Many people think there is little to discuss when it comes to roulette
strategy. This may be a bit of truth and a bit of untruth; the fact of
the matter is, roulette strategy is simple but subtle. Overall the math
behind roulette is simple, but not very friendly. American roulette boasts
a house edge of 5.26% for every bet except one. What’s worse is
the other bet (five-number bet, see roulette rules page) give an even
worse house edge of 7.29%. What it comes down to if you want to utilize
a roulette strategy that’s effective, is looking for extended rules.
Atlantic city casinos for the most part entertain a beneficial rule called
‘surrender’. If this rule is in place (ask at the table before
you play) you're as close as you're going to get to using a roulette strategy.
The surrender rule applies only to outside bets that pay even money.
Those are: red/black, even/odd, and high/low. If the ball lands on 0 or
00 (double zero) you only lose half of your bet instead of all of it.
The casinos edge then drops to about 2.63%, still not in your favor, but
a heck of a lot better.
The numbers looks like this:
Advantage = [18/38 x 1] + [18/38 x (-1)] + [2/38 x (-0.5)]
= -1/38
= -0.0263
or a house edge of 2.63%
Another roulette strategy to employ is keeping an eye peeled for wheels
that don’t have a double zero. European roulette wheels come this
way standard, but American tables rarely use it, as it decreases the house
edge. Over 12 bets the house edge drops to 2.7% so keeping an eye out
for this is a smart roulette strategy.
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