Roulette is one of the oldest and most popular games you are likely to find in a casino. With a history that goes back to the 18^th century, the game’s popularity is mostly due to its simple betting system and high entertainment value.

Types of roulette games

While roulette has evolved over the last two centuries there are currently just two types of wheels you might find in a casino, the European one and the American one. Both have numbers 1 through 36 as well as the green 0 slot.

The difference is that the American wheel has a second green slot with the 00 value. Roulette odds that favor the player are thus lower for American Roulette when compared to European Roulette, with the house edge also being bigger, from 2.7% for European to 5.26% for American Roulette.Some professional roulette tips will allow players to better calculate the probability of the ball stopping on a certain portion of the wheel, thus tipping the small house edge in their favor, however, this approach can be quite complicated and only usable by professional players.

Roulette Odds and Bets

When it comes to betting it is split into two categories: inside and outside betting. Outside betting offers better odds of winning yet comes with a smaller payout. Inside betting comes with much bigger rewards, yet the odds of making a winning bet is much lower.

The following are outside bets:

Color Bet – Players have to choose whether the ball will land on a red or black slot. This type of bet comes with a 48.65% chance of winning in European Roulette and 47.37% in American Roulette.

Even/Odd – Players have to choose if the ball will land on an even or odd numbered slot. This type of bet comes with a 48.65% chance of winning in European Roulette and 47.37% in American Roulette.

Low/High – Players can choose if the ball will fall on a slot between 1 and 18 (lows) or between 19 and 36 (highs). The odds of this bet are 48.65% for European Roulette and 47.37% for American Roulette.

Dozens –Players can choose between three groups made out of a dozen slot numbers each. The odds of this bet being a winner are 32.43% in European Roulette and 31.58% for American Roulette.

Column – Players can choose one of three vertical columns made out of a dozen slots each. The odds of this bet being a winner are 32.43% for European Roulette and 31.58% for American Roulette.

The following are inside bets:

Straight Bet – Players can choose a single number out of the entire table. This bet usually offers the highest rewards but also has a chance of being successful of just 2.7%in European Roulette and 2.63% in American Roulette.

Split Bet – Players can choose two numbers that are connected either vertically or horizontally. The odds of this bet being successful are 5.41% in European Roulette and 5.26% in American Roulette.

Street Bet – Players can choose one horizontal line made up of 3 slots. The odds of this bet being successful are 8.11% in European Roulette and 7.89% in American Roulette.

Square Bet – Also known as a corner bet, this type of bet involves placing a player’s money in the middle of a square formed by 4 slots. The odds of this bet being successful are 10.81% in European Roulette and 10.53% in American Roulette.

Top Line Bet –This is a bet that can only be made in American Roulette and it involves the top 5 slots of a roulette table (0, 00, 1, 2, 3). The odds of this bet being successful are 13.16%.

Double Street Bet – Players can choose two connected horizontal lines made up of 3 slots each. The odds of this bet being successful are 16.22% in European Roulette and 15.79% in American Roulette.

Based on the odds of each bet and taking into consideration the house edge even a simple roulette system can help players increase their short term winning potential. There are numerous strategies available for players to increase their potential winnings; however, for a strategy to truly be 100% effective it would have to reduce or tip house edge in the player’s favor.

The house edge is the difference between the true odds of the game and the paid odds. To simplify, there is a 1 in 37 (for European) and 1 in 38 (for American) chance of hitting a single slot yet the rewards for hitting a single slot bet are just 1 to 35. This difference means that in the long run, every roulette game ends in the casino’s favor regardless of how well the roulette odds are played.

As casinos can ban players without presenting a reason, every winning system has to be discreet and nor raise any attention. Basically, any system that cancels the house edge, either by taking advantage of a flaw in the wheel or predictability in the croupier’s spins is a roulette system that is banned.