How to Play Roulette

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Roulette is one of the most commonly played casino games online. It has been around for hundreds of years. While the original versions of the game are still frequently enjoyed, many modern versions with one or several twists exist today as well. 

As a very easy game to learn, roulette can quickly be enjoyed by anyone no matter the experience or knowledge in gambling. Easy doesn’t mean boring though. With plenty of different bet options, game variations and strategies there’s a lot of versatility to the game.

You will learn all about this and much more in the following guide that is teaching you everything you need to know about getting started and becoming an expert in online roulette.

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The goal of the game

The goal of roulette is to guess which numbered pocket a white ball will land on in a roulette wheel. It’s a game of pure chance that is played against the house – either in a live casino environment with real, professional dealers or as a virtual game where you play against the computer.

Depending on how you place your bets in the game you will increase or decrease your chances of winning while also increasing or decreasing your potential payouts. It’s a very flexible game where you decide yourself if you want to take high risks for a chance to win more or play it safe to win less.

How roulette works

Any type of roulette – whether it’s played online or at a land based casino – consists of three things:

  • A circular wheel with pockets of green, red and black numbers
  • A white ball that is used in the wheel to determine winning numbers
  • A table of numbers and a couple of other positions where bets are to be placed

This is what a European Roulette table looks like

This is what a European Roulette wheel looks like

While most roulette versions are very similar in the way they look, it’s important to note that some differences do exist. We’ll cover this more thoroughly later in the article. The above images are examples of European Roulette. This is the most commonly played roulette version in the UK.

Step by step example of a game round in Roulette

Step 1: Place your bets

A game of roulette starts by placing one or several bets on the roulette table. This will cover a certain amount of numbers. You can bet on single numbers yourselves or use one of many betting alternatives that are incorporated in the game. You could for instance bet on all red numbers with a single stake.

Step 2: Enjoy the game

Once your bets are in, a white ball will be spun in the roulette wheel. If you’re playing in a live casino environment this will be done by a real dealer while you’re doing it yourself with a push of a button if you’re playing against the computer in a virtual game.

Step 3: Win or lose

The ball will eventually slow down and land in one of the numbered pockets on the roulette wheel. This will determine if you win or lose. Any stakes that have been placed on the table to include the pocketed number will grant you a prize while any other stakes will be lost. Different betting alternatives come with different prizes.

Step 4: Repeat

A new game round is initiated by once again placing new bets. You can either bet exactly as you did before or change it up in a heap of different ways.

Bet options and payouts

Roulette is all about its different bet options. This is what makes the game fun, exciting and adds a bit of complexity to it. Depending on the version of roulette you are playing – and if you’re playing it live or by yourself – you can place a single stake in about 20 different ways. This will cover a certain amount of numbers in a certain way on the table.

Bet options in roulette can be divided into three different categories:

  • Common bets
  • Race track bets
  • Special bets

We’ll cover all of these bet types below.

Common bet options in roulette

The most common way of placing a bet in online roulette is to use the table which we have already shown you an image of earlier in the article. This table can be divided into two areas which are known as an inside and an outside. It looks like this:

Here the area covered in purple is known as the “Inside”

Here the area covered in purple is known as the “Outside”

In European Roulette there are six different inside bets that can be placed and five different outside bets. These bets also exist in most other versions of roulette – including all popular ones. Winning chances and payouts may, however, be different in other versions.

Below we have listed all of the bets and illustrated how they are placed, how much they pay in European Roulette and how likely it is that you will win by placing such a bet. Further down in the article we will also explain bets that are unique to different game versions of roulette.

1. Straight-Up (inside bet)

Payout: 35:1

Chance to hit: 2.7%

A straight-up bet is a single number bet. You’re simply choosing to place a stake on a single number -probably your lucky one. This is the hardest bet to hit, but it also pays the most.

Example of two straight up bets covering 11 and 23 (colored in purple)

2. Split (inside bet)

Payout: 17:1

Chance to hit: 5.4%

When you’re doing a split you’re betting on two numbers with a single stake. This is done by placing your bet on the line separating the two numbers you would like to bet on.

Example of a split bet covering 17 and 20 (colored in purple)

3. Street (inside bet)

Payout: 11:1

Chance to hit: 8.1%

A street bet is a vertical row of three numbers. This bet is placed by putting your stake on the line that separates one of the columns with the vertical row that you’re interested in betting on. In the example below this means the bottom line of number 10. 

Example of a street bet covering 10, 11 and 12 (colored in purple)

4. Line (inside bet)

Payout: 5:1

Payout: 5:1

When placing a line bet you’re betting on two streets with a single bet. In the example below this is done by placing your chip on the bottom line of number 10 as well as 13. The chip needs to be placed in the middle of the two numbers.

Example of a line bet covering 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 (colored in purple)

5. Corner (inside bet)

Payout: 8:1

Chance to hit: 10.8%

A corner bet is covering four numbers and is placed by putting your chip in the middle of the four numbers you would like to bet on.

Example of a corner bet covering 8, 11, 7 and 10 (colored in purple)

6. Basket (inside bet)

Payout: 8:1

Chance to hit: 10.8%

Unlike other bets a basket will always include the very same numbers. In European Roulette this is 0, 1, 2 and 3. This bet can either be placed by putting your chip on the bottom line of the 0 as well as the 1 or on the top line of the 0 as well as the 3.

Example of a basked bet covering 0, 1, 2 and 3 (colored in purple)

7. Column (outside bet)

Payout: 2:1

Chance to hit: 32.4%

There are three columns on all European Roulette tables covering 12 numbers each. As seen below you can either bet on the first segment of numbers, the second segment or the third one. This is simply done by placing your chip on “Column 1”, “Column 2” or “Column 3”.

On real roulette tables found online these columns are often named “1st 12”, “2nd 12” and “3rd 12”.

Example of a column bet covering all numbers in an entire column (colored in purple)

8. Dozen (outside bet)

Payout: 2:1

Chance to hit: 32.4%

Just like columns there are three types of dozen bets on all European Roulette tables covering 12 numbers each. As seen below these numbers will either include the first, second or third horizontal row. The bet is placed by putting your chip on “Dozen 1”, “Dozen 2” or “Dozen 3”.

On real roulette tables found online the dozens are often named “2 to 1” which is the payout value of the bet. 

Example of a dozen bet covering all numbers on an entire row (colored in purple)

9. Even / Odd (outside bet)

Payout: 1:1

Chance to hit: 48.6%

By putting your chip on the option that says even or odd you can either bet on all numbers that are even or all numbers that are odd.

Example of an even bet covering all numbers that are even (colored in purple)

10. Red / Black (outside bet)

Payout: 1:1

Chance to hit: 48.6%

Red or black is one of the most popular bets in roulette. You’re either betting on all red numbers or all black ones by putting your chip in the box that says red or the box that says black.

Example of a red bet covering all numbers that are red (colored in purple)

11. Low / High (outside bet)

Payout: 1:1

Chance to hit: 48.6%

With this type of bet you’re able to bet on all low numbers (1 – 18) or all high ones (19 – 36). This is done by putting your chip on the option that says low or the option that says high.

Example of a high bet covering all high numbers (colored in purple)

Race track bets / Neighboring bets

When playing roulette online you will find that the vast majority of games have something known as a race track included. This provides you with four extra bet options. You could call this race track an alternative table.

This is what a race track looks like

The main difference between the race track and the original roulette table is that the racetrack has its numbers located in the exact same order as the roulette wheel. The red 5 is for instance next to the black 24, which it is on the roulette wheel as well.

Another difference is that a race track bet is actually not a single bet. It’s a shortcut to placing several types of bets that will cover a certain part of the roulette table. Let’s explain this better by illustrating the four different bets that can be placed: Tier, Orphelins, Voisins and Zero.

1. Tier

Payout: 17:1

Chance to hit: 32.4%

A bet on Tier will cover 12 different numbers on the roulette table. When you’re placing the bet you’re actually placing six different split bets:

5, 8 (split) 13, 16 (split) 27, 30 (split)
10, 11 (split) 23, 24 (split) 33, 36 (split)

Due to this the payout will be 17:1 no matter which number you hit.

This is what a Tier bet looks like on the race track (numbers marked in purple)

This is what a Tier bet looks like on the roulette table (numbers marked in purple)

2. Orphelins

Payout: 35:1 or 17:1

Chance to hit: 21.6%

A bet on Orphelins will cover 9 different numbers on the roulette table. When you’re placing the bet you’re actually placing a single straight up bet and five different splits:

1 (straight up) 14, 17 (split) 31, 34 (split)
6, 9 (split) 17, 20 (split)

Due to this the payout will vary between 35:1 and 17:1 depending on if you hit your single number bet or one of the splits.

This is what an Orphelins bet looks like on the race track (numbers marked in purple)

This is what an Orphelins bet looks like on the roulette table (numbers marked in purple)

3. Voisins

Payout: 8:1 or 11:1 or 17:1

Chance to hit: 45.9%

A bet on Voisins will cover 17 different numbers on the roulette table. When you’re placing the bet you’re actually placing a basket bet, a corner bet and five different splits:

0, 2, 3 (basket) 4, 7 (split) 19, 22 (split)
25, 26, 28, 29 (corner) 12, 15 (split)
32, 35 (split) 18, 21 (split)

Due to this the payout will vary between 8:1, 11:1 and 17:1 depending on if you hit your basket bet, corneror one of the splits.

This is what a Voisins bet looks like on the race track (numbers marked in purple)

This is what a Voisins bet looks like on the roulette table (numbers marked in purple)

4. Zero

Payout: 35:1 or 17:1

Chance to hit: 18.9%

A bet on Zero will cover 7 different numbers on the roulette table. When you’re placing the bet you’re actually placing a single straight-up bet and three different splits:

26 (straight-up) 32, 35 (split) 12, 15 (split)
32, 35 (split)

Due to this the payout will vary between 35:1 and 17:1 depending on if you hit your single number bet or one of the splits.

This is what a Zero bet looks like on the race track (numbers marked in purple)

This is what a Zero bet looks like on the roulette table (numbers marked in purple)

Special bets

In addition to the bet alternatives found on the roulette table as well as the ones that can be found on the race track, some roulette tables online offer three special types of bets. These are known as:

  • Finale En Plein
  • Finales A Cheval
  • Complete Bets

Just like race track bets these are not single bets, but they’re a shortcut to placing several types of bets that will cover numbers in a certain pattern on the roulette table.

1. Finale En Plein

Payout: 35:1

Chance to hit: 10.8% or 8.1%

With this bet alternative you’re able to bet on all numbers that end on a specific number:

0 (0, 10, 20, 30) 4 (4, 14, 24, 34) 8 (8, 18, 28)
1 (1, 11, 21, 31) 5 (5, 15, 25, 35) 9 (9, 19, 29)
2 (2, 12, 22, 32) 6 (6, 16, 26, 36)
3 (3, 13, 23, 33) 7 (7, 17, 27)

These are all straight-up bets that will pay 35:1. Depending on the number you choose either four or three numbers will be covered on the table. Therefore the chance of winning is either 10.8% or 8.1%.

2. Finales A Cheval

Payout: 35:1 or 17:1

Chance to hit: 21.6% or 18.9% or 16.2%

With this bet alternative you’re able to bet on all numbers that end on two specific numbers:

0 or 3 (0, 3, 10, 13, 20, 23, 30, 33) (4 splits) 5 or 8 (5, 8, 15, 18, 25, 28, 35) (3 splits + 1 straight-up)
1 or 4 (1, 4, 11, 14, 21, 24, 31, 34) (4 splits) 6 or 9 (6, 9, 16, 19, 26, 29, 36) (3 splits + 1 straight-up)
2 or 5 (2, 5, 12, 15, 22, 25, 32, 35) (4 splits) 7 or 10 (7, 10, 20, 17, 27, 30) (3 splits)
3 or 6 (3, 6, 13, 16, 23, 26, 33, 36) (4 splits) 8 or 11 (8, 11, 18, 21, 28, 31) (3 splits)
4 or 7 (4, 7, 14, 17, 24, 27, 34) (3 splits + 1 straight-up) 9 or 12 (8, 12, 18, 22, 28, 32) (3 splits)

Payouts will vary from 35:1 and 17:1 as depending on the numbers you choose you’re either placing 4 or 3 split bets, or 3 splits and a straight-up bet. Your chance of winning will also vary as either 8, 7 or 6 numbers will be covered on the table.

3. Complete bets

Payout: Very varying

Chance to win: 16.2% or 10.8%

A complete bet is used to maximize the betting limits of a roulette table. It’s a high roller bet like no other. The bet can be placed on any number. When doing so all of the possible inside bets for that particular number are placed. Not only that, but each inside bet will also be maximized.

Here’s an example of how a complete bet would look like on the number 17:

17 (straight-up) (one unit) 17, 16, 13, 14 (corner) (four units)
17, 14 (split) (two units) 17, 18, 14, 15 (corner) (four units)
17, 16 (split) (two units) 17, 16, 19, 20 (corner) (four units)
17, 18 (split) (two units) 17, 18, 20, 21 (corner) (four units)
17, 20 (split) (two units) 17, 16, 18, 13, 14, 15 (line) (six units)
17, 16, 18 (street) (three units) 17, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21 (line) (six units)

A total of 40 units would be placed on the table if this bet was to be made. When we’re talking about complete bets, a unit is the maximum amount of money that can be placed as a straight-up bet.

This amount will always be twice as high for split bets; three times as high for street bets; four times as high for corner bets; and six times as high for line bets. This is why several units are being placed for these kinds of bets.

Depending on the number that is chosen as a complete bet, the number of units placed will vary between 17, 18, 24, 27, 30, 36 and 40. Payouts will also vary a lot depending on which number ends up winning. However, if your chosen number wins (in this case 17) the payout will always be 10.8:1. 

Combining bets with each other

To add an additional layer of complexity to roulette and potentially some more excitement to it you are able to combine several different bets with each other. This can be done in any way you like.

You could for instance place the following bet:

£10 on red £8 on the second row of dozens
£5 on a 32 + 35 split £2 on a 4, 5, 7, 8 corner bet

Your total stake would be £25 and winnings would vary greatly depending on the number that wins. Should it for instance be 32 that the ball lands on in the roulette wheel, you would hit your split bet, red color bet and dozen bet, but lose the corner bet.

Game variations that alter the rules of roulette

In these modern days of time online roulette comes in many different variations – some that are very similar to the traditional roulette and some that have very unique and creative touches to them.

Below we have listed the most commonly played roulette versions that exist online and explained them briefly. For convenience sake we have also created a table comparing the maximum win, number of bet alternatives on the roulette table and RTP of these versions.

Quick comparison of roulette versions


Roulette VersionMaximum WinBet AlternativesRTP
European35:11197.30%
American35:11291.7% - 94.74%
French35:11197.30% - 98.65%
Immersive35:11197.30%
Speed35:11197.30%
Double Ball1300:11494.50% - 97.30%
Quantum499:11197.10% - 97.30%
Lightning499:11197.10% - 97.30%

European Roulette

RTP: 97.30%
Max Win: 35:1
Bet Options: 11

This is one of three traditional versions of roulette (along with American and French) and the one that we have used as a basis so far in the article. Even if it might be bending the truth a little you could say that European Roulette is the foundation of all other roulette versions that exist.

Read more about European Roulette

American Roulette

RTP: 91.7% – 94.74%
Max Win: 35:1
Bet Options: 12

American Roulette is identical to European Roulette with one exception – it has two green zeros instead of one.

This is what an American Roulette table looks like

With the extra zero comes an additional bet alternative that is known as a five-number bet. This is covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. It is placed by putting your chip on the bottom line of the 0 and the 1 (between the two numbers).

Payout: 6:1

Chance to hit: 13.1%

Example of a five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 (colored in purple)

The additional zero of the game also means that the RTP (theoretical return to player) of it is lower. In other words, you’re expected to win less playing American Roulette than you are playing European Roulette, as well as most other roulette versions.  

Read more about American Roulette

French Roulette

RTP: 97.30% – 98.65%
Max Win: 35:1
Bet Options: 11

There are two things that make French Roulette different from European Roulette and any other roulette version; the way that the table looks and a rule that can be used to boost your chances of profiting in the game.

This is what a French Roulette table looks like

Even though French Roulette looks a lot different from the European version it does in fact have the exact same bet alternatives. They just have different names and positions.

  • Manque and Passe is High and Low
  • Impair and Pair is Odd and Even
  • 12P, 12M and 12D is 1st, 2nd and 3rd Dozen
  • The arrows are Column 1, 2 and 3

The extra rule that is used in the game is either known as “La Partage” or “En Prison”. Both of them apply whenever you’re betting on low/high, odd/even or red/black and the ball is landing on the green zero in the roulette wheel.

The first rule will give you half of your stake back when this happens. The other rule will allow you to keep your stake on the table for another game round. This will give you a chance of winning your stake back. No matter the rule your long term chances of winning are boosted by 1.35%. 

Read more about French Roulette

Immersive Roulette

RTP: 97.30%
Max Win: 35:1
Bet Options: 11

Immersive Roulette is a live casino game that is identical to European Roulette, but which offers some visual excitement. Multiple cameras are used to focus in on details and these constantly change angles to provide the user with an immersive experience.

Right after the ball has landed in one of the pockets of the roulette wheel a replay will also occur where everything moves in slow motion. This way you’re able to see every tiny little detail of how the ball moved in the wheel before it landed in the winning pocket.

Read more about Immersive Roulette

Speed Roulette

RTP: 97.30%
Max Win: 35:1
Bet Options: 11

Speed Roulette is also a live casino game that is identical to European Roulette. The difference is that game rounds are much quicker as you are able to place new bets while the roulette wheel is still spinning (this isn’t possible to do in other live roulette versions).

The dealer is also initiating a new game round immediately after the ball has landed in a pocket. This allows for 50 more game rounds to take place every hour compared to most other live casino roulettes.

Read more about Speed Roulette

Double Ball Roulette

RTP: 94.50% – 97.30%
Max Win: 1300:1
Bet Options: 14

This is a unique version of roulette that is played with two balls instead of one. Payouts are very different from other roulette games and also the mechanics. With some bet alternatives you can win by just having one ball landing in the right pocket while some bet options must include both of them.

The table in Double Ball Roulette also looks different as two extra bet alternatives are included on it compared to European Roulette. In addition to this, there’s a very special race track that allows you to place a jackpot bet that can pay massive amounts.

This is what a Double Ball Roulette table looks like (extra bet options are colored in purple)

This is what the extra race track in Double Ball Roulette looks like

Should you like to learn more about Double Ball Roulette and how payouts and bet alternatives differ from other roulette versions, we have all of this covered in a separate guide about the game.

Read more about Double Ball Roulette

Lightning Roulette

RTP: 97.10% – 97.30%
Max Win: 499:1
Bet Options: 11

Lightning Roulette is an innovative and action packed live casino variant created by Evolution Gaming. The game is using European Roulette as a basis and has the very same bet alternatives, but offer a unique feature that makes it very different.

On every game round 1 – 5 numbers will randomly get struck by lightning to have their payouts boosted. It is, however, only the payouts of straight-up bets that will increase; to 49:1 as a minimum and 499:1 as a maximum.

To compensate for this winning boosting feature a straight-up bet that isn’t struck by lightning will only pay 29:1 (as opposed to 35:1 in European Roulette).

Read more about Lightning Roulette

Quantum Roulette

RTP: 97.10% – 97.30%
Max Win: 499:1
Bet Options: 11

Quantum Roulette is the game provider Playtech’s take on Lightning Roulette. The game is more or less identical in terms of features, which means that 1 – 5 numbers will randomly have their payouts boosted for straight-up bets. The difference between Quantum Roulette and Lightning Roulette is mainly visual. One is using lightning to impress you and the other one a ball of blue energy.

Read more about Quantum Roulette

How roulette is played with a betting strategy

A really nice addition to the many bet alternatives that exist in roulette is betting strategies (also known as betting systems). While these won’t be able to impact your long term chances of winning in the game they can in fact have an impact on your short term results. More importantly though is the fun, excitement and added versatility that they can bring to a roulette session.   

Using a betting strategy won’t alter the actual rules of the roulette game you’re playing, but the strategies will come with rules of their own. This is the entire point of using them. These rules are basically betting patterns that you should follow. These patterns will tell you to increase or decrease your stakes depending on if you win or lose a game round.

To give you a good introduction to what betting strategies are all about we have listed some of the most popular ones below. It’s important to note that these strategies can only be used by placing a bet on a bet alternative that will give you double the stake back if you win. In other words on low/high, odd/even or red/black.

Martingale

This is the most commonly used system among roulette enthusiasts. It’s very easy to learn and apply, and in theory it’s actually a strategy that could guarantee you a profit.

When using Martingale all you have to is to double your stake whenever you lose a game round and reset it whenever you win. By doing so you will always win back any losses that you’ve had + earn an additional unit as a profit whenever you get a winning hit.

If you had an unlimited amount of money and there weren’t any maximum stake restrictions on the roulette tables it wouldn’t be possible to lose with this strategy. In reality though it’s a very risk one that can give you a lot of small profits, but quickly have you lose your entire bankroll.

If Martingale is used correctly with a good sized budget most of your roulette sessions will end up in a profit. You will, however, lose big whenever you do lose.

Read more about Martingale strategy

Paroli

Paroli is a fairly popular strategy that is also known as reversed Martingale. This is simply because the system works in direct opposite to Martingale. You should, in other words, double your stake whenever you win a game round and reset it whenever you lose.

You shouldn’t double in infinity of course as losses are inevitable, but you have to set a limit to how many times you choose to double your stakes before securing your profits. The basic form of the strategy says three times. You can, however, decide this yourself. 

What people like about this system is that it’s flexible. By choosing how many times you want to double your stakes you can adjust your risk versus reward yourself. It’s also a strategy that could give you huge profits in a short amount of time if you’re lucky.

The downside of Paroli is that it relies on winning spins happening in a row. If this doesn’t happen you could end up with a net loss even though you have way more winning game rounds than losing ones.

Read more about Paroli strategy

Oscar’s Grind

This is a strategy that’s somewhat of a mix between Martingale and Paroli. It’s easy to apply and in theory the system would guarantee you a profit. It’s a lot less risky than Martingale though, which makes it a good choice for players who want to have control over their winnings and losses.

Using Oscar’s Grind you should increase your stake by one unit every time you win a game round and leave it unchanged whenever you lose. A unit is equal to whatever amount you decide your first bet to be.

The exception to the above rule is that you should never bet more than what is required to reach a net profit. Whenever you do your stake should be reset to what it originally was. So if you started with a balance of £1,000 and began placing a bet of £10 you should once again bet £10 whenever you reach a balance of £1,010.

Along with a low risk (since your stake will never increase by more than one unit at a time), one of the advantages with this system is that the majority of your roulette sessions will end in a profit.

Read more about Oscar’s Grind strategy

Hollandish

The Hollandish strategy has similar strengths and weaknesses to Oscar’s Grind. The risk is fairly low and by using it the vast majority of your roulette sessions will end in a profit. It’s a bit more complicated to apply though.

With this system you should always bet in rounds of three. If you choose to start with a stake of £10 you have to bet this amount three times regardless of the results of your game rounds.

Whenever you reach a net profit from three consecutive rounds you should reset your stake to what it originally was (in this case £10). Whenever your rounds end in a loss you should increase the stake of your next three rounds by two units (in this case increase it by £20).

Using Hollandish it’s possible to reach a profit even if the vast majority of your game rounds lose. As the stake is never increasing by more than two units it’s also easy to keep control of your balance.

Read more about Hollandish strategy

Tier et Tout

This is an advanced strategy that is quite difficult to apply as it requires you to do a lot of calculations. Some players do, however, like this a lot as it contributes to a more eventful experience that can boost the overall entertainment value of a roulette session.

With Tier et Tout you start off by choosing an amount that you divide in three. One of the thirds should be placed as a bet and if you lose you bet the other two as well. This is repeated until you win. Every time you win you will end up with a new total amount; winnings + what you already had. This new amount should now be divided in three and one of the thirds placed as a bet.

The point of the strategy is that whenever you reach an amount that can’t be divided by three you have to remove a certain amount of money until you reach a sum that can. With an amount of £70 you would for instance remove £1 as you can’t divide £70 evenly into three, but you can with £69.

The money you remove should be set aside as this would be your profit. Playing online you can’t really do this in a convenient way so you would have to note your profits down on a paper or excel sheet.

With Tier et Tout it’s possible to win a lot of money in a short amount of time, but the risk is pretty high as all it takes is two losing rounds in a row to lose your original sum. It is, however, quite a flexible strategy that can be adjusted to lower the risk while also lowering your potential profits. Simply by securing a higher amount as a profit whenever a sum can’t be divided by three. For instance, instead of securing £1 from £70 you could secure £10 (£60 is also dividable by three).

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Fibonacci

Fibonacci is a unique strategy that is using the golden ratio as a foundation. You’re supposed to follow a sequence of numbers where each new number is the sum of the two previous ones. At an original stake of £1 it looks like this:

1 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 8 – 13 – 21 – 34 – 55 – 89 – 144 – 233 – 377 – 610 – 987

Do note that the sequence doesn’t have any end to it. Should you reach 987 and lose, your next bet would be 987 + 610 = 1597. Also note that if you chose a stake of £5 instead of £1 the sequence would obviously look differently:

5 – 5 – 10 – 15 – 25 – 40 – 65 – 105 – 175 – 275 – 445 – 720 – 1165 – 1885 – 3050 – 4935

Using Fibonacci you simply begin by placing a bet of any sum that you like. Whenever you lose, you bet what you just did + whatever you bet the round before. In other words, you move one step to the right on the sequence.

Whenever you win, you move two steps to the left on the sequence and bet that amount. If you reach the beginning of it you simply bet this amount or create a new sequence by choosing an entirely new sum to bet.

While Fibonacci is a fairly easy strategy to use, you have to do some preparation before you start playing. Your sequence needs to be calculated and written down.

As you can see, the risk of the system is low to begin with as your stake will only increase slowly. However, if losses build up this will quickly change and you may find your entire balance go down the drain.

What’s great about Fibonacci though – a part from its interesting design – is that you only have to win a third of your game rounds to reach a profit.

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Frequently asked questions about roulette

Is there a way to guarantee a profit playing roulette?

Not in the game itself, no. Roulette is a game of chance that is constructed to have an RTP of 91.7% – 98.65% (depending on the version you are playing). This means that in the long run you will always receive less back than what you stake.

The only way of having a chance of guaranteeing yourself a profit playing roulette is by playing with a casino bonus. With the added value of the bonus you might be able to boost your overall RTP to more than 100% which would mean a guaranteed profit.

What is the point of using a roulette strategy?

Originally the point of roulette strategies was to guarantee the player a profit. This is why they were created in the first place. As this has been proven not to be possible, the real reason for using a strategy is, however, mainly for entertainment purposes. It can be really fun following a certain betting pattern, not to mention a nice break from playing the ordinary way.

Where can I find special bets in roulette?

The live casino provider Evolution Gaming has them available on all of their tables. They are a bit hidden though so you’ll have to look carefully on the interface (on desktop you press a star button).

I’ve found a race track but no Tier, Orphelins, Voisins or Zero?

Yes. Some roulette versions actually have a race track without these four bet types included on it. This is usually the case when you’re playing a virtual roulette game against the computer. If you play live roulette instead Tier, Orphelins, Voisins and Zero should always be included on the race track.

What’s the difference between live roulette and other roulette?

Live roulette is a collective name for roulette games that are played with real dealers through a video stream. You place your bets on a virtual interface while the game rounds take place on real tables, in real studios with real dealers interacting with you.

Other types of roulette are played solo against the computer. Here everything is virtual and you have to manually trigger game rounds yourself with the click of a button.

Which bets are best to place in roulette?

With a very few exceptions to some roulette versions all bets have the same payout percentage. This means that you’re expected to win just as much from them in the long run.

However, the outside bets (high/low, red/black, odd/even, column and dozen) have a much higher probability of hitting than inside bets. Simply because these are covering more numbers. The flipside though is that outside bets pay less.

Which bet is best to place is all up to personal taste. You can either take a higher risk with an inside bet to win more money or play it safer with an outside bet to be more likely to hit a winning spin.

How many numbers are there in roulette?

The vast majority of roulette versions consist of 37 numbers – 18 red, 18 black and 1 green zero. American Roulette does, however, have 38 as this is played with the addition of a double zero.

There are also a couple of unique roulette versions (which are rarely played or even offered by online casinos) that have additional numbers. One example is 100/1 Roulette which has as many as 100 numbers.

What happens if I bet on red and black at the same time?

By doing so you’re shooting yourself in the foot as you won’t be able to reach any profit. If the ball lands on red or black you will only receive your stake back and if it lands on the green zero you will lose. If you’re using a bonus placing a bet like this is often forbidden.

What is an inside and outside bet?

An inside bet is simply referring to a bet that is placed on the inside of the roulette table – in other words somewhere where all of the numbers are located.

An outside bet, on the other hand, is a bet that is placed in one of the areas outside of these numbers; for instance on red or black.

Which is the easiest roulette version to win money from?

French Roulette is definitely the easiest one – both short term and long term. This is because this game is using one of two special rules known as La Partage and En Prison and has the highest RTP of all roulette versions. For this to be true you do, however, have to bet on an alternative that is giving you double your stake back if you win.

What version of roulette can pay the most?

Double Ball Roulette has the highest potential winnings. If you place a special jackpot bet on a single number and both balls in the game end up in this pocket you win 1301x your stake.

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