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Roulette Strategy Basics

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Roulette Strategy Basics

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There may not be a more exciting fifteen-or-so seconds in gambling than the spin of the roulette ball. Roulette has always been depicted in pop culture as a game of class; of sophistication; of the demure. We can assure you, though, that for those fifteen-or-so seconds, the people standing at the table, watching that little white ball spin in circles, might long for the peace and quiet of timid teenagers screaming on a roller coaster... if they weren’t so completely engrossed with where that ball would land.

While the game really does come down to that little white ball, there are elements of the rules and odds of Roulette that you should at least have a chance to understand so your profit margins and fun aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s what this article is about. It offers you a basic guide to the kind of bets you can make and odds that give you reasons to make them.

First, if you’re new to casino games, we can’t recommend enough clicking here. If you at least know the very basics and are confident that you can’t benefit from that kind of lesson, then read on.

AMERICAN ROULETTE VS EUROPEAN ROULETTE
Before we dive into the basics of the game, it’s important to point out that there are two kinds of roulette boards: American and European. The difference is that the European version has one green square, for zero. The American has two green squares, for zero and double zero. This is an important distinction when reading any online roulette strategy content. For the remainder of this article, we’ll be referring to the American version.

BASIC ROULETTE STRATEGY
While Roulette is clearly a game of chance, that doesn’t mean you can’t use the best roulette strategy, the basics of which we’re going to teach you right now. Below this paragraph, there is a chart. To brace you, there are a lot of numbers on the chart and it may be confusing or even intimidating, but it’s not as complicated as it looks and all will be explained. Have a look:

Bet typeNumbersPayout RatioPayout on $100Odds of a WinOdds of a Win (%)
Straight- Up BetAny single number you like35:1$3,5001/382.63%
Split BetTwo bordering numbers17:1$1,7002/385.26%
Street BetAny row of three numbers: 1-3, 4-6...to 34-36.11:1$1,1003/387.89%
Corner BetFour numbers forming a square8:1$8004/3810.53%
Five-Number Bet0, 00, 1, 2 and 36:1$6005/3813.16%
Line BetTwo consecutive rows of three squares, so 1-6, 4-9 etc.5:1$5006/3815.79%
Columns BetColumn 1: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34
Column 2: 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35
Column 3: 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
2:1$20012/3831.58%
Dozens Bet1-12, 13-24 or 25-362:1$20012/3831.58%
Red Bet or Black BetRed: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36 (The red numbers)
Black: 2, 4, 6, 8 ,10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35 (The black numbers)
1:1$10018/3847.37%
Evens Bet or Odds BetEvens - Even numbers
Odds - Odd numbers
1:1$10018/3847.37%
High Bet or Low BetHigh - 1-18
Low - 19-36
1:1$10018/3847.37%
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OK, let’s talk about the chart:

Bet type - This is the name of the bet. Numbers - These are the numbers you’re betting on when you make a bet of that type.

Payout Ratio - If you win, this is the ratio at which you get paid out. Payout on at $100 - An example of how payout ratio works based on a $100 bet. You don’t need to bet $100. You can bet whatever you like within the game limits.

Odds of a Win - Your actual odds of winning on each bet type. The 0 and 00 give the house a small edge that makes the game worth running for the house, but this is about as small an edge as you’ll find on any game in a casino.

Odds of a Win (%) - The actual chances of the bet type winning.

The chart is organized by the odds for two reasons:

1) The longer your odds, the more you can win, which means this chart directly measures your risk tolerance. If you like gambling on a longshot and don’t mind the risk in that, start at the top. If you’re more conservative than that and can get a thrill out of the most conservative bets? Start at the bottom.

2) If the odds are the same, then the bet types are the same, at least mathematically. As with all games on Golden Nugget Online Casino, you get to choose how you wager your money, but the math says that if you make the above bets for long enough, that’s how they’ll break. So, for example, betting on red is mathematically the same as betting on evens or high numbers according to the math. The chart is a long way of saying that if you’re making one bet, each square you bet upon has a 2.63% chance of winning; the more squares your single bet is on, the better your chance of winning, so the less money you stand to win. The point of the chart? Know what you’re betting on, because that will keep the game exciting instead of making it terrifying. Bet with the odds that define your comfort zone and Roulette will be a lot of fun. Use that chart. Keep coming back to this page to look at that chart until you’ve memorized it. The chart is your friend. It’s good to know what you’re wagering on.

Touching On Strategy

Here’s the thing about that chart: It lists the roulette odds in a vacuum. One of the keys to Roulette success is that bets do not have to happen in a vacuum. You can make as many bets as you like, either in one spin or in consecutive spins. That allows you to strategize. We’ll get into specific deeper strategies in a future article, but for now, two things to keep in mind:

1) You can combine bets. The more bets you make, the more you spread out your risk and flatten the potential rewards.

2) If you enter the casino with $175, yes, you can put it all on your lucky number 23 and hope to hit that 35:1 payoff like you would in a movie. You can also reason that you’re not in a movie and that instead, if you keep betting $5 on 23 for 35 spins, there’s a good chance you’ll hit 23 before all of those spins are up. If you do, you’ll win and could keep the money for the remaining spins once you do, which potentially gives you a tidy profit.

Of course, there’s always the chance that you miss that lucky number on 35 consecutive spins. That’s where the risk comes in. It’s important to remember that while it may feel after a while like you’re due, the math says there’s no such thing as “due.” Each spin is independent from the other. its own mathematical entity. How much you listen to the math is up to you.

In the end, there are a lot of ways to bet, but they all amount to the same thing: You’re getting that 2.63% per square and you’re watching time slow to a virtual standstill with the ball circling the wheel. It’s exciting, it’s intense, the house edge is small and you’re in for a lot of fun. Enjoy online roulette today.

Authored By: Gary Wise

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