Live Roulette Strategies

Live roulette can easily be considered the most random of all games of chance. It is, however, incredibly easy to play and offers you the chance to win large cash prizes when played for real money.

Whether playing at a large and impressive commercial casino or a more intimate and informal gaming hall, this great table game, where a “little wheel” is set in motion while a small ball gets sent spinning on it in the opposite direction, is often a scene of both thrills and spills as punters place bets as they predict where the ball will come to rest.

Online casinos offer an excellent alternative to land-based establishments and provide players with the opportunity to quickly and easily play games of chance for real money. Live casino roulette takes no time at all to learn and can be played at the convenience and comfort of the gamer who no longer needs to leave home to gamble.

The game of roulette, which means little wheel in French, is entrenched in history and can be tracked across Europe where its growth and evolution has moved the game from the royal courts to the accessible and freely available casinos located all over the world. While land-based casinos continue to set table stakes at limits that are often too high for the man on the street, online casinos have made the fun and exciting game available to all.

Roulette may be a game of chance, however, experienced players who have applied their skills of math and physics have come up with many strategies for you to try for your best chance at success. A few of these strategies apply more to roulette played in land-based casinos rather than the random number generator used by online casino operators.

How Do I Impress at the Roulette Table?

Referring to the parts of the roulette table correctly can be very impressive to those around you, especially those who are new to the game.

By dropping names like frets to refer to the dividers between the pockets and pointing out the dolly once the dealer marks the number where the ball has just landed can inspire awe amongst your fellow players.

Which Bets Should I Place in Roulette?

Much like the lottery, placing your bets on your lucky number, birth date or any other significant combination may bring a great deal of success, however, there are a few numbers or bet combinations that tend to win more often than others.

Lucky Numbers

Number 17 is a popular choice that may be due to its central location on the board or possibly because it is the number a famous secret agent plays every time he visits the casino. The number itself doesn’t seem all that lucky though but it is a good indication as to the benefits of selecting your favourite lucky number for the biggest payout – should the ball land in the correct pocket, of course.

Rio Casino in Las Vegas holds the record for a single number, landing the most times consecutively. The number 19 beat the 1 in 3 billion odds to hit 7 times in a row recently.

Clever Colours

The roulette wheel is made up of 2 main colours – red, and black. Along with bets on specific numbers, betting on zero has the absolute best payout though.

Given the 2 main colours available on the wheel, punters may be tempted to bet on Red if the last ball comes to rest in Black. A casino in Bristol, England holds the record for the ball coming to rest on a red number a whopping 36 times in a row.

Inside or Outside Bets

Betting options in roulette are divided into two categories – inside, and outside bets. The more general bets that cover large expanses of the table are outside bets. These are namely red/black, high/low, even/odd, columns and dozens and are known to land often.

Inside bets of single numbers including 0 and 00, split, street, and corner. The 5 number and 6 number bets, on the other hand, are harder to come by – but when they do, you can score!

Which Bets Offer the Best Odds?

Now that we have the background information down, let’s look at the odds of each bet in detail.

  • Straight-up bet: Place your bets on any single number including zero for a chance to win 35:1. The odds of hitting this accurately is 36 or 37:1 depending on whether you’re playing European or American roulette.
  • Split bet: Place your chip on the line between two numbers to stand a chance of winning 17:1. There is a 17.5:1 chance of hitting one of those two numbers.
  • Basket bet: Place your bets on 0, 1 and 2 or 0, 2 and 3 to win at 11:1 with an 11.33:1 chance of accurately predicting the outcome of the round.
  • Street bet: Classified as any 3 numbers in a row like 1, 2, 3 or 4, 5, 6 will earn you 11:1 should one of those numbers hit in that round. You have odds of 11.33:1 for this win.
  • Corner bet: Place your chips on any 4 adjoining numbers that make up the corners of a square to score a payout of 8:1. Should you select this bet, your odds are 8.25:1 that these numbers will appear.
  • Six line: Place your chips on 6 numbers across two neighbouring lines for the chance to receive a payout of 5:1. In the event of this bet selection, your odds are 5.167:1.

Should you place your bets across 12 numbers of any column (1st, 2nd or 3rd) or dozens (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) and stand the chance of receiving a 2:1 payout. These options have odds of 2.083:1.

Even/Odd, Red/Black or High/Low numbers will offer you a payout of 1:1 should one of those 18 numbers hit in that round. The odds of these wins are 1.056:1.

Research has shown that while betting on Red or Black doesn’t have the best payout, you have the best chance at a win than any of the other options listed.

How Does Roulette Fair in Comparison to Other Casino Games?

The roulette house edge of 2.64% while playing European roulette is much better than the 5% of many card games. In essence, it has a casino advantage of 97.36% which is better than you’d find in slots where the industry-standard hovers around 96%.

What are Progressive Betting Strategies?

Progressive betting strategies can be applied to many casino games and is not exclusive to any one table game in particular. For the most part, the strategy has more to do with stretching your bankroll than a game-specific system, however, when it comes to games of chance, players will do whatever is necessary to increase their chances of walking away with a profit.

Martingale Betting Strategy

The Martingale betting strategy is one of the most well-known strategies that is used in both land-based and online casinos. Martingale requires that you double your stake with each loss and go back to the original stake with each win.

The reverse Martingale suggests you double your bet with each win and go back to the original bet on a loss. This progressive money management strategy can be the better option in the sense that the reverse Martingale allows players to place bets using the casino’s money through their wins.

As roulette rounds play so quickly, both methods can have you burn through your bankroll at great speed as you up the ante. It is important therefore to take stock of what you can afford and plan your bets accordingly.

Are There Roulette-Specific Strategies?

There are two popular betting strategies used in roulette which players have found to give them some direction when it comes to knowing how to bet. Both the Labourchere and Bond betting strategies suggest covering half the table with bets and, in doing so, offers you the chance to win around 50% of the time.

James Bond Betting Strategy

This fixed betting strategy relies on you to select your total bet for each round, but divide it between each bet you have selected. Let’s use the example of a player who would like to bet $20 per round.

  • $14 across numbers 22-36
  • $5 on the following line bets: 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
  • $1 on 0

Of course, 007 would never only bet $20 but the principle works even as you add more zeros. Depending on where the ball comes to rest, Bond would win a maximum of $16 if the ball lands on 0.

Laubouchere Betting Strategy

This strategy is designed to be used on even money bets. By placing bets on Red/Black, High/Low or Even/Odd, players set themselves a target as to how much they would like to win and bet accordingly.

For example, you would take the $10 you’d like to win and convert them into betting units:  1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1. So, for your first bet, you would add the first and last units together, working inwards as each round progresses.

These numbers are only crossed out after a win and you then move onto the next combination. In the event of an unsuccessful round, the betting unit that was just used gets added to the end of the sequence and incorporated.

This gives you a tidy framework for the number of rounds you commit to and greatly increases your chance of a profit. You are, of course, welcome to create a new number sequence and play for a little while longer.

Like with reverse Martingale, reverse Laubouchere works on the principle of adding the betting unit used for the winning round to the end of the sequence and crossing out numbers on a loss.

Which Betting Strategy Will Work for Me?

The interactive nature of Labouchere helps to incorporate a betting structure into the game which can be particularly helpful to beginners who feel a bit overwhelmed by all the options available.

When it comes to choosing the betting strategy that will be best for you, much of your decision will rely on your bankroll. The larger your bankroll, the longer you can play the game as long as you use it strategically.

How Do I Make My Bankroll Last?

Online casinos are committed to encouraging responsible gambling and have several tools available for players to ensure gambling is fun and players will keep coming back for more.

Playing games of chance can be an incredibly rewarding pastime however it is a hobby that relies on quite a substantial investment on behalf of the player.

Deposit Limits

This is why online casino operators encourage you to set daily, weekly or monthly deposit limits to manage your gambling budget responsibly and ensure that your game-play continues to be a positive experience.

What Other Responsible Gambling Tools Are at My Disposal?

The thrills and excitement of casino games can make it very easy to get swept up in the moment.

Reality Check

As such, award-winning casino game developers have included a handy pop up message which appears after an hour of gameplay to inform you of both the amount of time and money spent during that hour.

This reality check is a great way for players to return to the real world as they decide whether they’d like to play for a while longer, or take a break.

Self Exclusion

Online casinos offer you the opportunity to close your account for a while should you wish to seek support if gambling has started to have an impact on your day to day life.

What Are the Benefits of Playing Live Casino Roulette?

Live casino roulette gives you the chance to enjoy all the ambience and excitement of a real-life casino experience without any of the inconvenience. Thanks to high definition cameras and live streaming, you can engage directly with professional virtual dealers and chat to your fellow players just as you would in a brick and mortar casino.

With the 24 hour nature of the internet, you can play live roulette from the comfort of your own home, at any time of the day or night. There is no need to wait for dealers to open a table at a specific time or delay your gaming fun until the land-based casino opens its doors.

Roulette is an incredibly thrilling casino game that is easy to learn and play. By taking the time to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and skills available, it is perfectly possible to win large cash prizes – some have even managed to walk away with a life-changing sum of money.

FAQs

How do I impress at the roulette table?

Which bets should I place in roulette?

Which bets offer the best odds?

How does roulette fair in comparison to other casino games?

What are progressive betting strategies?

Are there roulette specific strategies?

Which betting strategy will work for me?

How do I make my bankroll last?

What other responsible gambling tools are at my disposal?

What are the benefits of playing live casino roulette?