Casino Roulette Playing Tips
Roulette is a French game that means "little wheel." A ball is thrown into a spinning wheel and you must guess correctly where it will stop. This simple game has mesmerized gamblers over the centuries. Here are tips for playing this lovely game.
Always play European roulette.
Do not play American roulette if you can help it. The house edge is about twice in that version than in European roulette. There are two zeros in American roulette, making the house edge over 5%. The European version has only a 2.7% edge.
Look for the "en prison" rule.
En prison is a rule that keeps your bet frozen in case the ball stops at zero. Only if the next spin also results in a loss for you will you lose your bet. If not, it's a push; you get your wager back. This reduces the house edge even further making it a worthy game to play.
Use the Martingale System after one side of an even bet has won 4+ times.
This isn't a sure way to win but often you will. As you know, the Martingale System has you bet twice as much as a loss for the next bet. Now if you wait until the red (or black, or odd or even) has won several times in a row, you can bet on the opposite side and use the Martingale until it wins.
For example, wait for the black to win 4 or more times in a row. When this happens, place a bet on the red. If black wins again, you will double your bet on the red until you win. When you win, you must go back to one betting unit.
The black can keep winning of course, but it is rare for one side to win that many times in a row. This is the best way to use the Martingale in roulette.
Use match play coupons when you can.
Match play coupons pay you at special rates on winning bets. They can be used for some roulette, blackjack and craps bets among others. A match play coupon may pay 2 for 1, 3 for 1, 7 for 5 and so on depending on the coupon and what game it is. You can get coupons when you buy a travel package or your favorite casino can send it to you.
This is how you use the coupon for roulette:
Get two of the same coupons, one for yourself and one for a friend. If it's a $20 coupon, you will bet that amount on the red. Your friend will bet on the black and someone else will bet on zero. If either red or black wins, your group profits by $19. If it is the zero that hits, the red and black cancel each other out and you win the zero bet.
As you can see, match play coupons are very useful. They work for craps and blackjack too.
Take advantage of comps.
If you play European roulette with or without the en prison rule, and you use the Martingale method above and/or match play coupons, you can get very good odds. Of course, a situation like this can be hard to find. But if you do, the roulette table really becomes worth playing.