Roulette

Roulette, the famous game known for its phrase "faites vos jeux, les jeux sont faits, rien ne va plus," has undergone a number of changes since its creation. What is the origin of roulette? How has it evolved over time? Discover its history in this dossier.

His origin

The true origin of roulette is a bit confusing. Some believe it was born in China and brought to Europe by Dominican monks. Others claim it originated in Rome. Historically speaking, it can be assumed that around the 17th century, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) had the idea to create a rotating plate. The French mathematician genius designed this object to study its perpetual motion. This rotating thing was so fascinating that the researcher decided to call it "roulette". The roulette then made its appearance. It is played by the popular masses in Europe.

Towards the second half of the 18th century, a game similar to this spinning plate with numbers, Even-Odd or "Roly-Poly", appeared in England. Unfortunately, this game was banned in 1782., the legality of roulette was only enforced between 1810-1836. Meanwhile, the brothers François and Louis Blanc were working on improving the game's design for the benefit of the casino.

unlike zero

Until 1842, the original French roulette had 38 numbers with a black double zero and a red zero. In order to attract the participants' attention and be more successful with the players, the two Blanc brothers removed the double zero and left only one zero on the roulette wheel. This removal of the double zero led to a change in the layout of the numbers, as two reds had to be placed side by side. This implies a new reconstruction of the wheel. Since the 18th century, American roulette has differed from the one designed by the Blanc brothers in terms of the number of zeros. Indeed, the Americans decided to introduce a second zero, the "double zero". By keeping the original roulette, researchers were able to maintain the casino's advantage at 5.26% compared to a 2.67% chance for the player. The American roulette has remained the same until today.

european roulette

If Italy boasts of being the inventor of roulette in the 17th century, it is in Paris that it found more success from 1716 at the Hôtel de Soissons. The European roulette was invented in the 17th century and since then, it has been influenced and modified throughout Europe until its current state. The Blanc brothers, the true creators of the new generation of European roulette, had to settle in Hamburg to continue what they had started. The modification made by the two brothers on the number of zeros was adopted in all European countries since 1843. The roulette was adorned with 37 numbers with a zero. It has become an adage to say that "the house always wins". you have to give your soul to the devil to find the secret of roulette ", because the sum of the numbers on the wheel is equal to 666. But over time, all countries adopt their own version. English roulette is characterized by its American-style table. The Germans have chosen to combine the French and English versions."

Roulette in America

Roulette appeared in America in the mid-18th century. It arrived in Newfoundland through the Europeans. It was during the gold rush period and the Americans were quickly attracted to this new game. Like in European countries, roulette also had a period of prohibition from 1919 to 1932. It was only after these decades that the state of Nevada approved the legality of the game in Las Vegas casinos. The American roulette has kept one of the characteristics of the old European roulette by preserving the double zero. The table has thus been modified according to the number of digits displayed on the wheel.

Roulette is among the flagship games of many online or traditional casinos. It has several variations, although the basic techniques remain the same. The variations of roulette are plentiful, but the most popular ones are presented in this article.

• American Roulette As the name suggests, this type of roulette is only found in the United States of America. The equipment and principles of the game remain the same as European roulette, except that the American variant has an additional double 0 slot. When roulette first entered American casinos, the owners of these gambling establishments thought that the players' chances of winning were rather high. To address this, they added this extra slot, which has the effect of reducing the player's chances. The more slots there are, the less likely a specific number will come out. However, for players in a traditional casino, the probabilities for simple bets on this roulette are more accessible. Note that the betting layout for this game system is different from that of French roulette. You might come across this type of roulette in online casinos, but any savvy player wouldn't choose to play this variant.
• European or French roulette This version is frequently encountered in the many brick-and-mortar or virtual casinos in Europe. The rules of the roulette are mainly based on this model. The wheel has 37 numbers. And there is only one zero. This detail is important because it reduces the House edge to 2.6%. It is advisable to play on this roulette, as it is less complicated than its American counterpart. Furthermore, the casino's advantages are also less significant for this type of roulette because it has a better payout rate.
• English roulette similar to the operation of French roulette, however the number of players is limited to 7, the players have their own chip colors and in case of zero coming out, bets on simple chances lose half of their value.
• Progressive Royal Roulette The company Microgaming was the inventor of this variant of progressive royal roulette. It has many similarities with other European roulettes. Indeed, it is constructed with only one zero number. It stands out from the others thanks to a wheel and a design that brings to mind old wheels. This model also offers a progressive jackpot that allows the player to win successively at roulette. This astronomical sum is fed throughout the game. A special credit subtracted from the bet goes into the progressive jackpot after each round. To win the jackpot, the player would have to win 5 consecutive rounds with the same number. This is a major difference compared to other standard models.
• Roulette without zero This model is not highly developed in casinos. However, it does exist. The reason for this is that the casino's advantage is less with this variant. This is because the roulette wheel does not have a zero pocket. Instead of 37 pockets, there is therefore one less. Otherwise, the game rules and functioning of this roulette are identical to those of European roulette.

Roulette, like all games of chance, is about odds. To get the most out of your game, it is essential to know what to expect. Let's see together what the probabilities are in roulette in order to better understand a game.

• Common odds in casinos Even though the odds and payouts vary on different bets, the odds are ultimately the same for roulette. In many other games, a proper strategy is needed to get the best possible odds for the player. However, roulette simply requires placing a bet to win. At its most basic level, we are talking about odds in terms of the house advantage compared to that of the player. In American roulette, the odds on practically all bets are 5.26% (1/19), while in European roulette, it is 2.70% (1/37). Essentially, we just need to divide the number of zeros on the wheel by the total number of pockets. This applies to both standard roulette games and those without zeros.
• American rules The first of the two variations of roulette is American roulette. This version of the game is found in most casinos in the United States. American roulette has a single-zero, double-zero, and 36 regular numbers. Therefore, there are 38 possible outcomes on which the ball can land. For every winning euro, the payout is 94.74 cents. All casinos follow roughly the same rules. The house edge on all bets is 1/19, or 5.26%, except for the combination 0-00-1-2-3, which carries odds of 7.89%. If you were to bet on red, you have 18 out of 38 chances (47.23%) to win the bet. On the other hand, there are 20 out of 38 chances (52.77%) to lose it.
• European rules The European table does not have double zero. Therefore, it is much more advantageous for the player. However, the odds are only half of those in American roulette. When you bet on a single number, you have odds of 1/37, meaning a chance of winning every 37 spins. For example, for 1 euro bet on European roulette, a long-term return of 97.37 cents is expected. The calculation is simple: 1 € minus the house edge of 2.63%, which is 2.63 cents. In summary, the European wheel is ideal for high rollers.
• French rules French roulette is played on a single wheel and also has a beneficial "En prison" rule. Under the general rule, if the player places a bet on red, black, odd, even, 1-18, 19-36; and the ball lands on zero, the player only wins half of their bet. This system is also known as "Partage". The term is indeed French, but this rule can sometimes be found in casinos outside of France, including in some high-limit rooms in Las Vegas. Instead of losing half of the bet, the player can also choose to imprison the bet. If the number wins on the next spin, the bet is returned to the player, without any winnings.
• Inside bets Bets are those that are placed within the number grid. This includes a bet on a single number. Bets offer a payout of 35/1 and odds of 37/1. The split bet is a bet on two adjacent numbers by placing chips on the line between the numbers. Street bets include three numbers on the same line. Corner bets are placed on four adjacent numbers, with your chips spanning the four corners. Six-line bets involve 4, 5 or 6 numbers, respectively, in the American game.
• Outside bets Outside bets are placed outside the number grid. These bets tend to include larger blocks of numbers, including numbers 12 and 18. Outside bets include odd, red and black bets, 1 to 18 or 19 to 36. In all these cases, players should know that the house odds are the same, regardless of whether you bet on 1 single number or 18 at once. This method is legal, but not recommended. It is actually a combination of 5 numbers ranging from 00, 0, 1, 2, and 3. The payout is significantly lower from the player's perspective.

You can also consult the roulette rules to understand how to bet and make the link with these probabilities.

Do the odds change on online roulette?

Well, online roulette copies the same game mode as land-based roulette. Although nowadays, you can find electronic roulette in brick-and-mortar casinos (which are real roulette wheels with an automated system to send the ball), the ones you find online also replicate the basic game. However, it is worth noting that the bonuses offered by online casinos are much more aggressive, which directly affects the probabilities of such a game. For example, if a casino offers you a 25% cashback (giving you back 25% of your losses), it will have a direct effect on your long-term winnings. So, even though it doesn't impact your chances of hitting a particular number or outcome, it is important to take it into account because the ultimate goal is the net final gain. Therefore, it will always be more advantageous to play online roulette if, of course, you have chosen a trusted casino, and that's also why our website recommends only trusted sites on which we also enjoy practicing martingales!

Many players have tried to force the hand of fate by fully investing themselves in a game of roulette. But without proper strategies, it is difficult to beat the house by relying solely on luck. That is why we offer you the opportunity to discover these effective gambling techniques, which, once put into practice, will allow you to achieve better results.

The Simple Martingale Strategy

Like all casino games, roulette relies solely on luck. However, gambling experts have developed several methods that can lessen the importance of chance. The martingale strategy is one of these techniques. It involves doubling your bet after a loss. The disadvantage of this system is that you can reach the betting limit without winning any money. The best way to start would be to make a small initial bet and a large maximum bet. You can also bet a small amount on red or black, even or odd, or high or low. If you win, you have the option to bet the same amount again. If you lose, you can double your bet and bet again on the same color. You can repeat this scenario until you reach the table's betting limit.

The reverse martingale strategy

This technique consists of increasing the bet when you have won and decreasing it when you have lost. To do this, try to find a roulette table with a low minimum bet and a high maximum bet. Choose, for example, black or red. Keep betting until your chosen color comes up. If you win, always double the bet of the same color. But if you lose, you need to go back to the original bet. Lucky players can win with this method. Otherwise, if you lose, you will lose everything. It's better to stop when you have had a series of consecutive wins.

The d'Alembert method

This one is not as risky as the other strategies. The player would not have to double their bet, but instead increase their wager by one unit after a loss. In case of a win, decrease the bet by one unit. You can thus bet on even or odd. Once a parallel series of wins and losses is memorized, stop the game.

The Fibonacci method

This system also has a positive or negative outcome. The player bets on the amount of the last bets on even or odd, for example. If you started with 1 euro, you will bet another euro in case of loss. If you lose again, you bet 2 euros. If you have lost again, you bet 3, then 5, then 8, and so on. The advantage of this technique is that you can pocket 3 euros if you have lost 5 bets and win 4.

The James Bond Trick

The implementation of this system requires at least 200 euros. It is based on the column bet. First, you bet 140 euros on a number between 19 and 36. You can also bet 50 euros on numbers between 3 and 18. And the remaining 10 euros, you bet on zero. If you are unlucky and your number falls between 1 and 12, you will lose everything. If your number lands between 19 and 36, you will win 80 euros. If it falls between 3 and 18, you will be awarded 100 euros. And if luck is on your side with zero, 160 euros will rightfully be yours.

The Paroli method

This allows players to increase their bankroll in case of a win. But you don't double when you lose. Here's an illustration: you bet 10 euros. If you've won 30 euros, you bet the initial 10 + 10 for doubling in the next round. By betting little by little, you will be able to increase your winnings and your initial bet. However, if you lose the hand, you must go back to the initial bet amount of 10 euros.

Color/Tier Bets

If you dream of winning millions on roulette in no time, this system is not the most appropriate for you. In fact, this type of easy-to-practice bet helps you gradually increase your bankroll. You will only have to place a bet on your preferred color and one of its thirds on the same spin. The bets should not be different. Specifically, it goes like this: by betting 10 euros on black and on the first third, if you win both, you will receive 50 euros. (Because the bet and the double bet on the third are added to your winnings). If you only win the third, you get your 10 euros back. And if you lose the third, you lose nothing.