Roulette Strategy Guide
Roulette is another one of those casino games that seems to be surrounded by myth and speculation more than cold, hard facts. There are countless people out there willing to tell you that they know the secret to beating roulette, and that they'll sell you the secret for "just $29.99!" The fact of the matter is that roulette is purely a game of chance. There's no room for the player to make decisions that affect the outcome of any spin of the wheel.
True roulette strategy isn't designed to beat the house or overcome the odds because the game cannot be beaten unless you physically reach into the wheel and place the roulette ball where you want it to land. But I'm going to have to strongly recommend you not try that option. Instead, good solid roulette advice is designed to reduce the house edge as much as possible so that you have the greatest chance to walk away a winner on any given night.
Stick with European Roulette Wheels
There are two types of roulette wheels: European and American. The American roulette wheels are a total rip off so don't ever play at those. The difference between the two wheels is that American roulette has two zero slots (0 and 00) while European roulette has just one "0" slot. That additional green slot makes a big difference in the house edge because any time the ball lands on a green slot, every even-money bet is considered a loss. It doesn't matter if you bet on red, black, even or odd; they all lose when the ball lands on a zero slot.
The difference might sound small until you realize that American roulette wheels have twice as much house advantage. American roulette wheels give the house an advantage of 5.26% while European roulette wheels give the house an advantage of just 2.7%.
Stick with the Best Bets
Not every bet on the roulette wheel was created equal. Bets on red/black, even/odd and high/low have the lowest house edge. Bets on 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36 also offer good odds for the player. The worst bet in the game is the five number bet that includes 0, 00, 1, 2, 3. If you're playing smart and following proper roulette strategy, you won't even have an opportunity to place this bet because it's only available on American roulette wheels.
Look for the "En Prison" Rule
The en prison rule is only available on European roulette wheels and it dramatically reduced the house edge on even money bets such as red/black, even/odd and high/low.
The en prison rule states that if you make an even money bet (red/black, even/odd, or high/low) and your ball lands on 0, the casino will return half your bet back to you immediately.
Other casinos will place your bet in prison if it lands on 0. If an imprisoned bet wins on the next spin, that bet is returned to the player without any winnings. The house rules vary from casino to casino if an imprisoned bet lands on zero again.
Summary
If you stick with the most favorable roulette wheels and the most favorable bets, the house edge for roulette is pretty low in comparison to many other casino games. In the long run, the casino always wins but in the short run, almost anything can happen.
With bets that feature a low house edge, you'll see your profits go through wild ups and downs like a rollercoaster during the short run. In just a single night of play, almost anything can happen.