Your #1 Roulette Guide in the UK
Roulette is one of the most popular casino games these days and it has been popular ever since it was developed. There are many reasons why roulette is popular. It is classy, it is thrilling, and it is a fast and lively game. In the recent years, since casino games and casinos went online, the number of people who enjoy a game of roulette, casually or regularly, has only increased. Online roulette is very similar to traditional roulette played in brick and mortar casinos. And live online roulette is practically the same, with the only difference being the fact that you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to try your luck on a spin or two.
Roulette – A Simple, Yet Thrilling Game
Roulette is easy to play and simple. There’s no need for complicated calculations or anything. Just place a bet and watch the wheel spin, hoping the ball will land on one of the numbers of spots on which you have placed a bet. Most players either always play the same or similar combination or take random chances following their gut feeling. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be familiar with the rules, odds, wagers and all the different variants of roulette, before you choose your game, and more importantly the online casino where you’re going to bet your name, hoping that you’ll earn a few, or more than a few pounds.
The basic logic behind roulette, and any other game for that matter is that you can go for the wagers that have big odds and try and win a lot of money, even though that chances for that happening are somewhat slim, or choose one of the bets that have lower odds and hope that you’ll manage to at least double or triple your bet.
Variants of Roulette – European and American
First things first, let us look at the roulette variants available at casinos today, online and traditional alike. The two most popular roulette variants are European and American. As the names themselves suggest, the first is more popular in Europe and other parts of the world, and the latter is more commonly played in the USA and Latin America. The main difference is the fact that European roulette features only one zero and has 37 numbers in total, including the zero, whereas American roulette also features a double zero, which means that the total numbers present on the table are 38, including the 0 and the 00. Another difference is that the numbers on the wheel have different arrangements in American and European roulette. Due to the fact that American roulette has one extra number, the chances, i.e. the probabilities of winning a bet in American roulette are somewhat lower.
Let’s look at the types of bets that you can take. The two general types of bets are outside and inside bets. The outside bets cover larger groups of numbers and they are safer than inside bets, with lower pay-outs. Some of them cover almost half of the table. These bets, like red and black, odd and even and high and low, cover 18 numbers each and have a 1:1 pay-out, i.e. if you bet £10, you’d get £10 for a win. So, if you bet on even and the ball lands on 12, then you’ve won and if you bet on low and the ball lands on 10, it is also a win. Then there are the column and dozen bets which cover 12 numbers each and have a 2:1 pay-out, which means that you’d get £20 for a bet of £10.
The outside bets cover less numbers each and they have a higher pay-out. These bets are placed on the central grind on the table and not on the side. A line bet covers 6 numbers and has a 5:1 pay-out. A corner bet covers 4 numbers and has an 8:1 pay-out, whereas a street bet covers 3 numbers and has 11:1 pay-out. A split bet covers two neighbouring numbers and has a 17:1 pay-out and a straight up bet covers only one number and has the largest 35:1 pay-out. This bet has a 2.70% probability in European roulette and 2.63% in American roulette. Because American roulette has one extra number it features a bit that cannot be placed in European roulette- The Five number bet. This bet covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 and has a 6:1 pay-out. This bet is the worst bet, statistically speaking, since the house edge at this bet is 7.89%, whereas it normally is 5.26% in American roulette.
In addition to having a lower house edge, which in turn means better winning possibilities with European roulette, this variant also has another series of bets which aren’t available in American roulette and these are called call bets. These bets cover particular sections of numbers on the wheel. These bets are Voisins du Zero (Neighbours of Zero), Jeu Zero (Zero Game), Tiers du Cylindre (Thirds of the Wheel), Orphelins (Orphans), Neighbours, as well as the Final bet. In addition, European roulette also features the En Prison rule which further decreases the house edge.
Other Variants
We’ve seen the two main variants. We should note that there isn’t only one version of the European roulette. A specific variant of European roulette is the so called French roulette, where the table is redesigned. Then, a game where the En Prison rule isn’t enforced is a different variant compared to the one where it is included. When the call bets are available, we’re talking of Racetrack roulette. But many online casinos go beyond European and American roulette. Mini roulette is offered at many online casinos. This roulette features only 12 instead of 36 number. Then there is progressive roulette, where the pay-outs are increased if one is winning in a row. In multi-wheel roulette you can bet on more than one wheel at the times. A lot of California-based casinos offer a special variant called Californian roulette.
How to Choose the Best Roulette Casino
Now, how to choose which casino is best for playing roulette online? There are certain aspects that need to be taken in consideration. We dedicated the previous paragraphs on explaining what variants of roulette are there, and what the main differences between them are. Of course that you should take this issue in consideration. If a casino offers only American roulette, then it doesn’t give you a lot of opportunities and a lot to choose from. The more the better, that should be your motto, when it comes to number of games offered. Live casino is particularly fun and when a casino features live roulette it is usually a sign that is a reliable and serious casino. If you’re new to online roulette and roulette in general, you may want to look for a casino that offers free roulette game, where you can practise before you decide to bet for real money.
After going through the game selection, or maybe before that you should check if the casino accepts players from your country of residence. You don’t want to set your mind on an online casino, only to discover that you are not allowed to play at it. Closely tied to the game selection is the interface of their website, how convenient it is, is it reliable, is it easy to navigate through the website, do they offer online and download versions, or just one of them. You definitely wouldn’t want to play at a casino if their website keep crashing or is very slow, or if their games aren’t of high quality. If think you’d be playing via your mobile phone as well, then you should look for a casino that supports mobile devices.
Another crucial factor is the security. If you’re investing your money and provide sensitive personal data to an online casino, you would want to be sure that your money and your personal information are safe and by no means accessed by a third party. You should look for websites that feature high levels of protection, such as SSL encryption. Closely tied to the security and data protection is the customer service. Casinos should offer reliable customer services, either via email or phone, live chat, or Skype, preferably more than one of those. Usual response times to inquiries and/or the hours in which customer support is provided should also be taken into consideration.
A reliable online casino should offer at least few banking options, both for deposits, as well as for withdrawals. At least all major credit cards as well some of the more popular e-Wallets should be available. Some people may prefer using cheques or wire transfers, many casino accept such deposits too. If you have a preferred option, look for a casino that features it, if not, you can try out more than one option and see which one is most convenient. Same goes for accepted currencies. And last, but definitely not least, you should always see what kind of bonuses and promotions does a casino offer. Most casinos would have some sort of a welcome or a first deposit bonus and some of them can be quite lucrative. Some casinos may even offer special roulette bonuses.