How to Play European Roulette
Roulette is one of the most popular types of gambling titles around the world; you can play it in almost all big online casinos for free or for real money; you will learn how to play European roulette in this article.
How to Play European Roulette in Details
At first glance, roulette seems like an easy game to play: you just have to place a bet in one of the numbers and hope that the ball lands on the appropriate sector. However, there are a lot of details in roulette: several types of bets bring you more than others, and there are also strategies that you can apply to increase your winning chances.
Table & Roulette Wheel
There are 37 sectors on the roulette wheel: 16 red, 16 black, and 1 green zero sector; there is also a board where the numbers are available and where you have to place your chips where you make a bet.
Game Rules
The rules of the game are simple: you need to guess in which sector the ball ends up after the wheel stops; the more accurate your forecast, the larger the payout.
The game is played as follows: at the beginning of the round, you need to choose the bet size, sector or group of numbers. Next, you need to place the chips on the board with the corresponding value. If you are playing live roulette, then the dealer spins the ball and the wheel starts spinning; if you have launched the table game, then the animation is played. After the wheel stops, a sector is announced and you learn if your bet wins or loses.
House Edge
European roulette is considered the most popular in the world not only because of the simplicity of the rules, but also the lowest house edge compared to other versions: it is just 2.7%. For example, it is twice as high in the American roulette (5.4%) because of the additional double zero sector.
If you bet on equal chances, a column of twelve numbers, then your chance of winning will be 48.6%, that is, half of all bets made should bring payouts in theory. However, the higher the winning chances, the lower the odds; the highest stakes on a specific number are 35:1, but the probability of winning is only 2.7%.
Types of Bets
There are inside and outside bets in the European roulette.
| Inside | Outside |
|---|---|
| Straight Up (single number) | Red/Black |
| Split (two connecting number) | Even/Odd |
| Street (vertical row of three digits) | Column of twelve numbers |
| Corner (square of four numbers) | Dozen (three squares of twelve numbers) |
| Two rows (square of six numbers 3 x 2) | Over/under (numbers from 1 to 18 and from 19 to 36) |
Inside bets have the highest payout ratio.
Odds & Payouts at Roulette
In different types of roulette, the odds may vary slightly; you have to check them in the payout table before you start to play European roulette.
| Bet Type | Payout | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Bets | Straight Up | 35:1 |
| Split | 17:1 | |
| Street | 11:1 | |
| Corner | 8:1 | |
| Sixline | 5:1 | |
| Outside Bets | Columns | 2:1 |
| Dozens | 2:1 | |
| Red/Black | 1:1 | |
| Even/Odd | 1:1 | |
| 1-18/19-36 | 1:1 |
Bet ranges may vary between games from different providers; the minimum bet in most types is $1-$5, the maximum bet is $1,000-$30,000. In some casinos, this information is available directly on the game logo.
How to Play European Roulette Like a Pro
Before starting the game for real money, you need to understand the game rules. Developers can supplement classic roulette with additional features:
- Bonus games
- Increased odds
- High RTP
- Limits for high rollers
- Rules for zero
It is better for you to practice for free before starting roulette in regular slot machines; there is a demo mode available. Only real money bets are available in live dealer games.
Learn different game strategies, it will help you win big prizes.
Strategies & Tips to Win in Online European Roulette
There are different strategies; the most popular are Martingale, d’Alembert, and Fibonacci. We recommend you do not immediately start playing for real money, but try these strategies in demo mode for free.
Martingale
You have to determine the minimum bet size before you play European roulette in the USA and place bets on red or black, even or odd numbers, or over or under. In case of a win, you need to continue playing at the same bet on the same position; in case of a loss, you should double your bet.
If there is a series of losses, then the bet continues to double and increase exponentially; that is why this strategy is also called progressive.
In theory, doubling the bet helps to make up for previous failures, because the probability of rolling red and black, even and odd, and over or under is almost 50%, and losses cannot last forever; this strategy also has a disadvantage: it will not suit you if you have a limited bankroll.
You cannot use the Martingale strategy on tables with a small range of bets up to $500-$1,000, so try to choose games with a large range.
D’Alembert
This strategy is similar to the Martingale system, but is much safer for your wallet, there is no need to double your bets. First of all, you need to decide on the size of the initial bet; then, you gradually increase it in case of a loss and gradually decrease it in case of a win.
You place bets on red or black, even or odd numbers, and over or under.
An example of the game if your bet is $1 is in the table below.
| Round | Bet | Outcome | Total Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Win | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | Win | 1 |
| 3 | 1 | Loss | -1 |
| 4 | 2 | Loss | -2 |
| 5 | 3 | Loss | -3 |
| 6 | 4 | Win | 4 |
| 7 | 3 | Loss | -3 |
| 8 | 4 | Loss | -4 |
| 9 | 5 | Win | 5 |
| 10 | 4 | Win | 4 |
| Total Profit | 2 | ||
The disadvantage of this strategy is a small profit.
Fibonacci
The strategy is based on the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the previous two:
1 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 5 – 8 – 13 – 21 – 34 – 55 – 89 – 144 – 233 – 377 – 610 – 987 – …
Start to play European roulette with a $1 bet; in case of a loss, go to the next number in the sequence and make the corresponding bet; in case of a win, move two numbers back.
The disadvantages include low profit: one winning round may not be enough to cover all losses, which means that you need to make more spins; however, there are fewer risks for your bankroll.
Differences Between Roulette Types
Almost all developers release roulette titles, there are games from Microgaming, Spinomenal, Betsoft, Red Rake, Wazdan, Playson, Evoplay, etc., available in online casinos. The European one is considered the most popular due to the low house edge and simple rules compared to other versions.
It differs from the American roulette in the absence of the 00 sector; in the French roulette, there is the La Partage rule: if a zero falls out, red or black, even or odd, and over or under bets do not lose, and half the bet amount returns to you.
