Online Roulette UK - History, Guide, Rules and Strategy

History of Roulette

Ah, Roulette, one of the most symbolic—and alluring—casino games there is. While Roulette has become commonplace in just about any modern-day casino, its history goes way back to 1655. It was then that French scientist / mathematician / physicist / inventor / all-around-brainiac Blaise Pascal came up with the basic design that so many have since fallen in love with. Believe it or not, but his little invention had little to do with fun and everything to do with advancing science and permanently getting his name in the history books. What Pascal was actually trying to invent was a perpetual motion machine. (In Layman’s terms, that’s a machine that can power itself without any further input from a person or any other energy source.) Although his experiment failed and the world didn’t gain a never-ending source of power through his efforts, we did gain Roulette, a game that has provided us with an endless supply of fun—and that’s even better, right?

In French the word “roulette” means little wheel, and the simplicity of the term has stuck across cultures, languages and generations. In 1842 two brothers by the names of Francois and Louis Blanc created a variation of the game, adding a single zero to the wheel. Francois took this version of the game to Monte Carlo and established the first casino in that area. Legend has it that to learn all the secrets of the game, Francois had made a pact with the devil. Whether or not this is fact or fiction we’ll leave to you, but one thing that’s certain is that if you were to add up all the numbers in a Roulette wheel you’d reach a grand sum of 666 (also known as “the number of the beast”). Take that however you please!

Not long after, the game made its way to the US, and some casinos started adding a second zero to the wheel so that the house’s odds increased. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries Roulette kept growing in popularity, and its pull has been consistently magnetic ever since.

How to Play Roulette

In a nutshell, playing Roulette involves punters placing table bets on an individual number, a range of numbers, colours (red or black) or an odd or even number. These numbers correlate with the numbers that appear on the wheel. Usually, a maximum of eight players can play the game against the “croupier” (the dealer)—the House representative who spins the wheel and manages the bets and payouts. The European version of the Roulette has 37 slots on the wheel (36 numbers and one zero), whereas the American version has two 38 slots (36 numbers and TWO zeroes). The ivory ball that the croupier drops in will eventually rest on one of these numbers, and different bets will result in different payouts. Of course, the ones that have the highest payouts are the most unlikely, but that’s generally the case when gambling, isn’t it?

The layout of a Roulette table has an “inside” betting area and an “outside” betting area. The inside area includes all of the individual numbers and therefore offers the highest payouts. The outside area, meanwhile, is for less exact bets and has boxes for columns, colours, even/odd numbers, dozen betting (first dozen, second dozen, etc.). There are often minimum and maximum bets, and maximum bets are generally lower on inside bets because their payouts can potentially be the biggest. Each Roulette player will trade his or her casino chips for specific Roulette chips, as that is the only way that the croupier can keep track of which chips belong to which player. Whenever you want to cash out your winnings, you’ll have to trade back your Roulette chips for regular casino chips first.

Inside Bets

Straight Up Bet: This is when you bet on any individual number. Since this is the hardest bet to win, it pays the highest: 35 to 1.

Split Bet: This wager, on two different numbers, is done by placing your chip on the line between two numbers on the Roulette table. Pays 17 to 1.

Street Bet (AKA Line Bet): You place this bet on three numbers that form a “Street”, such as 1, 2 and 3, or 4, 5 and 6. Pays 11 to 1.

Corner Bet or Quad Bet: A bet on four numbers that make a square on the table, such as 1, 2, 4 and 5. Pays 8 to 1.

Basket Bet: Considered the worst bet in Roulette because it gives the House the biggest advantage, this bet is on a zero, double zero, and numbers 1, 2 and 3. Pays 6 to 1.

Double Street Bet: This is when you bet on six numbers by placing a chip on the line between the inside and outside area. Pays 5 to 1.

Outside Bets

Red / Black / Odd / Even Bet: For these types of bets, which are all even-money bets, you simply put your chips in the boxes on the layout.

Dozens Bet: These bets are done placed on 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36. These types of bets pay 2 to 1, but if the ball lands on a zero or double zero, you lose automatically.

Column/Row Bets:Like Dozens Bets, these types of bets are also on series of 12 numbers, but these numbers are not consecutive. For the exact numbers, take a look at the three vertical columns (one starts with 1, 4 and 7; the next with 2, 5 and 8; and the final one with 3, 6 and 9). To bet on any of these columns, you simply put your chip(s) in the boxes that appear at the bottom of the layout. Pays 2 to 1.

All About Online Roulette

Online Roulette is pretty much identical to traditional Roulette, with a few added advantages.

Convenient: You can play Internet Roulette from wherever you like (yes, even on the John) and whenever you like. 3 a.m. and you can’t sleep because you’re jetlagged? No problem! Stuck in your office during a blizzard/windstorm/rainstorm? All good, mate! Online casinos are ALWAYS open and always available. All you need is a stable Internet connection and a smartphone, tablet or computer, and you’re good to go.

No crowds: No matter how awesome the Roulette table or attractive the croupier, in an online casino you won’t need to worry about waiting your turn because the crowd’s too big. This also means less (i.e. NO) clutter between punters’ chips on the betting table, so you can place your chips whenever and wherever you want. Moreover, you can choose to spin as soon as you’re ready—no need to wait until all the other players or the croupier is ready.

Wager as little as you want — even nothing: Unlike brick-and-mortar casinos, which usually have minimum bets, most Internet Roulette games will let you bet whatever measly amount you feel like. Many will even let you play for free so that you can just enjoy the experience without wagering a shilling of your hard-earned cash.

Easy wager and payout tracking: Since online casinos take care of all the details for you, you don’t have to worry about having one drink too many and losing your loyalty card or forgetting how much you wagered in the last few games of Online Roulette. All such stats can be easily accessed with a click or two of the mouse.

Internet Roulette - How to Win?

There are several things that you can do to increase your chances of winning at Internet Roulette. Some of these tips apply to traditional casinos just as much as they do to online ones, but others are Internet specific.

Don’t just play single numbers: As discussed in the “How to Play Roulette” section above, your odds of winning a wager involving multiple numbers are generally much higher than winning a wager involving one individual number. Sure, the single-number wager is appealing because its payout can be massive, but you’re better off winning incrementally with other types of wagers and only betting on single numbers occasionally.

Only play at trustworthy casinos: Do your research about the online casinos that you want to play at. Like real-world casinos, online casinos are subject to extremely tight licensing and regulations. Legit casinos will make their credentials, license numbers, etc. clearly visible, and it’s always a good idea to do a Google check to make sure that the casino you want to play at is an authorized and controlled one. While most online casinos are legit, there are certainly some out there that will only be looking to screw you, so do a little bit of research before you hand over your credit card details.

Remember that Roulette is random: Just like its real-world counterpart, Internet Roulette is random. That means that the chances of the same number coming up twice (or even three times) in a row are just as good as three different numbers coming up. Some people find this hard to believe, but it’s true! At the same time, never lose sight of the fact that the House always has an advantage, no matter how slight, and it’s higher when the wheel has double zeroes. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can’t win heaps of cash, but it’s a good thing to remember that the House beats the player more often than not. After all, the casino business is a profitable one for a reason!

Stick to your budget: Related to the last point, don’t get carried away and wager more than you want to or can spend. Despite the riches that are potentially only one Roulette spin away, gambling is ultimately supposed to be a fun and exciting game, so always remember this. If you max out your credit card, can’t make your mortgage payments and your spouse leaves you for that bellboy she met in the Galapagos, where’s the fun in that?

Roulette Bonuses and Other Promotions

In an attempt to lure new punters to their sites, many online casinos that feature Internet Roulette (among many other types of games) offer various types of bonuses, ranging from a signup or welcome bonus, to a reload bonus. That way, you can get started right away and play the game for longer - in many cases you can double or even triple the money you deposit. Other casinos give bonuses—20% for example—that are based on the on the actual wager that you make yourself. Therefore, the payout that you receive through such a generous offer would be 20% more than you actually wagered! As you can see, if you want to maximize your winnings and the amount of fun you have playing online Roulette, it’s a good idea to shop around and see what deals different casinos are promoting.