It is important when playing Roulette to play with the lowest casino edge available to you. Here are some tips on how to keep the casino edge as low as possible:
- Play using the European Wheel
The American Roulette wheel has 38 slots (numbered 1 to 36 plus 0 and 00) and offers a house edge of 5.26%. The European Roulette wheel has 37 slots (numbered 1 to 36 plus 0) for a house edge of 2.70%. Casinos using the American (double zero) wheel should be avoided as it gives the house almost twice the advantage of a casino using an European (single zero) wheel.
- Play the "En Prison" option
Find a casino that offers the "En Prison" option. The En Prison option is exercised when the winning number is green (0 or 00 on the American wheel, 0 on the European wheel). When green wins the player has two options:
- They can surrender one half of the wager or,
- They can imprison the wager. Imprisoning the bet means setting it aside until the next spin of the wheel. If on the next spin the imprisoned bet wins the wager is returned to the player, but without the payoff. If the next spin results in the original wager losing then the bet is lost. If the wheel produces a green number winner again the bet stays imprisoned and the decision on the bet is held until the wheel is again spun.
The En Prison option reduces the house edge by 50%; a game using the
American wheel reduces its' edge to 2.63% from 5.26%, while a game
that uses the European wheel reduces its' edge to 1.35% from 2.70%.
- Don't bet the Five-spot
When using the American wheel don't make the five number bet (00, 0, 1, 2 and 3). This bet is the worst wager in Roulette it has a house advantage of 7.98% compared to a casino advantage of 5.26% for every other Roulette wager. You are would be better off making any other bet.
Other tips:
Don't follow anybody's system. If they worked everyone would try to use them and the casinos would find a way to guard against them. But since they don't the casinos make no attempt to stop you from playing them. In fact many casinos will give you pens and paper to record the winning numbers of the wheel knowing that it's a waste of your time.
It's usually a waste of time analysing the results of a wheel over extended periods of time looking for an advantage due to a flaw in the wheel. Modern casinos keep a sharp eye out for flaws and do regular maintenance to eliminate any bias in the wheel.
Decide on a betting strategy and don't change it with every spin. Every number should win equally with time so staying with one strategy should result in wins more often than if you keep changing with every spin. Some players believe that if a number hasn't won for a long time it is overdue for a win, they study a wheel to find such a number, then they place a bet on it.
Decide ahead of time on acceptable losses and profits. It is much easier to think about managing your money before entering the casino where the excitement of the tables can cloud your judgement. If you reach one of your preset limits (losses or wins) stop playing for the day.
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