Roulette is a simple enough game to learn. Pick a number, color or row, place your bet and cross your fingers in hopes that your bets win.

• How Much Does 0 And 00 Pay In Roulette
• How Much Does 0 Pay In Roulette No Deposit

However, once you get past the initial learning phase doors start to open up. Behind one door you have betting systems, behind another is Las Vegas roulette games and another is online roulette, which includes online casinos, live dealer games and more.

For example, a neighbor bet on zero for the European roulette wheel will typically cover numbers 3,26,0,32,15. This is because sector based bets are used in advantage play methods. In particularly the European casinos, a neighbor bet must be given to the dealer, who then announces the bet to the pit boss. A “basket bet” is a 3 number bet that can be either 0,00,2 or 0,1,2 or 00,2,3. In 20 years dealing roulette I never heard to term “avenue bet”. It is simply a “double street” bet or sometimes called “6 line bet”. The pockets of the roulette wheel are numbered from 0 to 36. In number ranges from 1 to 10 and 19 to 28, odd numbers are red and even are black. In ranges from 11 to 18 and 29 to 36, odd numbers are black and even are red. There is a green pocket numbered 0 (zero). In American roulette, there is a second green pocket marked 00.

For example, a neighbour bet on zero for the European roulette wheel will typically cover numbers 3,26,0,32,15. This is because sector based bets are used in advantage play methods. In particularly the European casinos, a neighbour bet must be given to the dealer, who then announces the bet to the pit boss. Basket - The payout will be 6 to 1 (with a percentage chance of 13.2% in American roulette, this bet is not found in European roulette) as you are betting on five numbers (i.e. 0, 00, 1, 2, 3).

You quickly realize this game is more than just picking a number or color. It starts becoming more complicated.

So it’s no surprise that we a ton of questions about how and where to play. Instead of answering all of these questions individually we thought it would be helpful to post the questions and answers below for all of our visitors to read.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Do roulette betting systems work?

No, to put it simply betting systems don’t work. The reason why betting systems don’t work for roulette is because there is no way to beat the game. Roulette is totally random; the outcome of the last spin has no effect on the outcome of the next spin, therefore making it impossible to determine what number is most likely to come up.

What are some advantages to playing roulette online?

There are a few:

• No need to travel. This saves you time and money spent on room, board and travel. You don’t need to take time off work either.
• Play whenever you want. All you have to do is get online and log-in.
• Smaller stakes. Most table games will have a minimum limit of $1. A smaller bankroll of $25 or $50 will go much further compared to live roulette.
• You can switch casinos in a matter of minutes.
• Play from the privacy of your own home.

How does the zero or double zero give the advantage to the house?

The easiest way to explain it is that if you were to only bet on black or red, it wouldn’t be a 50/50 bet because the zeroes are neither black nor red.

But it’s not only the zeroes that give the casino the advantage. It’s the fact that they pay 35:1 for any winning number, but there are 37 or 38 numbers depending on the roulette game you’re playing.

In other words, if you were playing American roulette and placed a $1 on every number (1-36, 0, 00) you’d win $35 plus your $1 original bet for $36 total. However, being as there is 38 numbers you’d of wagered $38 for a $2 loss.

Why can’t I play roulette to clear my deposit bonus?

I’ve never seen a casino explain why in their terms and conditions. However, the games that are excluded are the same from one casino to the next. If you look at each game there is a common theme — they all have low house edges. The house edge for roulette varies from 2.70 to 5.25%, depending on the game and bet you make.

So I would guess that the reason why casino doesn’t allow you to play these games despite having an edge (however small it may be) is because the edges are so small that the short term variance could easily favor the player. So not only is the player earning free bonus money, but they’re beating the casino for a profit while they’re at it. The casinos don’t like this, as you might imagine.

In general, any casino game where you can bet against yourself is not good for clearing bonuses as the casino either bans or restricts bonuses on them.

Can I own a roulette wheel?

That depends on a lot of things. What country do you live in? If in the US, what state do you live in? What are their laws? Many states don’t mind if you have casino equipment so long as it’s not in play and it’s considered an “antique.”

Can I play roulette online for free?

Yes. Most, if not all, online casinos allow you to play their games for free. Most casinos will require you to create an account first, but that should only take a couple of minutes to do.

Can Americans play roulette online for real money?

Yes. There is a handful or two of casinos that accept real money US customers. However, keep in mind that it’s not indicative of whether or not it’s legal for you to play online. You’ll need to check your local laws to be sure.

What are the best bets to make in roulette?

You have the highest chances of winning your bet by betting on a red/black, odd/even or on 1-18/19-36. However, your house edge will be the same regardless — about 2.7 or 5.26%. So it doesn’t really matter what you bet on.

What are the worst bets to make in roulette?

In terms of probability it’s any one number at 2.63%. In terms of house edge it’s the first five (5 numbers) bet (7.89% house edge for double-zero roulette).

What is a good online casino for roulette?

That’s subjective. Everyone’s needs are different in terms of games, promotions, where they live, and the banking methods they can use and so on. The best way to find this answer is to read our reviews here at Roulette Online and see which casino fits your needs the most.

Off the top of my head though, I’d start with Bet365 and Bovada Casino.

What casinos? have the lowest and highest table limits

Nearly every casino will have a table minimum of $1. Of the casinos we recommend, Bovada has a table maximum of $500 ($500 inside and out) and Bet365 has a $50 inside and $500 outside, and a total table bet of $500.

It is possible to talk to your casino management and get the option to play at higher tables, even if they don’t make them available to the public. That’s the case for VIP members, too. Of course, if you don’t want to play at the casinos we recommend you can find table limits as high as $10,000, and sometimes even higher.

Can I make a living playing roulette?

No. You can’t beat the game. There’s no way to shift the odds in your favor, which is needed to play and win long term. So that’s like asking if you can play the lottery for a living.

How old do I need to be to play roulette online?

At most casinos it will be 18. Sometimes it’s 21. You can find this out for sure by reading the terms of the casinos or contacting their support.

What are the lowest limits for roulette in Vegas?

It’s possible to find $3 roulette (and blackjack and craps). Your best bet to find the lowest limit table games is to travel off the strip.

What casinos have mobile roulette?

It’s possible to play on your iPhone, iPad and Android device at Bet365. You’ll play from your browser, though, and not from an app.

Platinum Play Casino is setup for mobile devices too. Their Android device offers roulette (according to their website), however, when I visited the site on my iPhone it appeared that they only had slots and video poker games.

Those are the casinos that we recommend checking out. That said, you should technically be able to play in any instant Flash casino so long as your device supports Flash. Find more about playing on your mobile in this guide.

What are the differences between American, European and French roulette?

The American roulette wheel has a 0 and 00 and a house edge of 5.26, the European has a 0 house edge of 2.70 and the French has only the 0, too, but unlike the European variation the French will pay half the bet back to the players if the ball lands on 0, which reduces the house edge to 1.35. We cover this in more detail on the roulette games page.

What is Russian roulette? Can I play it online?

Russian roulette is not a casino game, but a game played with a gun. The idea is that one bullet is loaded, the cylinder is spun and people take turns firing at their heads. They’re gambling on whether or not that shot will be the one with the bullet. We don’t recommend playing this game for obvious reasons.

Are betting systems illegal? Can I use the Martingale online?

To the best of our knowledge betting systems aren’t illegal, so long as they’re not cheating. If you’re playing the game correctly then you can use whatever system you want, even the Martingale. Betting systems will have the same effectiveness online as they do live — none.

I want to host roulette and blackjack night. Will I make money if I’m the dealer?

Technically, yes. However, keep in mind that both games have small house edges, therefore you can experience large swings in favor of you or the players. The point that I’m trying to make is that although you should win in the long run, you will need to be prepared for the short term swings. You’re going to want to have enough money to cover player wins.

What casinos offer free spins for roulette?

These types of promotions change often. We recommend reading our reviews which will have all the up-to-date promotions listed for each casino.

Are online casino games fair? Can I trust them?

Yes. The caveat here is that you need to play at legitimate casinos. Those casinos use random number generators to determine what number the ball lands in, and those RNGs are tested by companies to prove that the results are fair and random.

In terms of trusting a casino — the best way is to use our reviews and recommendations. We only recommend casinos we play at (or would play at) ourselves. Read about our rogue casinos here.

What types of betting systems do people use for roulette?

There are several betting systems you can use:

• Labouchere Cancellation – Reverse Labouchere
• Martingale – Anti-Martingale & Grand Martingale

Each system will tell you how to adjust your betting depending on how much you bet before and whether you won or lost. Keep in mind that betting systems should be used for fun only. You’re not actually going to win with them.

What is the best casino for free roulette?

Bovada is one of our top picks. They accept US players and don’t require you to have an account to play for free in their Flash casino.

What casinos in Las Vegas offer European roulette?

The Las Vegas casinos that have single zero roulette include:

• Bellagio
• MGM Grand
• Rio Suites
• Wynn

How much money can you win playing roulette while betting on black/red?

None. Truth be told, you’ll lose money in the long run betting on black or red. You’re going to win either bet a little more than 47% of the time, and you need 50% to break even.

In the short term you can win money, but there’s no way to determine how much.

Will the casinos in Las Vegas allow me to track previous numbers with a pen and paper?

Yes. In fact they’ll probably give you a paper and pen to do so. However, many roulette tables have a sign that shows the last 20 or so numbers, so there’s no need to do it yourself. Keep in mind that showing the numbers is merely a mind game — they show the numbers as if knowing the previous numbers makes a difference, when in fact it has no bearing on the outcome of future numbers.

Do I have to pay taxes on my roulette winnings?

Yes. The rule of thumb is that if you win more than $600-$1500 (depending on the game) you’ll need to report it as additional income. You’ll want to talk to your accountant to determine if you’ll need to pay taxes, and how much you should set aside.

What are the odds of any one number on a roulette layout?

1/37 or 1/38 depending on the variation you’re playing.

How do I learn how to play roulette?

The rules are very simple. You’ll choose a number or bet and place your wager. If the outcome is what you bet on, you win, and if not, you lose. That’s the basic gist of it. However, you can read our rules, strategy or tips page to learn the finer details.

Can I play live dealer roulette?

Yes. International players will be able to play live dealer roulette. Of the casinos we recommend Bet365 has live dealer games.

How does live dealer roulette work?

It’s the same idea as non-live dealer roulette. You’ll go to a table, choose and place your bets. The key difference is that there is a live dealer which is shown via a live feed in a brick and mortar casino. You’ll be able to chat back and forth with the dealer, and possibly tablemates.

One key difference from live dealer roulette and video roulette is that live dealer roulette cannot be played for free. Those games usually have a limited number of seats, so they need to be filled with paying customers. Plus, the casinos need to pay their dealers.

What casinos offer multi-player roulette?

32Red offers multi-player roulette.

What is the etiquette for live casino roulette?

Etiquette is as follows:

• Avoid getting too drunk. This is so that you’re not falling into other players or otherwise being loud and annoying.
• Limit how much you smoke. Not everyone wants to smell like an ashtray.
• Follow the dealer’s instructions and pay attention to their announcements. They’ll tell you when to make a bet and when you cannot make any more bets.
• Tip your dealer. Part of the dealer’s income comes from gratuity. If you think your dealer did a good job you should tip them.
• Understand the rules and lingo. That way you don’t slow the action down.

Common sense will go a long ways here.

On Sunday night, I took a date to the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma to do some gambling. I’ve never really done much gambling there besides playing poker. We didn’t have much fun at the slots, which seemed tight, so we decided to try the table games.

We started with roulette and went on to play blackjack. I knew in a vague way that the Winstar (like other Oklahoma casinos) charges an ante when you place a bet. But this was the first time I’d spent much time at the tables paying that ante on every hand of blackjack and every spin of the roulette wheel.

Being a gambling writer who’s especially interested in the math behind the games, I started thinking about how to quantify what this ante does to the house edge.

I had a math teacher in high school who insisted that I “show my work.”

That’s what I intend to do in this post. Calculate the house edge for the table games I played at the Winstar Casino, accounting for the antes.

What’s an Ante?

An ante is a forced bet, usually in poker, that drives action to the game. In the Native American casinos in Oklahoma, it’s an amount you put up in addition to your bet that the house keeps whether you win, lose, or push.

It would be more accurate to describe this so-called “ante” as a fee for playing a hand of blackjack or for betting on a spin of the roulette wheel. The casinos love to use euphemisms to make a bad deal seem slightly better, and using the word “ante” instead of “fee” is just an example of this.

This has the obvious effect of costing you the amount of the fee multiplied by the number of bets you make. Even if you’re winning, the fees add up. They could easily be the difference between a winning session and a losing session.

How the Roulette Ante Affects the House Edge

The first weird thing about playing roulette at the Winstar Casino is that they don’t have an actual roulette wheel. There’s an animated roulette wheel that drives the results. That wasn’t THAT weird for me; I’ve played at plenty of online casinos that did the same thing.

But the online casinos use a random number generator program to produce their roulette results. That’s a computer program that generates thousands of numbers per second. When you hit the “spin” or “bet” button at an online casino, the RNG stops on whatever number it’s “thinking of” at that millisecond.

The roulette games at the Winstar Casino don’t work that way. They have a dealer with a deck of cards. The dealer scans the playing card into a machine, then the animated roulette wheel spins and lands on the space that corresponds to the card that was dealt.

I have no reason to think that the probability of the underlying game had changed. It was a standard American roulette wheel on the giant TV screen above the table. It had 38 possible results, 2 of which were green (the 0 and the 00). 18 of those results were black, while the other 18 were red, and so on.

The table limits weren’t unusual, either. $5 minimum on the outside bets, with a $500 maximum bet.

But I had to pay a $1 fee (the so-called “ante”) every time they spun the wheel.

I didn’t even realize that was the case until the dealer told me to put up the extra dollar.

How did that affect the house edge?

Let’s start by assuming that we’re going to “spin the wheel” 38 times, and we’re going to get statistically perfect results. We’ll also assume that I bet on black every time.

This means that I’ll win $5 on 18 spins, and I’ll lose $5 on 20 spins.

On top of that, I’m going to lose $1 on each of the 38 spins.

I have $90 in winnings, and $100 in losses on the spins. Add $38 to my losses, and I wind up with a net loss of $48 over 38 spins.

That’s an average loss of about $1.26 per spin.

Since I’m basically putting $6 into action on every spin, an average loss of $1.26 per spin equates to an average loss of 21% of my bet.

That’s a lot higher than a 5.26% loss per spin.

In fact, that’s TERRIBLE.

Can You Do Anything to Lower the House Edge on the Roulette Games at the Winstar?

Here’s the thing:

I’m a low roller. (As you can imagine, gambling writers don’t make that much money.)

But if you have a bigger bankroll than I do, you can lower the house edge by betting more each time they spin the wheel.

The fee for the roulette games (and the craps games, for that matter) at the Winstar Casino remains $1 regardless of whether you’re betting $5 per spin or $500 per spin.

What does that change the house edge to?

You do the math the same way, but the average losses as a percentage of the money you’re putting into action drop as you raise the size of your bets, as follows:

• If you’re betting $5 per spin, your average loss per spin is $1.26.
• If you’re betting $100 per spin, your average loss per spin is $6.26.
• If you’re betting $500 per spin, your average loss per spin is $27.32.

This means the house edge at each of these levels is:

• At $5, the house edge is 21%.
• At $100, the house edge is 6.2%
• At $500, the house edge is 5.45%.

Notice how at $500 per spin, the house edge is almost normal–normal being 5.26%.

But your sole goal shouldn’t be to get the house edge as low as possible. You should also consider your average cost of playing per hour.

The roulette games moved along at the Winstar at a good clip–about 50 spins per hour.

To calculate your average loss per hour, you multiply the number of bets per hour by the average size of your bet, and then you multiply that by the house edge.

For a $5 bettor, this means you’re putting $6 into action 50 times per hour, for $300 per hour in total action. With a house edge of 21%, you can expect to lose $63/hour.

For a $100 bettor, you’re putting $101 into action 50 times per hour, for $5050 in total action. With a house edge of 6.2%, you can expect to lose $313.10/hour.

For a $500 bettor, you’re putting $501 into action 50 times per hour, for $25,050 in total action. With a house edge of 5.45%, you can expect to lose $1365.23/hour.

The big difference is between the $5 and $100 mark–you’re betting 20 times as much per hand, but the difference in the house edge is so great that your expected losses only go up by a factor of 5.

You’ll need to decide for yourself how much an hour of roulette is worth to you, but keep in mind, too, that these are long term averages anyway. Even if you’re betting $5/hand, you could come out a winner in the short term.

In fact, even though a lot of gambling experts eschew the Martingale System, Michael Bluejay wrote an excellent page about how the system does increase your probability of having a small winning session in the short run. This will, of course, over time, be balanced out by some large losing sessions.

(The Martingale System worked well enough for me Sunday night that I broke even at the roulette tables.)

What about the Blackjack Ante?

I’m going to look at the blackjack math a little differently, but I also should point out that the ante rules for the blackjack games are different. The fee changes based on how much you’re betting, as follows:

• If you’re betting $5 to $99 per hand, the ante is 50 cents.
• If you’re betting $100 to $999 per hand, the ante is $1.
• If you’re betting $1000 to $1999, the ante is $2.
• If you’re betting $2000+, the ante is $3.

The first thing I’m going to do when calculating the house edge for the blackjack (including the fee) is to look at the game’s edge based on the rules in place. This also assumes you’re playing with perfect basic strategy.

As it turns out, the rules at the Winstar blackjack tables are excellent:

• They deal from 6 decks.
• The dealer stands on soft 17.
• No doubling after splitting.
• No surrender.
• You can double on any 2 cards.

With these rules in place, if you use perfect basic strategy, the house edge is only 0.56%.

But that’s not taking into account the 50 cent fee.

Here’s how we’re going to get to that number:

Let’s start with an expected hourly loss figure that doesn’t account for the ante.

When I was there, we only had an average of 3 players at the table–me, my lady friend, and usually one other person. (That person kept changing, but we hung in there for quite a while.)

According to the Wizard of Odds, I can expect 105 hands per hour at such a table. At $5 per hand, I’m putting $525 per hour into action.

Since I’m playing according to perfect basic strategy, my expected loss per hour just on the blackjack action (without the fee) is 0.56% of that, or $2.94/hour.

But I’m also losing 50 cents per hand to the fee. With 105 hands/hour, that’s another $52.50 in hourly losses. (I also get to add that to the hourly action.)

How Much Does 0 And 00 Pay In Roulette

So with the fee, I’m wagering $577.50 and losing $55.40 of that.

That’s an effective house edge of 9.59%.

I don’t need to tell you that this has a terrible effect on what would otherwise be a great blackjack game.

What If You Increase Your Bet Sizes?

If you were paying attention during the roulette section, you probably already realize that if you raise the size of your bets, you can lower that house edge.

Let’s say you’re betting $99/hand instead. Now you’re putting $99 X 105 into action per hour, or $10,395. Your expected loss on that is $58.21.

You’re still paying $52.50 in fees, though, so your expected loss goes up to $110.71.

On total action of $10,447.50 in action, that’s a house edge of 1.1%.

Now that’s more like it. If you have the bankroll to afford this kind of action, it makes a lot of sense to bet $99/hand instead.

But here’s something interesting:

Watch what happens when you start betting $100/hand instead of $99/hand:

Your fee doubles. It’s now a dollar instead of 50 cents, which means that you now have $105 in hourly fees.

Your expected hourly loss besides that doesn’t change much. You’re putting $10,500 into action each hour instead of $10,447.50. Your expected loss on that is $58.80 instead of $58.21.

Add those together, and your hourly loss is $163.80 instead of $110.71.

So the house edge when you’re betting $99 is only 1.1%, but when you’re betting $100, it’s 1.54%.

If you really want to drop the house edge, though, just raise the size of your bets to $999.

$999 X 105 = $104,895

0.56% X $104,895 = $587.41

$587.41 + $105 = $692.41

$692.41/$105,000 = 0.65%

If you have the bankroll to afford that kind of action, it’s worth doing. You’ll find plenty of casinos in Las Vegas which don’t offer a house edge that low.

You might even be able to get an edge at this kind of game with a card counting strategy, although I suspect most people don’t have the bankroll for that. Also, I have a feeling–and I’ve read forum posts suggesting–that the security at the casinos in Oklahoma frown even more on blackjack advantage players than the casinos in Las Vegas do.

Conclusion

The fees (or so-called “antes”) for the roulette games and the blackjack games at the Winstar Casino in Oklahoma have a significant effect on the house edge.

In fact, if you’re a low roller, the best thing you can do is to avoid the roulette game altogether. If you do play roulette, try to avoid betting the minimum. Bet as much as you can comfortably afford, and remember that the house always wins in the long run anyway.

With the blackjack games, be careful with the amount you bet. The house edge can change dramatically between $99 and $100 per bet just because of the rising size of the fee.

You’ll find other posts in forums complaining about the antes at the casinos in Oklahoma. I’ll refrain from any histrionics here. You know what the deal is now, so if you want to play, that’s your business.

It does remind me of the old joke about the guy who plays in this lousy poker game. One of his buddies asks him, if the game’s so bad, why do you keep playing?

How Much Does 0 Pay In Roulette No Deposit

Because it’s the only game in town, he replies.