When it comes to choosing the casino table game roulette, it is important to know that there are two types of roulette wheels. Many people, especially in online casinos, don’t realize this but it is true. There are many versions of roulette available for you to play, and some are better than others. There are those featuring one zero and those featuring two zeros. For the smart roulette player, there is no contest between the two, as single zero roulette offers the much smaller house edge and thus the higher payout to the player, spin after spin.
Everyone knows the double zero roulette board, as it is the most commonly used. However, single zero roulette wheels are available in many parts of the world and are actually the standard offering throughout much of Europe. You’ll also find roulette with single zero in the United States, although in many cases these games are reserved for players at high-limit tables and games. These double zero roulette boards are better for the casino, and that’s why they are so abundant to the point many players don’t know that they have options when it comes to roulette.
Single Zero Roulette – The Basics
First of all, let’s break it down. There are 37 slots on a single zero roulette wheel, and these slots are numbered from 1 to 36 with an additional slot in green. The 0 slot is colored green, and the other numbers will alternate between red to black in color. It may seem as the numbering on the single 0 roulette wheel is completely random. However, it is wise to know nothing in a casino—online or on the strip in Vegas—is done by accident. The roulette wheel’s number and color distribution is arranged so that the sum of a group of numbers on one part of the wheel will be similar to another area of the wheel of the same size.
The Betting
There are two main areas when betting at roulette: the inside and the outside. The roulette rules are actually quite simple, and smart roulette bets are easy to figure out. This is what makes the game so popular. The inside bets refer to bets you’ll place on individual numbers on the roulette wheel, and the outside bets refer to the groups of numbers on the table you’ll bet on.
Inside Bets
The most popular inside bet is a straight bet where your chips will be placed on one individual number. You can also split bets, which are bets on two adjacent numbers, and corner bets, bets which cover four separate numbers linked together in a square. Additionally, you’ll be able to place street bets, which covers a particular row on the betting area. The final inside bet is the basket bet, which covers the 0, 1, 2 and 3 slots. The single bet has the highest payout in roulette, and you’ll win thirty-five times your stake. People love those odds and will play several straight bets per spin to try to hit the one number.
Outside Bets
The outside bets cover larger groups of numbers in their defined sections and rows. The most popular outside bet is the red or black, which pays out at odds of even money. Also, bets on odd or even or 1-18 or 19-36 will also double your wager. Other outside bets available are column and dozen bets which pay out at odds of 2 to 1. Dozens being in groups of 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36. The column bets are based around the columns in the betting area.
What to Play
You’ll find that both European and French roulette have just single zero, and therefore there is no difference in the wheel layout. European roulette offers all of the above bet types, while the French roulette version will offer some other options and rule variations. In general, the best roulette wager is on European roulette, as their house edge is only 2.70% which means that your odds of winning are higher than if you played standard American roulette.
However, if playing French Roulette and gambling on an even money wager, the house edge is reduced to 1.35%, and the roulette odds increase in your favor. This reduction in house edge doesn’t apply to any non-even money bets.
Double zero roulette offers a house edge of 5.26%, so we would recommend playing single zero roulette if you have the option of playing either. Many online casinos feature a choice of French, European, or American roulette and we would advise choosing the French option of the three. It has the lowest house edge which is what you are looking for in any table game in the casino. If you are looking to maximize your profits, you’ll want to stick to even money wagers on single zero wheels as much as you can when playing roulette.
