As a newbie in roulette, I can tell that it presents itself as merely a game, but there is quite a deeper meaning behind it. I’m no newbie, so I feel like I’m in a good position to tell you about anything a newbie should know before placing a wager. I can promise you that I’ve seen tons of people lose their money in seconds!

Understand the Basics of the Roulette Wheel

A roulette wheel is some numbers in a black and red colour, right? Well, yes, but there’s more to it than that.

Roulette comes in two main versions: European and American. The main difference is that the European Wheel has 37 pockets with one single zero, while the American Wheel has 38 and a double zero. This apparently tiny change can contribute massively to the house and your chance of winning.

The house (house advantage) also retains a smaller 2.7% house edge in European roulette compared to the American version, where the house edge rises by 5.26% because of that extra double zero. I prefer European roulette. You can find more on payouts fully described on casinomeister.com/blog/how-to-calculate-roulette-payouts/

Know the Types of Bets and Their Odds

One of the first things I realised was the risks, bets, and odds. If you want to be successful at roulette, you need to understand how risk is divided into each kind of bet:

• Inside Bets: Inside bets are made on a single number or a set of numbers. They include straight-up bets, split bets placed on two adjacent numbers, and street-three betting on three consecutive numbers. Inside bets tend to have higher payouts, so I prefer them.
• Outside Bets: These types of bets are placed on larger numbers, for instance, red or black, odd or even, or selecting from one of the three dozen groups (1-12, 13-24, 25-36). I also like these bets because they have lower-risk options.
• Call Bets: Also called announced bets, I think these are more complicated. You gamble based on sub-sections of the wheel. These are mostly only on European roulette wheels.

Set a Budget

Something I was never good at – but set a budget. And even more importantly, set a budget and stick to it. I know how easy it is to get carried away while playing roulette. And it’s even easier to lose focus on everything else when following the ball spinning round and round and pumping with excitement. Roulette has to be one of the most exciting to play.

Try to budget an amount you feel comfortable losing. I’ve noticed that most iGaming platforms will now let you set a deposit limit, so it’s much easier than when I first started not to get carried away.

Have a Strategy

Never come to a party unprepared – that’s a strategy I’ve learned many a time, and not only at online casinos.

Even though roulette is definitely one of the ones of pure luck since the outcome solely depends on the turn of the wheel, having a plan can increase the level of fun. Here are a few strategies I’ve heard of before.

• Martingale Strategy: The Martingale System is increasing your stakes after every losing round – it doesn’t sound like something that would work for me. Apparently, if I keep doing this, eventually I will win. But I don’t like to rely on this strategy because I don’t win too often.
• Reverse Martingale: This one might sound simple – but you do the opposite of the Martingale. It has a lower level of risk, but still, I can suffer when their winning streak comes to a sudden stop. And trust me, it can come to a sudden stop quicker than you think.
• D’Alembert Strategy: This is a moderate strategy where I bet increment after every loss and decrement after every successful venture. This one is a little more complicated and not necessarily my favourite tactic because I find it hard to follow, but it does work for some people.

Having a strategy definitely helps me a little bit, but most of the time I will just see what happens with roulette. It’s not like poker where you really have to think about what to do. Don’t get me started on how tricky I find poker! I’m not really a fan of playing where I have to think too much – I’d prefer to let fate do the work for me, and fate doesn’t always go my way! Remember that no approach is foolproof in winning roulette. You only have to go with the flow.

Roulette is a classic that most people love – I know I definitely do. It’s one of the ones that gives me the most thrill because you never really know what will happen. And it’s so fast-paced. But it’s so fast-paced that you should get ready to lose some money.