Roulette offers the ultimate casino experience. It’s steeped in history, tracing its origins hundreds of years. It oozes elegance, with the quintessential picture of a roulette player wearing a smooth tuxedo or a stunning dress. The wheel is mesmerizing, the winning potential huge.
It’s no wonder roulette continues to be one of the most popular casino games.
It doesn’t take a lot of skill to learn the basics, but becoming a roulette master player is something entirely different. Tilting the house edge closer to your advantage requires an insight into the different strategies, a good amount of experience, and yes, perhaps a dash of luck! Here’s how you can become a master yourself.
Know the Basics
Beginner roulette players often make this cardinal sin: they want to walk before they can crawl. Heck, most want to skip every step of the learning process altogether so they can start running. Doing this is a surefire way to lose your money.
Before you delve deeper into the strategies you can adopt to become a master player, focus on knowing the basics first. And no, hitting Vegas after a night out with friends and putting ten bucks on red doesn’t count as experience. If you haven’t hit the casino as a serious player yet, wikiHow has put together a decent and thorough starter’s pack.
Practice, Practice (and More Practice!)
Just like any other skill, roulette requires practice. You need to spend a lot of time watching how it’s done, learning from others, and then doing it yourself. To become a true roulette master, practice is a non-negotiable condition.
Of course, at the start, you’ll lose. But that’s to be expected. That’s why we recommend starting with a little bit of online roulette first. You can usually play free rounds, and once you’re ready, real money can come into it. Virtual casinos have lower starting bets than most of their physical counterparts, meaning you can gamble a little (and learn a lot!).
Understand the Odds
When it comes down to the pure mathematical truth, the house always wins. Yes, it’s something that some roulette gurus aren’t happy about advertising. They want to convince you that losing is somehow your fault. However, the numbers don’t lie.
The American wheel, also known as double zero, gives the house an edge of %5.26. The European version of roulette, with just one zero, gives the edge to the house by %2.70. It’s mathematically impossible to change it. However, becoming a master player is about playing the game as close to perfection as possible, turning your bet closer to that true advantage. It’s all about trying to improve your odds.
Don’t Trust Sketchy “Systems”
When you’re trying to reach the zenith of roulette, just remember that there’s not a single system that will guarantee results. Some will work out of sheer luck, while others will stall the house advantage for just a little longer. Ultimately, however, the house always catches up. So next time you get an email with a ‘guaranteed’ system, take the safe route and hit that delete button.
Of course, there is some value to some systems. The Martingale, for example, is a popular traditional system. They can certainly work in the short term and help you understand roulette a little better. And it definitely beats a system you concoct by yourself or simply putting money on random numbers. But can systems beat the house over a long period of time? The answer is a resounding no.
Embrace Luck
Now that you understand the mathematics that churns the odds against you, you can start to embrace luck. Because ultimately, every casino player needs a little bit of it. If you learn the strategies to minimize your risk of loss, all you need is a dash of luck to turn a losing set of bets to a night of winnings.
Learn When to Walk Away
The house odds are against you. You know this. If you win huge, consider whether you want to place another bet or to simply walk away. Having fun? Stick around and place some of your winnings on another round of bets. Could you use that money to do something useful? Perhaps think about heading home.
The true roulette master knows when it’s time to cash in those chips. The master understands that the odds are not in his favor in the long run. That doesn’t mean the game isn’t fun. That doesn’t mean you can’t win. But it does mean that every once in awhile, it’s better to quit while you’re ahead.
It’s Supposed to Be Fun
When it comes down right to it, roulette is a game. A night out with your friends. Something to take your mind off work. Roulette isn’t your job, it’s not a get-rich-quick scheme. If you’re thinking of roulette as a shortcut to the big bucks, leave the chips to other players.
Becoming a master player will certainly improve odds, which will help draw luck in your direction, lengthen the amount of playing time by limiting losses, and some nights you’ll leave with a heavier wallet or purse. But at the end of the day, roulette is supposed to be fun. Remember that!