Roulette is one of the most popular games in the casino industry and can be found at both online and land-based establishments. The game has a history dating back to the 17th century and it has had a dominant presence in any gaming hall in brick-and-mortar casinos since it was created.
When online casinos started emerging, roulette was one of the first games to be adapted to the new virtual format and users have had many different styles of roulette at their disposal for many years. European Roulette is one of the three main game types and it is arguably the most popular of them all. In this article, we will explore this highly popular casino game and give you some insight into how it works.
European Roulette Table and Wheel
A European Roulette table is quite to distinguish from other similar styles. Playing this game, you can expect to see a wheel with 37 pockets, out of which 18 are red, 18 are black and there is also one for the Zero pocket. European Roulette shares the exact same layout with French Roulette, which may cause some confusion at first, but you will quickly learn to differentiate the two. On the wheel, you will notice that the differently colored pockets alternate between red and black. The wheel features the following sequence of numbers:
0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25-17-34-6-27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33-1-20-14-31-9-22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26
The table itself is where you will find the layout, which includes all the bets that you can place. The numbers are presented on the layout in their traditional sequence (1-2-3-…) on a 3×12 grin, with the zero being placed at the top. Next to the numbers grid, you will find the so-called Outside bets, which we will cover later on. Overall, European Roulette is quite simple to grasp and you will quickly get the hang of it after a few spins.
European Roulette Bets
European Roulette has achieved the level of popularity that it has done so partly due to the wide range of bets that it offers. Each different bet type comes with its own unique odds and payouts and you can always change your preferred wager after each spin. Depending on the win factors, there are two types of bets in European Roulette – Inside and Outside bets. Below, we will give you a thorough explanation of each unique bet type.
Inside Bets
Inside bets refer to wagers that you can place directly on the numbers grid. These come in a wide variety and we will make our way from small to large.
Straight Up is a wager that you can place on a single number in the numbers grid. This bet has the highest payout in the game, rewarding 35 times the wagered sum. The chip has to be placed within the number’s square and the chance for you win it is 2.70%.
A Split is a wager placed on two neighbouring numbers on the numbers grid. This wager comes with a payout of 17:1, while the chance to win it is 5.40%. The chip has to be placed on the border between the two numbers.
A Street is a wager which can be placed on three numbers in a horizontal line. The bet has a payout ratio of 11:1 and you will have roughly an 8.10% chance of winning one. The chip has to be placed on the start of the line in question.
Following that, we come to the Corner bet, where you can place a single chip on four neighboring numbers on the numbers grid. The Corner pays 8:1 and you will have a 10.81% success chance. The chip has to be placed on the point where the four squares meet.
The Double Street wager is a bet on six numbers or two horizontal lines, using a single chip. The payout for this bet is 5:1 and you reasonably expect to win it 16.51% of the time. The chip you use for the bet has to be placed on the border between the two lines.
The Trio bet is where you place a bet on the zero and two other neighboring numbers (either 1 and 2 or 2 and 3). This wager has the same features of the Street bet, in the sense that it pays 11:1 and you have an 8.10% chance of winning one.
Outside Bets
Outside Bets are wagers which are placed outside the numbers grid and cover a wide range of numbers, based on color, parity, or number group. The thing about these bets is that while some of them feature higher win chances and relatively good payouts, they do not cover the zero number, which could potentially lead to some losses which can be considered unfair.
High or Low is the first Outside bet type and here you place a wager on whether the number that will come up will be large or small. The wager can cover numbers 1 through 18 or, alternatively, 19 through 36. The chance to win it 48.64%, while the payout is 1:1. Bets with this kind of payout ratio are sometimes called Even Money bets.
The Odd or Even wagers will have you guessing if the number that the ball lands on will be odd or even. Much like the High or Low wagers, this type of bet has a 48.64% win chance and comes with a payout ratio of 1:1.
The Red or Black wagers are mostly self-explanatory and you will have to guess the color of the winning number. The success chance of this bet is 48.64% and it pays even money.
The Column bet is when you place a single chip on a vertical line of numbers and if the ball lands on one of them you win. The wager will be a winning one 32.43% of the time and you will receive a payout of 2:1.
The Dozen bet is identical to the Column bet, but it covers a different group of numbers. Here you will wager that the winning number will belong to either 1 through 12, 13 through 24, or 25 through 36. The chance to win it is 32.43% and the payout is even money.
European Roulette RTP and House Edge
Something very important which you must consider when playing any gambling game is the statistical return percentage and the house edge, two factors which can tell you a lot about the title. Generally, the return-to-player percentage is a rough estimate of what you can expect a casino game to pay out over the course of an infinite number of plays.
The house edge, on the other hand, is the statistical percentage of what the casino will keep from all bets in revenue. The house edge is the difference between the true odds and casino odds. True odds refers to the real world chance the player has to win a certain bet, while the casino odds are the payout ratio for the particular wager. For example, any even money bet, such as Red or Black, Odd or Even, etc., will double your initial bet with a 1:1 payout ratio. This would imply that the chances of winning such a wager are 50% of the time. However, in reality, the chance for you to score a win is 48.64% and as you can notice there is a difference between the two numbers.
Let us elaborate. For example, the odds of winning a bet on Red are 18 in 37, as there are 18 red numbers, 18 black ones, and the zero which is green. This means that our odds of losing are 19 in 37. In order to calculate the house edge for this bet, we have to apply the following formula:
(Odds Against Winning – House Odds) * Probability of Winning * 100 = House Edge Percentage
Hence, should we take the equation and add our numbers, the following equation will appear:
(19/18 – 1/1) * 18/37 * 100 = 0.027027027
When we round the solution, we come to the conclusion that the house edge for a Color bet on European Roulette is 2.7%. This is the long-term percentage of money that the casino can expect to make to make a profit from. It should be noted, that this statistic is only a factor after hundreds of thousands of spins and will not have any effect on short-term plays. From this aspect of casino gambling comes the saying ‘The house always wins’ and it is something that you should always consider.
Betting Systems
Betting systems are quite popular among the gambling community for a variety of reasons. First, they are a good way to manage your bankroll and using a system could lead to some large winnings if luck is on your side. One common misconception about betting systems that we have to inform you about is that many people believe them to be a sure way to make money while gambling. In the world of gambling, nothing is certain and anyone claiming otherwise is either misinformed or trying to deceive you.
Despite giving you a systemized betting pattern, betting systems will only make you as much money as your luck would allow. At the end of the day, you will not make any winnings if you do not properly guess the winning numbers. With that out of the way, we would like to present you with some of the more popular betting systems in gambling that you can use on European Roulette.
Fibonacci System
The Fibonacci system is relatively simple one and it derives from the Fibonacci sequence, which is a popular formula in mathematics. Basically, the Fibonacci system follows a betting pattern where one number is made up by the sum of the previous two. For example, 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-… This system is quite easy to understand and implement, requiring you to increase your wagers after every losing spin, according to the sequence above. Similarly, when you manage to score a win, you should also decrease the size of your bets.
The Fibonacci system is a negative progression since you will only have to increase the size of your wagers after losing. Of course, there is a risk of using this kind of system, as a bad string of unsuccessful bets can cause you lose your entire bankroll. For this reason, gamble responsibly.
| Spin # | Sequence | Bet Size | Spin Outcome | Net Winning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Win | +1 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | Lose | 0 |
| 3 | 1-1 | 1 | Lose | -1 |
| 4 | 1-1-2 | 2 | Lose | -3 |
| 5 | 1-1-2-3 | 3 | Lose | -6 |
| 6 | 1-1-2-3-5 | 5 | Win | -1 |
| 7 | 1-1-2 | 2 | Win | +1 |
Martingale System
The Martingale is one of the most popular betting systems out there and it utilizes a negative progression. It also involves very high risk which you also have to take into consideration. Much like the Fibonacci system, the Martingale will have you increasing your bets every time that you lose a wager. However, while the Fibonacci uses a more reasonable progression, the Martingale will have you doubling the size of your bets after every loss. When you manage to win a bet, you will also decrease your wagers to the original value.
The Martingale is a high risk, high reward sequence and it can be simultaneously good and bad for you. For one, it will allow you to recoup any previous losses when you win, but since you double your bets after every loss, a bad losing streak could significantly damage your bankroll. Additionally, when you do make back the money that you lost, you will only have 1 unit in profit, which should make you question whether it is worth the risk.
| Spin # | Bet Size | Spin Outcome | Net Winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | Win | +50 |
| 2 | 50 | Lose | 0 |
| 3 | 100 | Lose | -50 |
| 4 | 200 | Lose | -250 |
| 5 | 400 | Win | +150 |
D’Lambert System
The D’Lambert system is yet another negative progression pattern similar to the Fibonacci and the Martingale. However, where this system differs from the rest is that it has a much lower degree of risk, therefore you will not have to wager too much of your bankroll at once. The system dictates that after every loss you should increase the size of your bets by a fixed amount, usually 1 more unit. Similarly, after every win, you also decrease your bets by 1 unit. As a result, you can reasonably predict how much your bankroll will be affected over the course of the following spins.
What you should also consider is that it suffers from the same weakness as other negative progression patterns, in the sense that a series of losses can cause you to run out of money. The interesting thing about the D’Lambert system is that you can also reverse it and increase your bets after a win and decrease them after a loss, turning it into a positive progression. This pattern is highly flexible and not as risky as the others, which makes it highly popular with the gambling community.
| Spin # | Bet Size | Spin Outcome | Net Winning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Win | +5 |
| 2 | 4 | Lose | +1 |
| 3 | 5 | Lose | -4 |
| 4 | 6 | Lose | -10 |
| 5 | 7 | Win | -3 |
| 6 | 6 | Win | +3 |
Masse Egale
The Masse Egale system is the most simplistic out there and just about anyone can make use of it. The brilliance of this pattern is that it requires you to place the same bet over and over again. While this does not sound so great at first, you have to consider the fact that this is the betting system with the least amount of risk involved. Of course, this type of betting requires some discipline on your part and you will always be at the mercy of the game.
All in all, it does not put you at a significant disadvantage, when compared to other betting systems such as the Martingale or the Fibonacci. This system is designed for a particular type of gambler and it will not be to everyone’s liking. However, it does have a valid application and we recommend that you give it a try.
Most Popular European Roulette Games
One of the best aspects of the online casino industry is that users are presented with a lot of choices. After all, there are dozens of software providers out there and most have their own takes on several classic games, such as European Roulette.
For your convenience, we have formed a list of several of the best European Roulette games currently available on the market. We recommend each of these games and we are sure that you will be more than satisfied with what they have to offer.
3D Roulette by Playtech
Playtech is one of the online casino industry’s largest software providers and the company’s games have become popular around the globe. Their table games selection is nothing to scoff at and 3D Roulette is the perfect game to symbolize this.
While it is not strictly presented as ‘European Roulette’, 3D Roulette features a single-zero wheel and follows the same rules as the original game. Playing this title, you will be amazed by the graphics and the immersive background audio. Additionally, you will be able to play this game on a wide range of desktop computers and mobile devices.
European Roulette Gold by Microgaming
Microgaming’s table game Gold Series is one of the most popular on the market and you will be able to find it at a large number of online casinos. European Roulette Gold is part of that package and you will be hard-pressed to find another roulette game able to match it.
European Roulette Gold is characterized by the brilliant visuals and the many customization options that players have at their disposal. This game features adequate betting limits, making it a prime choice for a large part of the online gambling community.
European Roulette by Playtech
Playtech presents you with the pure and unadulterated version of the classic European Roulette game. This title is a pillar of the Playtech selection of games and you will find no Playtech-powered online casino that does not offer it.
European Roulette by Playtech follows the same classic rules and uses a single-zero wheel, making it one of the most faithful adaptations of the original game. Moreover, you can play this game from both your home using a desktop computer or via a mobile device such as a smartphone or a tablet, allowing you to take it with you wherever you may go.
Premier Roulette Diamond Edition by Microgaming
As if the Gold Series was not enough, Microgaming also created the Diamond Edition table games. European Roulette is one of the many game types that you will be able to play and it is undoubtedly one of the best of its kind on the Internet.
European Roulette Diamond Edition features wide betting limits, even more so than the average roulette game. This makes it accessible to just about anyone. Additionally, players will have at their disposal an array of UI features and also be able to play on the go, since it is fully mobile compatible.
Premium Roulette by Playtech
Playtech has come out with many great table games over the years, but Premium Roulette is a contender for the top spot. Premium Roulette uses the same 37-pocket wheel as in European Roulette and features the same payout ratios. Moreover, this game comes with some of the best graphics on the Internet and you will be fully immersed in the casino atmosphere.
The user interface is clean and easy to read, meaning that you will have no problems in figuring out the game. Additionally, you will be able to access Premium Roulette both on your desktop computer and on a wide range of mobile devices.
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