How Much Do You Actually Know About Your Favorite Casino Game?
If you have spent any time in a Casino then you have probably played at least one round of Roulette. You’ve had fun and maybe even won some money. But, how much do you know about the game?
Here are 5 facts about Roulette that might surprise you…
1. The Origins Of The Roulette Wheel
Like many of the Casino games we know and love, Roulette was invented in France and brought to America by British and French soldiers.
But, Roulette has a stranger origin story than most forms of gambling.
The man who invented the Roulette wheel was called Blaise Pascal. Pascal was a physicist who was trying to invent the mythical machine known as the perpetual motion machine.
Perpetual motion machines are supposed to be able to keep themselves moving infinitely and in turn, provide an infinite source of energy. As you can probably work out, Pascal was not successful, but he did create an incredibly smooth wheel that kept moving for a good amount of time.
The story goes that Pascal gave the wheel to his friend who turned it into the first-ever Roulette wheel. The game became a huge hit in France.
2. The Worst Number To Bet On
Roulette is a game of chance.
Theoretically, the ball should land on the numbers an equal amount of times. But this is not the case. Some numbers also have a larger amount of bets placed on them.
When statistic experts studied the game, they found something really interesting. The number that people lost the most money was on number 17.
This was caused by two factors, 17 was one of the most common numbers that people bet on, and it was consistently one of the numbers that the ball landed on.
That fact makes the following story even more interesting.
James Bond actor Sean Connery only gambled once in his life. It was while filming one of the James Bond films in a casino.
He played Roulette, he put his money on 17 three times in a row and won all three bets. We’re not sure the exact odds of that happening, but they are astronomical.
3. Why American Wheels Have An Extra Number
If you know anything about Roulette then you may know that in America we used different Roulette wheels than the rest of the world.
The American wheel has a 0 slot, and a 00 slot. The European wheel (that the rest of the world uses) only has a 0 slot.
Why do American Casinos choose to use this wheel with an extra slot? Well, it’s quite simple – you are more likely to lose money on an American wheel.
The extra number on the wheel makes it less likely that any of the players will win their bet.
When the ball lands on 0 or 00, all the money on the table goes to the house. On the American wheel, this is twice as likely to happen.
If you have a choice, opt for the European wheel. Most Casinos have both, in the hope that lots of people don’t know the difference between the two wheels. Which is usually the case.
The extra slot drastically increases the house’s edge. Even when using the European wheel, the house has a bigger edge in Roulette than any other game in the Casino.
4. The Numbers On The Wheel Add Up To 666
Let’s look at some more basic Roulette facts in this section.
All the numbers on a Roulette wheel add up to 666 on both types of the Roulette wheel. These numbers range from 00 to 36. The 00 and 0 slots are green. Half of the numbers are red and the other half is black.
The average amount of money lost per bet on a Roulette wheel is $5.26. Unless, you place a 5 number bet, in that case, you will lose an average of $7.89 per bet.
The house edge on a game of Roulette can be as high as 5.36%. Most slot machines have an edge of 2.6-2.8%. But Blackjack has a house edge of 0.8%.
5. Most Betting Systems Don’t Work With Roulette
Many people claim that the best way to win money at a Casino is to use betting strategies like the Martingale System. But when you break down these systems you will see that most of the time they only work if you are winning 1 out of 3 of your spins.
If you do want to win money in the casino then your best chance of doing so is to get good at playing Blackjack and Poker. Then spend most of your time at those tables.
With the Martingale System, every time you lose, you double your last bet so that you can make up for the money you lost. The problem is, if you bet $10 first, within 8 bets you will be at $1280. Your odds of winning in Roulette as worse than 1 in 38.
The betting system just doesn’t work.
How To Play Roulette
Before we leave you, we want to give you a quick guide that will teach you how to play Roulette.
Before each round of Roulette, players are given a chance to place their bets.
They can put their money on a single number, an inside bet (betting on a whole row or column of numbers), an outside bet (odds & evens, reds & blacks, highs & lows), or a 5 number bet (pick any five numbers).
After all the bets have been placed, the wheel is spun. The ball will land on one number. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, all the money goes to the house. Otherwise, the winnings are paid out to any successful player.
Single number bets have a bigger payout, but they are far less likely to be successful. Outside bets are the opposite, you are much more likely to win, but you will win less money.