Odds

If you want to play roulette seriously, you will want to learn the odds. It is a fairly straightforward system compared to some other games, i.e.: craps, but it is still a good idea to understand the actual numbers behind the odds. Although your winnings may be determined by random chance, with an understanding of odds you will be able to make smarter bets and increase the payoff of your roulette strategy.

The payouts are generally fair compared to the odds of the board, disregarding the 0 and 00 slot. Therefore, a bet of black which (disregarding 0 and 00) has an equal chance of winning compared to red, will pay out even odds. The same is with odd and even bet. Individual numbers pay out at 35 to 1, which again would be fair odds for a 1 in 36 chance, if not for 0 and 00.

Obviously, the fewer slots there are for the ball to land in on the wheel, the better odds there are of the ball landing in a particular slot. The original European roulette had a wheel with 37 pockets, until another zero pocket was added in order to increase the house edge. Therefore American roulette, both online and those based in brick and mortar casinos, has worse odds than the original European style.

Complex Probability Calculations

The software used by online casinos utilizes a random number generator in order to determine the winning number. Thousands of numbers are generated by the computer every second, so in order to learn the odds of the game of roulette you may opt to utilize software to determine the probability of individual betting strategies, otherwise you will need to have a firm grasp of basic probability theory.

However, the general probability of the game in proportion to the amount you bet, influenced by the house edge, remains a fixed value despite the randomness of the game, and you are always considered at a very slight disadvantage. For this reason the payoffs of an actual win can be profitable, despite the constant casino edge, you will be wise to take heed of the specific odds so you do not needlessly worsen your odds.

Special Rules May Apply

It is important to know how your odds can be effected if certain specialty rules apply, such as when outside the United States and the En Prison rule may come into play, which allows you to recover your bet in the event that a zero is spun on an even money bet, such as black or even. The surrender rule, which works in a similar fashion, and the five number bet, which has a disproportionately high house advantage.