Choosing the Best Online Roulette Game
September 6th, 2010 | Published in Gambling Games
Surprisingly, online roulette has many variants, each offering a different house edge. As a result, game selection is extremely important. House edge is calculated by the total amount going to the casino for each $100 wagered. To maximize your profits, it is important to select the roulette variant with the lowest house edge.
There are two variants that should be avoided altogether. These include:
- Mini Roulette
- American Roulette
Mini Roulette contains the numbers 1 through 12 and 0. The rules are the same in that all bets lose if the ball falls on 0, except those that wagered on 0. Since there are less numbers on the board, 0 will occur much more frequently resulting in a high house edge of 7.69 percent. Since the edge is even higher than slots, it is a mistake to wager on this variant of Roulette.
American Roulette is a popular variant of the game. The board contains 38 total numbers: 1-36, 0 and 00. Once again all bets automatically lose if 0 or 00 is called, other than those that wagered on 0 or 00. Consequently, the house edge is 5.26 percent, which is also higher than the other variant of Roulette as well as most slot games.
There are two variants that will maximize profits and should be played including:
- European Roulette
- French Roulette
Although not offering the lowest house edge, the most popular form of the game is European Roulette. There are 37 total numbers, 1 through 36 and 0. Again, all bets lose if 0 is called, except those that bet on 0. This is a better game option because there are more numbers and only one that is an automatic loss. Also, the house edge is only 2.57 percent, a considerable improvement over slots and the other two Roulette variants.
French Roulette follows the same structure as European Roulette except one rule: La Partage. If 0 is called, half of all wages not placed on 0 are returned as opposed to an automatic loss. Therefore, the house edge is only 1.35 percent. The only issue is that French Roulette is not offered at many online or land-based casinos.
When searching for a Roulette game, it is advantageous to select French Roulette. If unavailable, the next best variant for maximizing your winnings is European Roulette. Try to avoid American and Mini Roulette games as the house edge is much too high.