Roulette is one of the best games for a newbie to the casino scene to get started on. The objective of roulette is pretty straightforward and it’s easy to learn the rules and get the hang of the game. Roulette is an entirely luck-based game in that an individual player has no influence over that outcome of the game. You’d think that this would mean that beginners have just as much chance as hitting a win on the roulette table as a long time player.
Theoretically this is true, since roulette is all about luck; however, there are key mistakes many beginners make in roulette. Avoid these common beginner follies and you’ll be just as a good as a seasoned roulette player in no time.
Playing American Roulette Is a Mistake
Beginners often don’t realise that American roulette gives you much worse odds than European roulette. To new players the games will seem virtually the same, and they essentially are. However, there is one key difference between the two, which has a massive impact on your chances of hitting a win.
The double zero adds more house edge than most rookies like to acknowledge.
When you’re betting on an individual number in European roulette the house edge is 2.7%, and in American roulette the house edge is 5.26%. You’re much better off playing European roulette or other roulette variants that have 37 numbers. Don’t be fooled into thinking that one extra number won’t make a difference. Long term roulette punters know that in the short and long term you’re much better off only ever playing roulette variants that give you the best possible odds, and you won’t find the best odds playing American roulette.
Relying On The Same Bets
In roulette, different betting options have different payout rates – the riskier the bet the bigger the pay off. For instance, betting on either red or black is a safer bet to place, so the payout rate is relatively low compared to other roulette betting options. Winning a colour bet will award you double what you wagered. Placing a bet on a single number is a much riskier bet and as a result the payout rate is an impressive 35 to 1.
Taking the time to examine the types of bets is necessary to win.
Although roulette should be a leisurely activity and not thought of as a way to make money, you don’t want to entirely discount your chances of making any money by betting more than it is possible to win back in the one round of roulette. To avoid this problem, keep tabs on how many table bets you’ve place in the round and don’t eclipse your personally set bankroll limit.
Being Uninformed of Betting Options
There are so many betting options in roulette which is one of the reasons it’s such a popular casino game. You can’t really make the most of roulette without knowing all the betting options available to you, and even if you can’t memorise the payout rate of each you should have a general idea of what sort of return you will get if you do happen to win your bet.
As a general rule, the less likely the bet will be fulfilled the higher the payout rate. Here is a list of your betting options ranked from highest payout rates to lowest; any single number on the table, a ‘split bet’ (this is when you place the chip between two numbers, if the ball lands on either of these numbers you get a payout), ‘street bet’ which is three horizontal numbers, ‘corner bet’ where a chip is place on the intersection of four single numbers, a ‘column bet’ placed on one of the three columns, a ‘dozen bet’ which is betting on the numbers 1 – 12, 13 – 24, 25 – 36, odd or even and black or red.
The beauty of roulette is you can play as boldly or as conservatively as you would like, but don’t go into the game not knowing your options and the risk factor of the bets you’re placing.
Eating Through Bankrolls
Roulette is a thrilling, immersive and fast-paced game. It’s easy for a beginner to be swept up in the excitement of the game that they spend, bet and lose more money than they are comfortable with losing. Or even if you don’t spend more than you’ve allocated and stop when you’ve reached the gambling limit you’ve set for yourself you may find that you blew all your money too quickly and didn’t get as much entertainment and leisure time out of your roulette session as you should have.
Knowing when to take a break from betting and managing your bankroll is key.
Roulette is a quick game, there’s not long in between rounds and it doesn’t take long at all to determine the outcome of a round. This means that you can chew through your money and reach your betting limit incredibly quickly. Try and spread out your bets so you get to have more time having fun playing roulette.
Thinking of the money you spend in a gambling session as payment for you to enjoy the activity itself, so you want to get value for money and get as much fun out of your gambling budget as you can. Don’t be the rookie who loses all their money in two roulette spins.
Roulette is a luck-based casino game that’s popular around the world for its beginner friendly atmosphere, gameplay and rules and because you don’t have to be a skilled or experienced player to succeed. However, there are still huge mistakes many first-time and even recurring roulette players make that dampen their chances of hitting a win.
Here are some more of the worst and most common types of errors players make when they play real money roulette.
Don’t blindly follow gambling myths
Many people make the mistake of falling for gambling myths and abiding by them even when they clearly aren’t working. Before beginning a gambling session you should have an amount of money in mind that you’re allowed to spend, once you’ve met your allocated spending amount you should call it quits for the day. This is why you shouldn’t stick to the Martingale strategy. Which takes us to our next point.
Utilising The Martingale Strategy
The Martingale betting system has been popular since its inception in the 18th Century in France. In short the strategy is that after every bet you lose you double your bets until you win, the theory being that you will eventually hit a win and make back all the bets you lost. In roulette you would follow the Martingale system by only betting on red or black, and whenever you lost you would double your betting amount and continue to place your chips on either red or black. Theoretically the Martingale strategy should work a treat however in practise it runs into some problems. For one you may run out of money before you land the hit you’re after. For instance if you continue to double your bets on red every time that you lose you may run out of money before you manage to hit a red. Another problem players who use the Martingale system may face is maximum betting amounts, most tables will have a maximum bet that you’re allowed to place. This rule will stop you following the Martingale system as you won’t be able to make back all your lost bets even if you do eventually get the result you’re after.
Play American Roulette Instead Of European Roulette
In European roulette there is a single zero and then the numbers 1 – 36, however in American roulette there is a single zero and a double zero and numbers 1 – 36. The extra digit in American roulette means that if you place your chips on a single number you have one chance in 38 of getting the desired outcome, whereas in European roulette you would have one chance in 37. It may not sound like a huge difference but it significantly affects the house edge. In European roulette the house edge is 2.70% which is pretty decent for a casino game. On the other hand in American roulette the house advantage is as high as 5.26%. If you are a regular roulette player the type of roulette variant you choose to play will have a huge impact on how successful you are in the game in the long run. Even safer bets like betting on red or black are riskier in American roulette.
Impair Your Ability To Make Good Decisions
Sure a nice way to relax and unwind is to hit the roulette tables while having a couple of drinks. However, getting blind drunk whilst gambling can be a very damaging mistake to make. If you’re playing roulette with real money you should always have a bankroll limit in mind that you’re allowed to spend for that session. When you’re drunk it may be harder to stop. Having a couple of beers is one thing but don’t drink so much that you make decisions you’ll regret the next day.