Best Numbers to Bet on a Roulette Table

Roulette is one of the few casino games that allows you to combine luck with strategy. The results of the game aren’t only dependent on your good fortune – if you play the right numbers at either the online casino or at a land-based casino, you have a better chance to enjoy good results PLUS no deposit casino bonus gifts.

Roulette is one of the most popular table games at any casino. Roulette has always been a favored casino game, ever since it was first introduced in the 17^{^th} century. It has captivated kings and poor people alike and even made paupers of some very wealthy men and brought wealth to formerly indigent souls.

It’s easy to understand why roulette is so popular. It’s not difficult to play, has rules that are simple to understand and involves just enough of a test of the player’s skill and savvy to offer some intriguing gambling entertainment. Basically, you play roulette in a small wheel with numbered, red and black pockets. The wheel spin and a small ball is tossed in the opposite direction of the wheel spin.

The pocket into which the ball falls when the wheel stop determines which bets win payouts. Players can place bets on adjacent numbers or on whether or not the number will be odd or even, black or white, etc. You place your bets on a table with a layout and your payout is based on your prediction of where in the wheel the tossed ball will end.

There are multiple roulette variations but the main variation involves European (Classic) roulette and American roulette. There are several differences between the two variations but the main one involves the “0” pocket. On a European roulette wheel, there is one zero pocket which means that the wheel has 37 pockets. On an American roulette wheel there are 2 zero pockets, a “0” pocket and a “00” pocket. This creates a 38-pocket wheel.

The results, ultimately, are based on chance. However, players who have a good understanding of the game’s house edge and odds – especially the house edge and the odds of the two types of roulette – can choose their variation and place their bets accordingly to enjoy a higher-than-average chance of winning.

Techniques

Some of the techniques that are involved in placing roulette bets that have a better-than-average chance of succeeding involve:

Black/Red, Odds/Evens Bets

You get close to 50/50 odds on a single bet when you bet black/red or odds/evens. No other game on the casino floor gives you those kind of odds. That means that, if you place such a bet, you give yourself the chance to hit almost half the options (not counting the “0” or the “00”). It’s true that the payout ratio is lower (1:1, which means that for every $1 that you bet, you’ll win $1) but it’s a safe bet and works well for conservative players who don’t want to take too many risks.

Something that not everyone knows is that payouts on this type of bet can be surprisingly rewarding if you are prepared to risk a larger sum of money on your bet. Think about it. If you lay $100,000 on a red and the wheel comes up red (remember, you have a 1 in 2 chance of that happening) you will double that $100,000.

Columns Bets

Next to the evens/odds and reds/blacks bets, the next safest bet at the roulette table is the columns bet. Columns bets are 2:1 odds so you bring your number options down to a little under a third. On the other hand you can cover a lot of the table at one time and, if you win, you double your initial bet. Bet $1 and win $2!

You need to remember that the number of red and black numbers differs from one column to the next and the “00” and the “0” aren’t included in any column. Columns don’t contain consecutive numbers – for instance, column A has 1, 4 ,7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 and 31.

Third Column + Black / Second Column + Red

The third column + black and the second column + red bets were designed for bettors who like to hedge their wagers.

When you look at the third column of the board you’ll see 4 black numbers and 8 red numbers. On the second column, it’s reversed – 8 black numbers and 4 red numbers. To leverage this set up, prepare to bet in a way in that focuses on your goal -- slow and steady gains. If you bet on the third column, where most of the reds are, and then double your bet on the black (so, for instance, $2 on the black and $1 on the third column) you’ll achieve an edge on winning a payout or, at least, to break even.

The reason why is that the third column, which contains the highest number of red numbers, gives you the chance to cover a lot of the wheel’s red numbers. Simultaneously, your bet on the black gives you a bit under half the wheel. Since the black has a payout of 1:1 and the third column has a payout of 2:1, if your column bet is half the black bet, you should break even – if a red number appears on the third column you’ll double your wager on a win, even though you lose your black bet. This is a “push” – you are even. The same thing happens when you lose your column bet but win your black bet.

Now, when a black number comes up on the third column, you pull ahead and win a payout. You’ve minimized the risk while maximizing your win. Same thing happens when you combine your second column and red bet – the second column has 8 black numbers while your red bet gives you just under half the numbers.

Straight Up

Straight up bets don’t minimize the risk but they do guarantee you a bigger payout if you do win. In a straight-up bet you wager on a single number. Then, you hope that luck will be with you. This is the riskiest type of bet but the payout is large – 35:1. So, on a $1 bet you’d get $35, which is quite a take-home give-away.

Straight up bets include the “0” and the “0” pockets.