Rules, Expert Advice and Winning Roulette Strategies for BTC Casinos
Roulette is among the oldest, most beloved table games. It has a dark, mysterious history that’s led some to question whether its creator got a little help from ‘beyond‘; not necessarily the good kind, either. As the story goes, French physicist, mathematician, and inventor, Blaise Pascal, developed the roulette wheel in the mid-1600s while attempting to produce a perpetual motion device.
Pascal’s intended creation was scientifically impossible – a fact he already knew when building it. But as an unbridled imagineer, that didn’t stop him from trying. He failed, of course, but it led to the invention of one incredible casino game. Some say Pascal made a ‘deal with the Devil‘ to build the machine, but were that true, doesn’t it seem like his impossible self-sustaining motion wheel would have been more successful? What started that nefarious rumor in the first place was nothing more than the curious fact that all the numbers on the roulette wheel (1 thru 36) add up to a total of 666. Creepy, sure, but clearly more coincidence than malevolence.
Moving right along…
The original wheel contained only those 36 numbers. In 1842, French brothers Francois and Lois Blanc added the 0, giving the house a distinct advantage. They did this for King Charles III of Monaco, who was facing financial troubles. The new 0-36 roulette wheel was brought to Monte Carlo, where players took to it like flies to honey. Soon enough, the King’s money troubles were over.
Years later, when roulette reached the United States, American casinos did what they do best, altering the rules to drive the house edge further into their favor. They did this by adding a double zero (00) to the wheel, thereby doubling the house advantage. Some casinos did it with flare, adding an American Eagle instead of 00, just to help players feel patriotic for playing. For decades, North Americans had little or no choice in roulette variations, but that all changed when online casinos brought American, European, and even French Roulette to the masses.
Before I go any further, please have a look at our table of contents. If you already know the difference between regional roulette variants, or things like games rules, bets, and payouts, you may want to skip ahead to our other sections, which include optimal play strategy, online casino availability, and the more recent option to play roulette for Bitcoin and other crypto currencies.
Table of Contents
How to Play Roulette – Variants, Rules, and Paytable
Above, we left off with the naming of three regional game options. Let’s take a quick look at these now.
American Roulette
This is the variation most North American casinos offer their customers by default. It’s also the worst variant to play, in terms of house edge. That’s because it has a total of 38 numbers – 0, 00, and 1-36. Every bet in American Roulette comes with the same house edge of 5.26%. Most of today’s online slot machines have better odds than that!
European Roulette
European Roulette is the go-to variant for those who understand the inequality of the double zero (00) in American roulette. The European version is the traditional casino game, featuring only 37 numbers in total; the single zero (0), plus 1-36. At those odds, the house edge is a static 2.7% on every wager.
French Roulette
As Canadians, we understand the eloquence of French culture. That same air of sophistication is applied to French Roulette. At first glance, it looks no different from European roulette, containing the same 37 numbers; single zero (0) and 1-36. However, there’s one little rule addition that changes everything. It’s called La Partage, (French for “sharing“), and it means that when a player loses any even-money bet deu to the winning number being 0, the house will share in the loss by taking only half of the bet, and returning the other half to the player. In this way, the house edge is only 1.35% on all wagers that pay 1:1, and 2.7% on all others.
How to Play Roulette – Rules & Paytable
The easiest way to describe the rules of roulette is through illustration. Below is an image of a basic single-zero roulette table and wheel. Let’s take a closer look at each section…
The Roulette Wheel
On the left side of the illustration, we see the wheel. It depicts all 37 numbers, 0 thru 36, in seemingly random order. However, it’s not as random as it appears. The colors alternate between red and black, and the numbers between high and low. Odds and evens are never positioned with more than two in consecutive order.
Once all bets are placed, the croupier will spin the wheel in one direction, then toss the ball into the center in the opposite direction. This causes the ball to roll and bounce in an unpredictable motion until finally coming to a stop in one of the pockets. The color and number corresponding to the pocket determines all winning bets (and losing ones).
Roulette Betting Diagram – Inside vs. Outside Bets
To the right of our illustration is the roulette table. This is where all bets are placed. We can split this diagram into two sections – Inside Bets and Outside Bets.
Inside Bets are those placed within the red and black numbered area of the table, where the numbers 0 and 1-36 are located.
Outside Bets are those placed in the outer area of the table diagram, below and to the right of the black and red numbered section.
I’ll start by detailing the Outside Bets, as they are mostly self explanatory and need no further illustration.
Outside Bets
There are 12 different outside bets you can place on a roulette table. Each is defined below, along with payout rate and house edge according to American, European and French variations of the game. Note that the zero (0) is not considered low or even, and is not part of any row. If the winning number is zero (0), all other bets lose.
Outside Bet |
Description & House Edge by Variant
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||
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LOW (1-18)
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A bet on any “Low” number, 1 – 18.
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||
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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HIGH (19-36)
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A bet on any “High” number, 19 – 36.
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||
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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ODD
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A bet on any “Odd” number.
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||
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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EVEN
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A bet on any “Even” number.
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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RED
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A bet on any “Red” number.
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||
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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BLACK
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A bet on any “Black” number.
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Payout 1 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 1.35%
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1st DOZEN
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A bet on any number of or between 1 – 12.
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||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
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2nd DOZEN
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A bet on any number of or between 13 – 24. | ||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
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3rd DOZEN
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A bet on any number of or between 25 – 36. | ||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
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1st ROW
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A bet on 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, and 34
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||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
|
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2nd ROW
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A bet on 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, and 35 | ||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
|
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3rd ROW
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A bet on 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 | ||
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Payout 2 to 1
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Amer. 5.26%
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Euro. 2.70%
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French 2.70%
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Inside Bets
These are bets that have a lower chance of winning (compared to Outside Bets), but a higher payout if they do. The payout rate rises proportionately with the odds, therefore the house edge is always 5.26% in American Roulette and 2.70% in European and French Roulette. Note that the La Partage advantage does not exist on Inside Bets.
There are 6 types of inside bets, detailed in the following rules and payouts chart. Please refer to the numbered illustration below for chip placement.
Inside Bet |
Description
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Payout
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||||
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1. Single Number
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A bet on any single number, 0 – 36, made by placing the chip directly in the center of that number.
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35 to 1
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||||
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2. Split Bet
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A bet on two adjacent numbers, made by placing the chip on the line that separates them.
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17 to 1
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3. Street Bet
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A bet on three numbers in a vertical column, made by placing the chip on the top line of the corresponding column.
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11 to 1
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4. Double Street
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A bet on 6 numbers in two adjacent vertical lines, made by placing the chip on the top, intersecting lines of the corresponding columns.
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5 to 1
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||||
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5. Corner Bet
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A bet on four adjacent numbers that make up a square, made by placing the chip on the intersecting lines at the center of those numbers.
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8 to 1
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||||
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6. Trio Bet
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A special bet on three numbers, either 0-1-2, or 0-2-3, made by placing the chip on the intersection of those numbers.
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11 to 1
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7. Basket Bet
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A special bet on 0-1-2-3, made by placing the chip at the top line between the 0 and 3. |
8 to 1
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Other Roulette Wagers – Announced Bets
Depending on where you play the game, you may find that Inside and Outside bets aren’t the only options for wagering. These extra betting options are known as Announced Bets in land-based casinos, because you must announce to the croupier if you want to place one. In online casinos, most European and French tables will display them on an oval display, known as a track.
We generally refer to these extra bets by their French names – Vousins (Neighbours), Voisins du Zéro (Neighbours of Zero), Tier Du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel), Orphelins (Orphans), and Jeu Zéro (Zero Game). Once again, I’ve provided illustrations in most cases to better explain how they work.
Vousins / Neighbours
This is the simplest of all announced bets, and requires no added visuals to explain. The player will choose a section of 5 numbers grouped together on the wheel. Any 5 numbers are eligible, so long as they are adjacent to one another. You can either place 5 chips on the corresponding numbers as single-number bets, or announce the group to the croupier and hand him the 5 chips to be placed.
Voisins du Zéro / Neighbours of Zero
This is a rather complicated wager spread across 17 numbers. It is placed by betting a total of 9 chips on multiple split, corner and trio bets. The numbers included in the bet are:
0, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 35.
When placed individually, the Vousins du Zero Bet looks like this.
Note that there are two chips on each of the intersections at 0-2-3, and 25-26-28-29. All others are single-chip split bets.
Tier Du Cylindre / Third of the Wheel
This is another large-group bet that involves 12 numbers, similar to a Dozens bet. It covers all the numbers from 27 – 33 as they appear on the wheel (as opposed to numerically). It requires the placement of 6 chips on the 6 Split Bet locations between:
5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, 33/36
When placed, the Tier Du Cylindre Bet looks like this.
Orphelins / Orphans
This multi-number bet includes all of the numbers that are not found in the Vousins du Zero or Tier du Cylindre bets (hence, the leftovers, or “orphans”). They appear in two groups on the wheel, and include each of the following numbers:
1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31, 34
You’ll need 5 chips to make the Orphelins Bet, placed like so.
Jeu Zéro / Zero Game)
The Jeu Zero, or Zero Game, is a bet on the zero (0) and the three numbers to either side of it on the roulette wheel. As it appears on the wheel, those numbers are:
35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19
When placed, the Jeu Zero Bet looks like this.
Roulette Strategy to Maximize Your Odds of Winning
If you’ve been keeping up to this point, you can probably figure out what the best strategy for roulette is. Let’s examine the facts…
Every good strategy is based on one thing – achieving the lowest possible house edge. As we know, French Roulette has the lowest edge of 1.35%. We also know that achieving that edge requires the placement of even money bets, due to the La Partage rule that awards half your bet back on 1:1 odds if the winning number is zero (0).
Throw all this information into the melting pot, and we come to the obvious conclusion that the best roulette strategy is to only play French Roulette, and only place Outside Bets that pay 1 to 1. Anything else, and the house edge rises anywhere from 2.7% to 5.26%.
If you can’t find a French Roulette game with La Partage, stick to European Roulette. Do not, under any circumstances, succumb to the abysmal house edge of 5.26% in American Roulette.
Prevalence of Online Casinos with French Roulette
Every online casino ever to grace the world wide web has made sure to supply its customers with roulette, but not always the type of roulette smart gamblers are looking for. American and European version are supplied in abundance, but it’s not nearly so common to find French Roulette with La Partage on the menu. It’s not the iGaming software creators who are to blame for it, either.
Most software companies – Microgaming, Playtech, NetEnt, all the big RNG games makers – have developed French Roulette games for their casino licensees. The problem is that many of those casinos choose not to integrate the French variant into their line-up, knowing that most of their customers will overlook the flaw and play European roulette instead. Only the die-hard players will choose a different casino because of it. Perhaps if more players were willing to bypass an oeprator for failure to supply this indubitably superior game, more casinos would offer it.
Live Dealer French Roulette
Don’t assume you have to play single-player, computer-generated (RNG) roulette to get the better house edge, either. Some live casino suppliers have opened French roulette tables, too. World famous Evolution Gaming is the most notable among them.
Live French roulette gives players the opportunity to bet in a communal atmosphere, chatting and cheering along with other players as the action takes place on a real table, with a real professional croupier, via live streaming video and audio. Outside of visiting a land-based casino, it doesn’t get more exciting than this. Finding a casino that carries Live La Partage Roulette – that’s the real challenge.
How to Play Roulette for Bitcoin and Altcoins
If you thought French roulette was difficult to find at traditional online casinos, the crypto gambling realm was so much worse. At least, it was a few years ago. More recently, as digital tokens went mainstream, the crypto casino market got a lot more competitive. Today most of the industry’s worthy operators offer RNG French Roulette, and a few even supply Live French Roulette tables. By worthy, I mean they are properly licensed and regulated, carry a good reputation for customer satisfaction, and accept players from Canada.
The chart below designates which crypto casinos offer RNG and live roulette tables, and whether those tables are provided in American (Am), European (Eu), and/or French (Fr) variations. Further to the right right, you’ll see the availability of crypto coins and fiat money deposits, with a list of accepted crypto currencies below each casino title. You can click on any casino name to read a full review.
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Crypto Casino
|
RNG Roulette
Am | Eu | Fr |
Live Roulette
Am | Eu | Fr |
Crypto
Coins |
Fiat
Money |
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✓ | ✓ | ✓
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✓ | ✓ | ✓
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✔️
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❌
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|
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Crypto Coins
|
BTC, BCH, LTC, USDT, ETH, DOGE, BNB, XRP
|
|||
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✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓
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✔️
|
✔️
|
|
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Crypto Coins
|
BTC, BCH, LTC, ETH, DOGE
|
|||
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓
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✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✔️
|
✔️
|
|
|
Crypto Coins
|
BTC, BCH, LTC, USDT, ETH, DOGE
|
|||
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓
|
✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✔️
|
❌
|
|
|
Crypto Coins
|
BTC
|
|||
|
✓ | ✓ | ✓
|
✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✔️
|
✔️
|
|
|
Crypto Coins
|
BTC, BCH, BSV, LTC, USDT, ETH, DOGE, BNB, XRP, TRX, ADA, NEO, TFL | |||
|
✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✓ | ✓ | ✗
|
✔️
|
✔️
|
|
|
Crypto Coins
|
BTC, LTC, USDT
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