Some American Roulette Tips

American roulette is an extremely popular casino game that dates all the way back to the 18th century. It is of course based on the European version of roulette but with one major difference which is this version of roulette features an additional number “00”. This is a pretty big thing as it increases the house’s edge to 5.2% compared to the house edge of European roulette which is a far more reasonable 2.7%. Nevertheless, there are some simple strategies that can help you out when playing American roulette so we decided to look at some of the best ones to use so you don’t have to.

Outside Bets Are Key

An exciting feature of playing roulette is that there is a vast range of betting options and combinations that you can place bets with. Two such ways are inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets usually involve betting on a single number or adjacent numbers and with odds of 35-1 it may seem very attractive especially to new players but it is a very risky way of betting in roulette. Most players tend to go with outside bets and this is an extremely good strategy to use as it is a lot less risky than using inside betting since it can offer a payout of even money. For instance, you can place outside bets such as red/black, low/high, and even/odd.

Outside bets also include the Column and the Dozen bet and these payout at 2 to 1. The payout is nowhere near as high as what an inside bet would offer but the probability of winning is much greater which is why this is such a good strategy to use.

Dunk a Basket!

One inside bet option exclusive to American roulette is the Basket bet. This involves placing a wager on numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. With odds of 6 to 1, it is definitely worth trying out but be warned it is a bit of a risk as the house edge for this bet comes in at a lofty 7.8%.

Try Not To Overspread Bets Or Overspend

A common mistake amongst new players is the need to overspread their bets in order to achieve a quick payout. Overspreading your bets is rather futile as you can easily make fewer bets at a much lower cost that have the potential to give you the same outcome in terms of profitability. It goes without saying when playing American roulette, you need to keep a close eye on how much you have won or lost as you can easily create a big hole in your pocket if you start going on a losing streak. So after each spin of the wheel, calculate how much you have bet and make sure to set yourself a limit so you will know when to stop playing.

A Final Tip

It is important to remember that roulette has nothing at all to do with the betting table. There is a famous story about this involving Albert Einstein. He stated that a roulette table cannot be beaten but he did not say anything about the actual wheel as he was just referring to the mathematical edges of the wheel. So when playing roulette, always focus your bets on what happens with the actual physical wheel and not what is around it such as the betting table.

For further reading on roulette, please check out our articles on European roulette and roulette strategies.