math’s influence on roulette success

Roulette is a favored game at the online casino South Africa but no one loves roulette more than math enthusiasts. So much of roulette centers around mathematical odds and percentages that it makes it more fun and engaging for them to play the game.

Does knowing math help you to achieve better results when you play roulette? Some roulette analysts say that it may.

Roulette

In many ways, everything about roulette is about the math. There are two main variations of roulette, American Roulette and European roulette. The European roulette wheel has 37 pockets -- 36 alternating red and green pockets, numbered 1 to 36, and a zero pocket which is green.

The American roulette wheel has 38 pockets – like the European roulette wheel, there are 36 red and green pockets numbered 1 to 36, and 2 green pockets, a zero pocket and a double zero pocket.  

Doing the math will demonstrate that the two 0 pockets increases the house edge, meaning that the house has more chances to win. If the ball fall on either the single zero or the double zero pocket (two pockets) the gamer losses and house wins, whereas in European roulette, there’s only one zero pocket to give the house a win

Some casinos give bettors who have lost their bet in European roulette a “la partage” and/or an “en prision” option which changes the odds a bit. La Partage  and en prison are features of French roulette --  the third main roulette variant.

French roulette is not offered at all casinos but roulette advisors suggest that where it is available, you take advantage of the option since in French roulette, you have the highest chance of winning of any of the 3 variants. French roulette uses a European roulette wheel but when it includes the “la partage” or “en prision” ruler the bettor gets back half or all stakes if the ball lands on the 0 mark.

In short, if you make a real money bet and the ball lands on 0, you’ll get back your bet which you can then use for a second chance. The two features lower the house odds to 1.35%.

Regardless of the variation that you choose to play, roulette is, basically, a game of probability. There aren’t any algorithm manipulations or calculations that you can make to increase your chance of making the ball fall into your chosen pocket. However, a good understanding of the match of the game can be of assistance as you consider your bets.

Roulette Bets

There are two main types of roulette bets, inside bets and outside bets. 

Inside bets are those bets that are made inside the grid of the betting table. These are riskier bets but have better payouts on wins.

Outside bets aren’t as risky as inside bets since they involve groupings of numbers that encompass more pockets and come up more often. Payouts are lower but the winning probability is higher. Most roulette players bet on outside bets because there’s less risk and lower bet minimums. Also, since it’s more possible to hit the same number more than once, there are more chances for success.

House Edge

House edge is another area of roulette where math comes into play.  The house edge is the percentage of the wager that the casino keeps. House edge for French and European roulette is the same but it’s higher for American roulette since the double zero pocket of the American roulette wheel increases the house average. That’s one of the reasons that knowledgeable players choose European or French roulette for their roulette gaming entertainment.

There’s no formula or strategy that a player can use to gain an advantage when playing roulette but if you understand math, especially the laws of probability, you can make better decisions as to how to choose your game and how to place your bets.

Math

In roulette, there’s no way to influence the outcome. But there are ways to increase the probability that you’ll achieve a payout. Here are some basic principles that will help you better inform your gaming event:

  1. There are 3 main variants of the game and the house edge differs from one to the next. Do your homework so that you have a good understanding of how each roulette variation works and so that you get an idea of which variation will best work for you.
  2. Don’t throw out your entire gaming budget at once. Start small and, if you feel confident, or if you have winnings to add to your gaming budget, move on from there.
  3. Remember that the probability that you’ll win is never more than 5%. If there are multiple gamers, the probability decreases. So you’re better off playing an online game, where there’s just you and the machine (or in a live dealer game, you and the dealer) as opposed to a land-based game where dozens of players crowd around the table at once.
  4. Check that the casino where you’re playing is licensed. The licensing agency guarantees the bonuses, customer service, information security and financial services, including your privacy.
  5. Take advantage of the bonus offers. This is especially true if you’re playing at an online casino. Online casinos offer Welcome bonuses to new players, free cash for betting, reload bonuses and other seasonal and time-based offers. Using these bonuses doesn’t put your gaming funds at any risk and can only bring you more opportunities to play and to win cash prizes. 

Remember, there’s no real mathematical formula that will ensure that you get good results at the roulette table. The result of the toss of the ball into the wheel is completely random. Yet if you use some basic mathematical principles to choose the variation of the game that you want to play, the odds vs. the house ratio and the way to manipulate the betting table, you can increase your chances of success.