Roulette Rules To Look For

Some player advantages in roulette are conceded by the casino, just never to the point where the player gets the edge. As you already know by now, roulette has a static house edge. In a standard game of American roulette the edge is 5.26% against you, which isn't very friendly. I've often written that the only good roulette strategies are the ones which suggest finding a game with different rules, and here I'm going to describe what those rules so you can look for them.

European roulette is often called single zero roulette, and sometimes called French roulette. The difference is fairly obvious if you step up to a table, because the wheel itself is different. No longer do you have two green eyes staring at you, the double zero pocket is gone! Single zero roulette only has one green monster, and this effectively cuts the house edge down to 2.7%. Finding a single zero roulette wheel in Vegas can be an exercise in frustration, but finding one at an online casino isn't very tough to do.

En Prison is a rule that you may find at some European roulette tables, but most likely only in Europe itself. There are supposedly a couple of online casinos which offer single zero roulette and the En Prison rule, but I'm not sure if they truly cut their odds in accordance with the rules, or end up compensating for the difference somehow. En prison is basically a rule that only applies to your outside even money bets, and only comes into effect when a zero is hit. Say you played ten bucks on black, and zero was hit. If En Prison is in effect, your bet will not be swept away as it would at a regular roulette game. The bet is said to remain 'in prison' (yes, that's what En Prison means) and is left on the table for it's outcome to be determined on the next spin. If on the next spin the bet looses, it is swept away. If the bet wins it is returned to you with no extra winnings. Different tables have different rules for if a second zero is spun, so you'll have to check with the house on that one. If the bet remains in prison on a second 0 pocket, we can calculate the house edge to be somewhere around 1.35% - far superior to any roulette strategies you could come up with to help you out at an American roulette table.

Surrender is a rare rule that is not unlike En Prison. Again it only applies to outside even money bets, and it has to do with a zero hitting. If a zero hits and surrender is in effect, half of your even money bets will be returned to you. Surrender is most often found in Atlantic city casinos, and usually only on American roulette tables. If you can find it, the rule cuts the house edge down significantly to somewhere in the region of 2.63%.

So good roulette strategies are ones that incorporate good money management skills, lots of attention to how much you're spending, and seeking out rules which are advantageous to the player. For strategies that tell you exactly what to play and how to play it, you should be looking for systems. Visit our free roulette system page for more information.