What is Live Roulette?
Live Roulette is the new and improved live version of the classic casino game named after the French word for little wheel. Just as it is in the traditional version, players place their wages on either the number or the type of number that the spinning ball will land on. A wide range of bets are available all of which represent different odds. It’s always a good idea to have a plan when betting, so have a read through the strategies section to get an idea of what kind of bets will pull the odds in your favour.
History of Live Roulette
Whilst Live Roulette was only released in 2005, the history of Roulette goes back far further than this. The French created the first game of Roulette in the 18th century. It is believed that the game of Roulette was inspired by the inventor Blaise Pascal’s attempts to create a perpetual motion machine. Roulette spread throughout the globe during the 19th century. As of 2008 there are hundreds of casinos worldwide offering punters the chance to play the game. In 2005 Live Roulette became a late tv show where viewers could ring in and place their bets. The new format became popular quickly and the viewing hours extended across the whole night. Nowadays players are even more spoilt for comfort. New technology has allowed the game to spread across all devices, with much better sound and visual quality.
Live Roulette
Live Roulette is amongst the most popular live games available. Players are able to participate in the game in a very similar way to how they would in a real casino. A trained professional operates the game and players are fed a live stream of all the happenings. With some providers players can even choose the camera angle they wish to view the game from. Wagers are placed online and engaging graphics are added to the experience.
Leading Live Roulette providers
Again it is Evolution Gaming that leads the way with live casino game software. Evolution’s Live Roulette is the most popular, known for its quality and reliability. Evolution Gaming offers 9 different versions of Live Roulette. These include Immersive Roulette, where players can get up close and personal with the game, watching every move of the ball. French Roulette is another option which features the numbers 1 to 36 and a single number 0. This version is aimed at the European market. Evolution also offers Double Ball Roulette and Dual Play Roulette.
NetEnt is another leading provider of Live Roulette. NetEnt promote an easy to use interface and flawless streaming. Similar to land based casinos, it’s possible to place bets while the ball is spinning with the NetEnt provider. NetEnt Live Roulette is offered in 12 different languages so players from across the world can be a part of the fun.
Live Roulette Rules
There are many different types of Live Roulette variants offered across the various providers. The rules across each of these vary slightly however they do share a lot of common ground. The basic concept is that players place their wages on two different types of bets. The first is an inside bet, meaning that chips are placed on a single number or adjacent numbers. It’s called an inside bet because the bets are placed inside the number grid on the betting table. Live Roulette with Evolution Gaming offers straight, street, split, six line, double street and basket bets. Here’s an explanation of each:
Street Bet: Bet on three numbers on the same row. This bet has a payout of 17 to 1.
The Six Line Bet: With this bet you can place your wager on six different numbers across two rows.
Split Bet: A French Roulette bet, the Split Bet involves betting on two different numbers. It pays out 17 to 1.
Straight Bet: The simplest of them all, the straight bet is when players place a wager on only one number. The payout of this one is 35 to 1.
Double Street Bet: as the name suggests, a Double Street Bet is the equivalent of two line bets. Bets are placed on 12 numbers across 4 rows (3 numbers in each). If a player who uses this style of bet wins, they’ll receive a 5 to 1 payout.
Basket Bet: The basket bet involves a single wager with one chip, placed on 5 separate numbers at the same time. The payout of this one is 6 to 1.
The other bet option is to bet outside the table grid, that is to place an outside bet. In this case bets are placed on number and pattern combinations. Here are a few of the most common outside bets:
Dozen bet: Taking American Roulette as the example, there are 3 dozen numbers to bet on, excluding the single and double zero. In this bet players bet on one of the 3 dozens. The first is numbers 1 to 12, second is numbers 13 to 24 and the third is numbers 25 through to 36. This bet pays 2 to 1.
Column bets: A classic American Roulette board splits the three dozen numbers across three columns. As the numbers are ordered horizontally, the vertical columns contain a list of digits three apart. A column bet is where players bet on 1 of the three columns. Keep in mind that the single and double zero are not included in these columns, so if the ball lands on one of these the column bet will be a loss.
Color Bet: As the name hints, this bet is a wager placed on either red or black. The payoff is 1 to 1. As with the other outside bets, the single and double zero are neither red nor black.
Even or Odd Bet: Wow these titles are certainly self descriptive! In this outside bet wagers are placed on either odd or even numbers. Please note that Roulette defies mathematics by not considering a 0 even or odd. The payoff for this one is 1 to 1.
Low or High Bet: Finally, the last type of outside bet! Place your money on either the low numbers (1 to 18) or the high numbers (19 to 36). Payout is 1:1.
Happy betting and may the odds be in your favour!
Live Roulette Strategies
Every now and then a person with absolutely no Live Roulette experience will sign up to a provider, place a random bet and win 35 x their money.
Although this is incredibly exciting, for the majority of us it will not be a reality. This is where strategy comes in to improve our chances. To give yourself the best odds, do some research and play several practice games. It’s always best to have a plan before you start and not to be making it up as you go along.
First of all, always choose to play the European variant of Live Roulette. This is because the American version has an additional 0, which increases the house edge significantly. The payouts are identical across the variants. Also be careful to choose a table with maximum and minimum bets that suit your experience level and wallet.
It’s the outside bets which have the best potential of increasing the cash in your wallet. In particular focusing on the odd/even, red/black, high/low has the best odds. They may not be the most entertaining or thrilling bets, but they’re the ones with the statistically lowest edge.