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ROULETTE

General Comments: Beside playing at a casino that offers a fair game and that will eventually pay you should you win, the most important aspect of a Roulette game that must be considered is how many zeros appear on the Roulette wheel itself. The big difference between Roulette as it's played in brick-and-mortar casinos in the U.S. versus the games available at Internet casinos is this: There is no reason to play the so-called "American" (double zero) wheel at an Internet casino, which will allow you to enjoy the same game at roughly half the cost!

If a Roulette wheel has a 0 and 00 on it, the casino's edge on any bet is 5.26%. That's because there are 36 numbers plus two zeros, so if you bet on a single number "straight up", the probability of hitting it are one in 38 (37 to 1 odds), but you are paid only 35 to 1 for your win. That lop-sided payout yields a casino edge of 2/38 or 5.26%. As far as casino advantages go, this is huge! Compare a 5.26% edge to the average Blackjack game where the casino has maybe a 0.60% edge, assuming the player uses the proper playing strategy. It's been estimated that the "average gambler" plays Blackjack at a 1.5% or smaller disadvantage, which is still one-third of the casino's edge on a double-zero Roulette wheel. Even the "carnival" games like Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride poker and others of that type carry a smaller casino edge, since most of them are in the 2.5-3.0% range.

However, if a Roulette wheel has only a single zero it has the same 36 numbers, so the probability of hitting one goes to one in 37 (36 to 1 odds), yet it still pays the same 35 to 1 for a win. Now, the casino's edge is 1/37 or 2.70%, which is not quite half that of the double-zero wheel and is more in line with some of the other table games mentioned above. But the single zero wheel on its own is not what's made Roulette so popular in European brick-and-mortar casinos. They have another twist to the game that is almost unheard of in American casinos: the "partage" or "en prison" rule. These are basically the same thing although in practice, one is a little different than the other. What they really boil down to is that any bet you've made on the "outside" even-money bets (Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even) is treated differently than all the others if and when the "0" is hit. All the other bets, except those on 0 itself of course, simply lose when zero shows its ugly head. But the even-money bets lose only 50% of their value. If, for example, you had a $5 bet on Red, you'd get $2.50 returned to you if zero hits. You can easily see that this action cuts the casino's edge on those 6 bets (and only those bets) in half, which brings it down to 1.35%. That is less than the edge on a Pass line bet at Craps and comparable to a Player bet at Baccarat!

Because the software for many Internet casinos is of European (or at least non-American origin), the Roulette wheel often has only one zero, because that's the way it's done over there. As a consequence, there is no reason whatsoever for a player to risk his or her $$$ at a double-zero wheel because there are many single-zero wheels from which to choose. At a minimum, you can cut the casino's edge to 2.70% from 5.26% if Roulette is your game. With a little searching (and some help from this list) you can find games that not only have a single zero but also offer the "partage" or "en prison" rule that will cut the casino's edge on those six outside bets to 1.35%, which is nearly a quarter of the edge for the same bet on a double-zero wheel.

At this point, it's time for me to recommend some casinos for Roulette play and all you're going to find here is single-zero wheels. One has the "partage" rule but the other doesn't, so I've divided my recommendations accordingly.

Roulette With the Partage Rule

#1 French Roulette at Global Player Casino - This casino has been an advertiser here for quite a few years and it has earned our top recommendation because they're honest and will pay you if you win. They are also the undisputed "king" of Internet Roulette, because their game uses a single-zero wheel and the "partage" rule. In addition to that, Global Player Casino has betting limits that range from $.20 up to $2000 per spin. A nice "added extra" is that they publish the history of the $1 French Roulette wheel's spins, so you can not only use that information with your favorite "system" but also check the honesty of the wheel, if you're skeptical. I'm not.

Roulette Without the Partage Rule

#2 Roulette at Vegas Towers Casino - Based upon the well-respected Microgaming software, this casino has been an advertiser here in the past and may do so in the future. But that's not why I like this game. I like it because the individual casinos that use Microgaming software don't have access to its internal code, so you may rely upon the integrity and fairness of the game, regardless of who owns the casino itself. This is, of course, a single-zero wheel, but they do not offer the "partage" or "en prison" rule, so all bets carry a 2.70% casino advantage. Betting limits vary according to the type of bet. For example, they are $1-$10 on a single number straight up and $1-$80 on an outside bet.

Vegas Towers Casino also has an interesting variation of Roulette called Roulette Royale- If you believe in "streaks", this is the game for you. First of all, it's a single-zero game where the casino's edge is 2.70% on all bets, but there's a $1 side-bet that's made which pays you for numbers that repeat. If you're betting on 5, say, and it hits, then repeats on the next spin (assuming you bet it again), you'll be paid $15 for that. Should 5 come up a third time, you're paid $200 and now it's getting interesting. A fourth 5 in a row pays $3000 and a fifth 5 will pay the jackpot, which has been as high as $175,000. Betting limits are similar to the regular Roulette game.

#3 Roulette at Casino On Net - This casino has advertised here in the past and may do so in the future. Probably the largest casino on the Internet, CON has an outstanding record for paying its customers promptly. Their roulette game has a single zero, but does not offer the "partage" or "en prison" rule, so the casino's edge on all bets is 2.70%. A number of years ago, CON ran a promotion for their Roulette game that evidently ended up costing them 3 or 4 million dollars and they paid everyone without any complaints or hassles. That's what I call a classy operation! Frequent promos and bonuses are how they do it at Casino On Net, so it's definitely worth a look. The betting limits are $1-100.

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