9 Big Roulette Mistakes

Once you understand the various bets, roulette is a simple game to play. It merely calls on you to place one or more wagers and wait for the results.

Given roulette’s simplicity, you wouldn’t think that there are many mistakes to be made. Nevertheless, you can make some poor decisions when playing this game.

The following guide discusses 9 big roulette mistakes that should definitely be avoided. As long as you know and evade these gaffes, then you’ll stand a much better chance of winning.

1 – Playing American Roulette

The number one mistake that many roulette players make is not understanding the different variations. They simply pick the closest wheel and start gambling.

The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t take the different games’ house edges into account. If you pick the wrong variant, then you’ll be dealing with a higher house advantage.

Here are the three main roulette variants along with their house edges:

• American roulette = 5.26%
• European roulette = 2.70%
• French roulette = 1.35%

American roulette is easily the worst game on this list. Its 5.26% house advantage is higher than most table games.

Why in the world would anybody play this variation?

The simple answer: some gamblers don’t even realize that they’re dealing with an American wheel.

The latter features 38 pockets. Two of these pockets, including the zero and double zero, favor the house. This setup leads to the casino’s 5.26% advantage (2/38).

If the American wheel is your only option, then you might consider playing on it if you truly love roulette. As discussed in the next point, though, better variations do exist.

2 – Failing to Look for Other Variations

Both European and French roulette give you a better shot at winning than the American game. These two variations are played on the European wheel.

This wheel features 37 numbers. Only the single zero slot gives the casino an advantage on each bet. That being said, European roulette carries a 2.70% house edge (1/37).

French roulette goes one step further by introducing the la partage rule. This rule kicks in during the following scenario:

• You place an even-money bet (high/low, odd/even, or red/black).
• The ball lands on zero.
• You receive half of your bet back.

As long as you stay on even-money bets, then you can look forward to a 1.35% house edge when playing French roulette.

Of course, not as many land-based and online casinos offer this game because it’s so favorable. Therefore, you should look for European roulette as a backup plan.

3 – Relying on Systems

Due to the limited roulette strategy, many gamblers like to use systems when playing this game. A system provides a detailed way to place wagers and, hopefully, boost winnings.

Some players go on hot streaks when implementing a system. As a result, they feel that betting strategies are the ultimate path to making money.

The Martingale system, for instance, calls on you to double bets after every loss. The end goal is to always earn your losses back and end up with a small profit.

Here’s an example on how this strategy works:

• You place a $5 bet and lose (losses at $5).
• You place a $10 bet and lose (losses at $15).
• You place a $20 bet and lose (losses at $35).
• You place a $40 bet and win (winnings at $5).
• Your next wager will revert back to $5.

Like all roulette systems, though, the Martingale has its drawbacks. If you use this strategy long enough, you’re going to hit a point where you no longer have the money to double up. When this happens, you’ll be out of a tremendous amount of money.

The Martingale also suffers from the same problem that every roulette system does: it doesn’t actually overcome the house edge.

You might consider using this and other systems, such as the Labouchere and D’Alembert, for something new. But you shouldn’t expect miracles in the long run.

4 – Ignoring Online Roulette

Earlier, I discussed how European and French roulette are the ideal variations. They offer 2.70% and 1.35% house advantages, respectively.

Unfortunately, many North American land-based casinos don’t offer these games. When they do, they require higher-than-normal stakes.

What should you do if your local casino doesn’t offer French or European roulette? The best course of action involves heading to an online casino.

Every gaming site that I’ve ever played out offers the European wheel. Therefore, you’re guaranteed a 2.70% house edge when playing online.

Both Microgaming and RealTime Gaming casinos provide French roulette. You should definitely look for casinos that carry either one of these software providers if you want the lowest possible house edge.

5 – Not Chasing Roulette Bonuses

If you’re going to play real money online roulette, then you might as well take advantage of any available bonuses. Herein lies another mistake by many players, though, in that they don’t put enough emphasis on roulette bonuses.

Many online casinos offer a bonus based on your first deposit. For example, they may match your initial deposit by 100%. Your job is to check the terms and conditions and ensure that this game qualifies for such a bonus. Assuming it does, then you should look for the relevant bonus code (if needed) when depositing.

From here, you must satisfy all relevant requirements before withdrawing the bonus cash. Rollover is an especially important requirement.

Roulette rollover is typically higher than what’s seen with slots due to this game’s low house edge. Here’s an example on meeting rollover with roulette bonuses:

• You qualify for a $100 bonus.
• Rollover is 60x.
• 100 x 60 = $6,000 must be wagered

6 – Failing to Sign Up for the Player’s Club

Both online and land-based casinos offer loyalty rewards. You automatically qualify for online roulette rewards at most casinos after signing up and depositing.

Land-based establishments, on the other hand, require you to sign up for the player’s club before receiving rewards. If you fail to sign up, then you won’t get rewarded for roulette bets.

Many gaming venues allow you to sign up online. Therefore, you should check out a casino’s website and look for the loyalty section to register.

As a member of the player’s club, you’ll receive an individualized card. You hand this card to the dealer when buying into a roulette game.

The dealer will then give your card to the pit boss when they get a chance. The pit boss rates your play throughout the course of a session and offers comps accordingly.

7 – Not Accounting for Volatility With Certain Bets

Roulette offers more bets than any other game in the casino. It allows you to wager on 37/38 different pockets, intersections of pockets, and “outside” bets (those located outside the board).

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying this immense betting variety. However, you also want to keep each wager’s volatility in mind.

A single European number, in contrast, only wins one out of 37 times on average. Of course, these bets’ 35:1 payouts are nice. But you’re probably not going to last long if you keep placing single number wagers with a small bankroll.

8 – Not Having a Bankroll Plan

Speaking of bankrolls, most roulette players don’t do a great job of managing their gambling funds. Instead, they just take whatever they have into the casino and hope that it lasts.

This plan is okay if you’re completely fine with losing the money and can stop immediately when it’s gone. However, it can result in disaster if you hit the casino ATM over and over.

The first and most-important rule of roulette bankroll management involves setting aside money that you can afford to lose. A bankroll should not be needed to pay bills and other expenses. For example, you might determine that you can comfortably afford to risk $300.

Next, you want to set a stop-loss limit. The latter refers to a predefined point at which you quit gambling based on losses.

Here’s an example on setting a stop-loss limit:

• You have a bankroll worth $250.
• You only want to risk up to 20% of your funds in a single session.
• 250 x 0.2 = $50
• You’ll stop a session any time that you hit $50 in losses.

9 – Relying on Trend Betting

Trend betting lies at the root of one of the biggest roulette misconceptions. Some gamblers believe that if they lose enough times in a row, then they’re due to win in the next round.

Here’s an example of such logic:

• You bet on odd (odd/even).
• You lose this wager four times in a row.
• You triple your next bet under the assumption that you’re guaranteed to win the next time.

The thought process here begins with the fact that odd wins nearly half the time. Therefore, it’s extremely unlikely that it will lose five times in a row.

The thing to remember with trend betting, though, is that the odds don’t change because of past outcomes. Odd still has a 48.64% chance of winning in the next round regardless of how many times it has lost.

You might consider employing trend betting for fun. However, you shouldn’t bank on it as a reliable strategy that will produce guaranteed wins.

Conclusion

Roulette doesn’t require the most-extensive strategy in the casino. Nevertheless, it has enough strategy to the point where you can make serious mistakes.

Assuming you know the 9 mistakes above, though, then you can avoid them. You’ll have a better chance at winning as a result.

First and foremost, choose the best roulette games. European and French roulette give you a better opportunity of winning than the American version.

If you can’t find either of these variations at a local casino, then you should head online. Every internet casino offers European roulette. Some even feature the coveted French version and its 1.35% house edge.