Introduction to American Roulette
Fans of American Roulette will be happy to know that at Bodog, we have two versions of this popular game in our online casino that you can play: a classic version and a modern one. The Classic American Roulette version replicates the Roulette experience from a land-based casino. It has a full betting table with embellishments like stacks of casino chips, and a slit in the table for the croupier to slip in bills. On the far side of the table, the wheel spins, waiting for bets to be placed. Interested in keeping track of which numbers hit? With the Classic version, winning numbers are recorded on the chart at the top-right side of the screen while you play, so you can watch for streaks.
Alternatively, you could play our new version of online American Roulette.This version doesn't try to replicate the brick and mortar casino experience. Instead, it uses two screens: one screen has the betting layout, and the other has the wheel. After placing your bets and hitting spin, you're taken to the second screen where the ball spins around the wheel. The double screen makes playing on small devices easier.
Regardless of which online version you prefer to play, you'll see that your game choice doesn't affect the overall American Roulette strategy. As we'll discuss, being strategic at the Roulette table involves making smart bets and, according to some people, increasing and decreasing those bets depending on the outcome of the round. We'll discuss this in detail in the “Strategies” section below, but before we get there, let's go over how Roulette came to be.
History of Roulette
Like most casino games, Roulette originated in Europe before making its way to North America. The very first Roulette wheel was a by-product of the French mathematician Blaise Pascal's failed attempt at building a perpetual motion machine, which we now know is impossible due to the laws of physics. The wheel was combined with the French lotto game Biribi to become Roulette as we know it; a zero and double zero were added to the wheel to generate house edge.
When Roulette started to spread throughout Europe, all wheels had both a zero and a double zero included. French casino owners Francois and Louis Blanc created the first single-zero version of the wheel in 1843, when they wanted to drum up business for their new casino in Bad Homburg, Germany. Their version of Roulette was so successful, other European casinos had to follow suit, which is why “European Roulette” became synonymous with the single-zero wheel.
By the time the single zero versions of roulette spread across Europe, the double-zero version had already made its way to Nevada casinos in the USA. On top of the double zero generating extra house edge, a bald eagle was added to the roulette wheel for even more house edge. The bald eagle icon was later removed, but the double zero stuck and is now a staple on American Roulette wheels.
Are Roulette Wheels Laid Out the Same?
All Roulette wheels are laid out in one of two ways: the American way, or the European way. The American version of the game has a zero, a double-zero and numbers 1 to 36. If you happen to find one with the bald eagle included, it's more of an antique than a functioning Roulette wheel, but can be appreciated by Roulette enthusiasts who appreciate the history of the game. All European Roulette wheels have numbers 0 to 36 on them. Both versions (European and American) have the same black and red colourings for numbers 1 to 36, and green for the 0.
Roulette Bets
People who play online roulette for real money are mainly interested in the bets and payouts. The 15 bets available in American Roulette can be categorized as inside or outside bets. When looking at a roulette table, you'll notice an inner rectangle with the numbers 1-36, and peripheral bets added on the outside of the rectangle. Bets that are placed inside the rectangle are inside bets, whereas bets placed outside of the rectangle are outside bets.
The inside bets are riskier and come with bigger payouts. This is where you’ll find the Single Number bets that pay 35:1 – the riskiest bet in American Roulette. You can reduce the risk by betting on combinations of numbers.
- Split Bet. Two numbers that are side by side. Pays 17:1.
- Street Bet. Three numbers that are side by side. Pays 11:1.
- Corner Bet. Four numbers that form a square. Pays 8:1.
- Six Line Bet. Two street bets that are side by side. Pays 5:1.
American Roulette outside bets are less risky and award lower payouts. This is where you’ll find the classic red/black and even/odd bets.
- Even/Odd: Betting on all even or odd numbers. Pays 1:1.
- Black/Red: Betting on al black or red numbers. Pays 1:1.
- Dozen Bets: Betting on the first 12 numbers, the second 12 numbers or the third 12 numbers. Pays 2:1.
- Column Bets: Betting on the first column of numbers, the second column of numbers or the third column of numbers. Pays 2:1.
The bets are the same regardless of which version of online American Roulette you play, leaving the choice completely up to you. Base your choice on your betting style, with inside bets suiting risk-takers, and outside bets suiting the risk-averse. On top of that, you get to pick between the two versions of Roulette in our casino. Do you prefer the traditional feel of Classic Roulette, or the streamlined feel of the new American Roulette? Try both for real money play or practice play in the Table Games section of Bodog Online Casino.
Roulette Strategies
Because Roulette has bets that are close to 50/50, it's a popular game for strategists to try to exploit using progressive betting systems. Before diving into these systems, keep in mind that in order for them to work, you would need both an infinite bankroll and a casino with no betting maximums. Otherwise, you risk depleting your bankroll, or hitting the maximum bet allowed, during a losing streak. These systems can be applied as part of both European and American Roulette strategy.
The Martingale Roulette Strategy
Just like Roulette itself, the Martingale Roulette strategy emerged from 18th century France. This system directs people to double their bet after every loss, so that when they hit a win, they make back all of their losses and are ahead one betting unit. We’ve used units of $5 to illustrate this system.
| Win/Loss | Bet | Total Loss/Gain |
| Loss | $5 | -$5 |
| Loss | $10 | -$15 |
| Loss | $20 | -$35 |
| Win | $40 | $5 |
The Reverse Martingale Roulette Strategy
With the Reverse Martingale system, instead of increasing bets during losses, you increase them by one unit during winning streaks and decrease them by one unit during losing streaks. The Martingale system relies heavily on “taking advantage of streaks,” but since every spin is completely independent of the last one, you’re not more or less likely to win based on the previous round. Relying on streaks plays into the gambler’s fallacy. To illustrate how the Reverse Martingale Strategy works, we’re starting with $5 betting units.
| Win/Loss | Bet | Total Loss/Gain |
| Win | $5 | $5 |
| Win | $10 | $15 |
| Win | $15 | $30 |
| Loss | $20 | $10 |
The D’Alembert Roulette Strategy
With a more conservative betting progression, the D’Alembert system appeals to people with smaller bankrolls. This strategy has you increase your bet incrementally, by just one unit, after every loss. You also decrease the bet by one unit after every win. See the chart below to how the system works when you begin with a $5 bet.
| Win/Loss | Bet | Total Loss/Gain |
| Loss | $5 | $0 |
| Loss | $10 | -$10 |
| Loss | $15 | -$15 |
| Win | $20 | $5 |
| Win | $15 | $20 |
Fibonacci Strategy Steps
The Fibonacci Roulette System is based on the Fibonacci sequence. This sequence starts at 1, and every following number is the sum of the previous two numbers. For example, 1+0=1, so the second number in the sequence would be 1. The third number would be 2, which is the sum of 1+1. The fourth number would be 3, which is the sum of 2+1.
To use the Fibonacci sequence with roulette, you would increase your bet, according to the sequence, after every loss, and then restart the sequence after a win.
| Win/Loss | Bet | Total Loss/Gain |
| Loss | $1 | -$1 |
| Loss | $1 | -$20 |
| Loss | $2 | -$4 |
| Win | $30 | -$1 |
| Win | $1 | $0 |
The James Bond Roulette Strategy
Reserved for players with big bankrolls, the James Bond Roulette Strategy has you wager $200 on a series of bets in order to potentially make a profit that ranges from $80 to $160. The bets are:
• $140 on the High bet (numbers 19 to 36)
• $50 on a Line bet of 13-18
• $10 on Zero
Winning the High bet generates a profit of $80, while the Line bet gets you $100. The zero is the biggest winner, paying out $160 in profit. If none of your bets hit, you’re supposed to double the wagers according to the Martingale System. As you can imagine, you’d need to use this system at a table with high betting maximums.
