All About Roulette on the Internet

Although the classic game of roulette has been around for ages, online roulette has a much briefer history. But in a few short years - the decade or so since online gambling has taken off like a shot - online roulette has become one of the most popular gambling games on the Internet.

Roulette is a luck-based casino game with roots in France (roulette means "small wheel" in French). Roulette eschews cards and dice and, instead, uses the unique and highly recognizable roulette wheel. The dealer (also known as the croupier) spins the wheel and then throws a ball into the spinning wheel. Where the balls lands - in which numbered and colored pocket - determines the outcome and the winners. The pockets are numbered from 1 to 36 and alternate between red and black; there is also a green pocket numbered 0. In most roulette wheels in the U.S. (but not in Europe), there is a second zero compartment marked 00, also colored green.

Roulette is considered a relaxing, slow-paced game, relative to other more frenetic casino games. The slow pace in casinos is due to the time it takes for the players to place their bet and, of course, the movement of the spinning wheel. When you play online roulette, things move at a much faster clip, but online roulette still has an air of quality and elegance, unrivaled in online casinos games. Its illustrious reputation has not been tarnished at all by the transition to the Internet.

There are two types of roulette, American and European. The difference between the two is the number of 0's on the wheel. American roulette wheels have two zeros: a zero and double-zero, which increase the house advantage significantly. In European roulette there is only one zero, giving the house an advantage of only 2.7%. This means that, in the long run, one wins more playing European roulette than American roulette. It's also the reason that online European roulette is way more popular than American roulette.

How to Play Roulette

When a round of roulette begins, the dealer will say, "Place your bets," and that's what players must do. There are a variety of bets in online roulette - divided between "inside" and "outside" bets (in fact, there are more betting options in roulette than in any other casino game). The inside bets are made up of specific numbers or combinations of numbers within the inner numbered table layout. The outside bets on a roulette board are simply the bets that lie outside the main playing area of 38 numbers, and include bets like black or red, odd or even, and high and low. You can place more than one kind of bet in each round and you can take your time doing so. Read more on Roulette Rules.

At some point - after the wheel starts spinning and the ball is dropped in - the dealer will say "No more bets," and luck and chance take over in online roulette where hunches and guesses left off. There are many different bets to place, with different odds, so many roulette strategies exist. To help you have more fun when you play and to win real money, First Web Casino offers strategies for playing roulette, as well as tips to win roulette.