Tips for Roulette When Playing an American Roulette Wheel.

The game of roulette itself originated from France during the eighteenth century, although it also has ties to English and Italian games of the time. It is said to be a bit of a combination of several of these games, but was created and first became big in France. Some even say it was stolen from China and shipped over with Dominican Monks. The roots of the American roulette wheel are based on the original French game.

Much like the American roulette wheel of today, these early French tables had a zero and a double zero giving the advantage to the bank. It wasn't until 1843 that the single zero wheel would be developed. In order to compete with the competition, a German casino reduced the zero numbers to lower the house edge and give the players betters odds. This proved to be a big hit. After all why would you use a table that has a competitive disadvantage?

Now used throughout Europe as the standard table, they are the much preferred option. The American roulette wheel is still in widespread use in the US, but European wheels are present in most major casinos. On the earliest forms of the American roulette wheel, they only had 28 numbers plus the zero and double zero, or in it's place was an American eagle symbol. The Californian Gold Rush saw American roulette hit its peak. It seems gold, money and gambling all go together.

In today's game the American roulette wheel consists of numbers 1 to 36, with 0 and double zero. To be mathematically correct it has a 5.26% house advantage, with the more popular (for obvious reasons) European tables having only one zero, giving it a lower 2.7% house advantage. There are other small difference between the American and European wheels that do not affect the game, such as chip color, and Europe using a chip rake instead of the American dealer just using their hands.

Despite all these differences, the basic game of roulette includes the cloth betting table and the spinner wheel. You bet on either a number between 1 and 36, a combination of different numbers, or whether it will be odd (black) or even (red). You can also select specific lines or columns of numbers, or one of the three sets of twelve, e.g. 1 to 12, 13 to 24 or 24 to 36.

More experienced players bet on several different combinations of them all. When the betting period ends, the wheel is spun and wherever the ball lands is the winning bet. Tables have minimum and maximum bets, so you can always make a fair profit but don't lose too much either.

With the huge rise of the internet you can now also play both virtual European roulette and virtual American roulette online. It is advised to play with the large reputable casinos due to the possibility of fraud. Still nothing beats playing roulette in a proper casino in Vegas!