The do's and don'ts of roulette

22 April 2014

By Frank Scoblete

DO know ahead of time how much money you are giving yourself to play with during your session. This is called a “session stake.”

DON’T lose more than your session stake in any one session. Money management is the key to keeping your losses in check.

DO get credit at the casinos so that you do not have to carry wads of money around with you.

DON’T think of credit as free money, because it has to be paid back.

DO ask the dealer if the casino allows “surrender” on the “even-money” bets such as Red/Black, High/Low, Odd/Even because if the casino allows surrender then the house edge is cut in half. That is a very, very good thing for the roulette player.

DON’T bet straight up (directly) on the numbers in any casino that allows surrender. Why face twice the house edge?

DO keep the house edge and number of decisions you experience as low and as little as possible. The casino edge and the number of decisions are the two keys to what the casino’s theoretical advantage is over you.

DON’T think that because you have had a hot streak that “you” are actually “hot” and will continue to win. In random games such as roulette, you will find that you have good streaks, bad streaks and everything-in-between streaks. So enjoy the win, because it is temporary.

DO tip the dealers, because most dealers need those tips to survive. Put the tip in one of the “even-money” propositions such as Red/Black, Odd/Even or High/Low. The dealers have a much better chance of winning something if you tip this way.

DON’T make bets when the dealer says “No more bets.” It is absolutely bad manners and it is also annoying to the other players who have obeyed the rules. You are also putting the dealer on the spot to make a quick decision as to whether or not to accept the bet.

DO try to be considerate of other players and their betting styles.

DON’T push another player’s hand who is trying to bet the same number as you. There is plenty of time to get your bets down.

DO be polite if you have a disagreement with the dealer or floor person. They are only doing their jobs.

DON’T bet the “five number bet” which is 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. This is often called the “beast” because its house edge is 7.89 percent. The normal house edge on a double-zero wheel is 5.26 percent and on “even-money” bets with surrender the edge is 2.63 percent.

DO try to play single-zero roulette because the house edge on that game is 2.7 percent. If that game allows “surrender” (also called en prison) the house edge is usually halved.

DON’T think that you will find biased wheels like players could in the good old days. Today’s roulette wheels are almost perfectly balanced.

DO think of roulette as a strictly random game to be played for fun as opposed to long-term profit.