9 Fascinating Facts about Roulette

Have you always wondered what the origins of the game of roulette are and what exactly made the game so popular around the world? The truth is that roulette is one of the most fabled gambling games and one that has become a part of countless legends and gambling stories for many different reasons.  

Roulette is a game of chance like most other casino games, with no real skill element involved. Unlike games like poker where decision making is actually important, in roulette it all boils down to pure luck. The house always has the edge and there is no way to beat the game in the long run, but that does not mean that you can’t have a ton of fun with it.

In fact, if you don’t mind playing a gambling game in which the house has an edge, roulette could easily be your best choice for a great number of reasons. We list top nine fun facts about roulette that you probably didn’t know and that might just make you want to try the game and test your luck.

1. Roulette is the Devil’s Wheel

The reasons behind roulette being called the Devil’s Wheel are twofold. For one, the game can be quite devilish and unforgiving at times and has left many hardcore gamblers broke without a penny in their pockets. However, the real origin of the name comes from the fact that added up, the numbers on the roulette wheel amount 666, the devil’s number.

2. There are Multiple forms of Roulette

While the game of roulette is found in almost every casino around the world, it is not always the exact same game you will be playing as there are multiple rules of roulette that might apply.

The various forms of roulette offered in live and online casinos around the world change the variance and the house edge of the game, but also provide versatility for the players. If you are sick of always playing the same old game of roulette, trying some French roulette or multiball roulette online could be all the change you need.

3. American Roulette is European in Origin

As you might know, American, European, and French roulette feature a different table layout. European gamblers got used to single-zero tables, when in Vegas you can find roulette games with a double zero on their wheels.

The double zero layouts originated from Jacques Lablee’s 1796 ‘La Roulette ou le Jour’, one of the first books about roulette in history. In those days, both layouts were present in European casinos.

However, German designers decided to remove double-zero tables from their new gambling houses and roll it out as a novelty to attract more customers. It worked, so now all European casinos feature only one single-zero layout.

4. It’s Nearly Impossible to Get Cheated at Roulette

While many gamblers like to look for someone to blame for their bad luck, the fact is that roulette is easily one of the fairest games you will find in any casino. Unlike card games which can actually be rigged by well-trained dealers, it is almost impossible for a dealer to rig a spin of roulette.

While some wheels could be adjusted on purpose or by chance to give certain sectors a better chance of landing, this could actually be exploited by savvy players, which is why casinos make sure their roulette wheels are as straight as possible. As far as dealer skills go, it is nearly impossible for a dealer to hit a sector using skill alone.

5. American Roulette is a Sucker’s Game

As we mentioned above, American and European Roulette are quite similar, with only one difference: the American Roulette wheel has one slot more, while all payouts remain the same. This means your chances of getting any bet right are slightly lower, while all payouts remain the same, making European Roulette a far superior game.

In fact, the difference in house edge between the two games is quite large, with the extra number taking the house edge all the way up to 5.2% from the original 2.7%. The more spins you play, the worse it gets and our advice is to always look for European or better yet French Roulette if you have the chance.

6. Most patterns players think exist are fallacy

When playing, players often catch themselves thinking that games have some winning patterns and place their bets based on these patterns. The real mathematical and logical truth is that there are no patterns in the game of roulette (with the exception of those discovered by advantage play) and any number can land at any time regardless of the last spin or any other statistic you can think of. While there is no harm in placing a bet on numbers that are “hot” or “cold” or your “favorite numbers”, there is absolutely no upside either. Every player has the same chance at every moment as every other, so it’s all really down to luck.

7. Martingale Doesn’t Work

One of the most popular roulette “systems” out there, the Martingale, is in fact completely bogus. While there is a realistic chance of making some money using this system before you go broke, the same goes for any other type of betting pattern that you may apply. In fact, there is really no difference between playing the Martingale or just letting it all ride on a single number. In the long run, the two will amount to the exact same loss.

8. Cheating in Roulette is Possible

To an uninformed person, it may seem like roulette is a game in which the player can hardly cheat. However, over the years there were many examples of people beating the casinos by cheating, one of the most famous being Francis Faruggia, who used a late bet scam to beat casinos out of millions. Placing your bet once the ball is almost landing without the dealer noticing can give you a significant edge.

9. People Have Won and Lost Millions at Roulette

There were more than a few examples of people losing millions of dollars or pounds playing roulette. Back in 2004, Brit Ashley Revell bet his life savings of over $135.000 on a single spin and walked away with double the money. The likes of Philip Green have won multiple millions in single nights, while numerous high stakes gamblers were reported as winning and losing millions in more private settings.

Spin Away at the Devil’s Wheel

As you can probably tell from these interesting pieces of trivia, roulette is a fascinating game with rich history and many legends revolving it. If you have never played the game, you should definitely give it a go! Don’t forget to keep the stakes reasonable as you wouldn’t want to play too high on the Devil’s Wheel unless you know exactly what you are doing.

There are many other stories we could tell you about roulette, but the best way to get more roulette stories is to actually spin the wheel yourself. If nothing else, you will at least be able to build your own legend and think of new interesting facts about one of the most popular casino game in the world.