In the world of casino games, roulette is a classic. Along with blackjack and craps, roulette is a mainstay in any full service casino in the United States, and the game is even more popular in Europe, where it's a cultural and historical part of the gambling scene. It is also popular in other parts of the World.

Modern roulette has been around since at least 1796, when the game was played in Paris in almost exactly the same form it's played today. The elements of the game as it is played today were all present then as well: red and black slots in the wheels, numbers of 1 through 36 and a 0 and a 00, etc. In Europe, the 00 was eventually removed, but it's still a part of the game in the USA.

Roulette had its origins in multiple other games. An Italian ball game called "biribi" was also popular in France in the early 18th century, and it was combined with another wheel game that involved colors but not numbers to make a modern roulette game. "Roly-poly" was an English game launched in 1720 which consisted of black and white slots. So roulette could possibly be considered a hybrid of both birib and Roly-poly.

Online Roulette is a much more leisurely game than many other online casino games due to the time it takes to place the bet and the spinning of the wheel. It is however still much faster than land based Roulette and herein lies the advantage, because more rounds can be played in a much shorter time. This results in all the excitement of online casino play mixed with the high class elegance of land based Roulette. You can play Basic Roulette strategy

The first thing a player needs to understand about Roulette strategies, is that they are all based on odds and the chance of the ball landing in the correct (for that specific player at least) slot. It is universally accepted (and just plain common sense) that the best way to increase the odds of winning in Roulette is to bet on a group of numbers.

Roulette strategies that increase the odds of winning and offer higher payouts are:

The 12 number bet: This is where you place your bet on either side of the first, middle or last third of the numbers on the Roulette table. This offers the chance of winning the equivalent of the bet back plus double. In other words, for every €1 you bet you’ll win another €1 back plus €2 from the house. This is one of the most popular Roulette betting strategies.

Combined bets: This is where you place your bet on a colour and a third. This is referred to as hedging your Roulette bet or using insurance. This allows for the opportunity to either win both or split the bets.

Long shot bets: This is where you place your bet on only 1 or 2 squares. You need to keep this bet low to avoid losing a large sum of money (it is a long shot after all), but if you win you’ll win big.

Online Roulette tips

• In Roulette the more numbers you bid on the higher the odds of winning, but the higher the odds of winning the less you win.
  
• You can place multiple bets on the same spin, but in online Roulette once you’ve clicked on the "Spin Wheel" button you’ll have to wait until the next round to place another bet.
  
• If possible avoid the zero or double zero
  
• Even though the payouts are lower, "outside" bets have the highest odds of winning in Roulette and first time or inexperienced Roulette players should try playing these first. Typical "outside" bets in Roulette are: a column of numbers, a twelve number grouping, a colour (red or black) and odds or evens.
  
• A winning bet on a single number offers a payout of x36.
  Roulette is more than a game of chance.  Serious players know it.  You know it.  Visit CasinosVIPLounge.com for roulette rules, strategy and history, plus the best places to play