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There is very little you can do as a player to gain an edge in roulette since there are few skillful choices at a roulette table other than finding a roulette wheel with a single ‘0’ instead of a ‘0’ and a ‘00’, but you can put yourself into the best situations to win by AVOIDING ‘sucker’s bets’ that many players fall victim to. On a United States wheel which has two ZERO’s there is one particular bet you should avoid, and that is betting on the first 5 numbers. All other bets on a roulette wheel with US rules gives the house a 5.26% edge, whereas the First 5 bet increases the house edge to 7.89%! This is the one bet you should never place in a game of roulette. The best way to increase your edge is to locate a single ZERO wheel, known as European Roulette. By finding a single ZERO wheel you will decrease the house edge to just 2.7% on most bets, a much better proposition for the serious roulette player.
One variation to the rules you may come across is the European “Imprisonment” rule –which is also used in Atlantic City on double ZERO wheels—this rule allows players who make any Even-Money bet to reclaim ½ of their bet should the ball land on a ZERO. So if you bet Red and the ball lands on black you will lose your bet, but if the ball lands on a ZERO you will be entitled to ½ your bet back. Finding a roulette wheel with an Imprisonment rule further decreases the house edge on these particular bets –Betting Red or Black/Odd or Even/1-18 or 19-36—to just 2.63% on a double ZERO wheel, and to 1.3% on a single ZERO wheel. As you can see, most of the skill in roulette comes from doing your homework and finding the best possible places to play, as opposed to finding a better bet on the roulette table.
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