Online Roulette

The Best New Zealand Online Roulette Guide 2018

With summer firmly on the horizon, you might have grafted hard to save up for a summer holiday to some glitzy casino resort. Or you may be planning on saving some of that hard-earned wedge and by staying at home and enjoying the glamour of playing online roulette on your laptop or mobile phone. With the latter in mind, here’s a comprehensive guide to online roulette.

Finding Reliable Roulette Casino Sites Online

With a lot of increasingly sophisticated options at your fingertips it pays to make an educated decision on which type of roulette casino sites suit your temperament, budget and desires. You need to decide exactly what it is you’re after. What does ‘best’ mean for you? Is it big bonuses? An authentic roulette casino experience? Or do you fancy swapping virtual chips with live dealers? It’s important to assess the software, the range of games available, and the customer service. The top-rated and most reliable sites offer a quality experience across all three. For recommendations, be sure to check out the list above of our editor's picks for the Top New Zealand Sites For Roulette!

Types of Roulette Variations

Most people are aware of the basic concept of roulette: a numbered wheel with red, black, odds and evens, plus a table loaded with betting options to predict where the ball lands after a spin. However, there are variations, including European, American and French as well as other more unique variants. But since most players are familiar with three highlighted roulette variants, let's break those down:

• European and American Roulette | All roulette games are based on classic European and American roulette. Fundamentally, there's little difference – but European roulette only has one green/zero with 37 numbers to select, while US roulette features a zero and double zero with 38 numbers. Generally, the edge of Euro roulette is slightly smaller for the house, but the American version delivers authentic Vegas gambling, plus the option to use strategy and instinct to bet on those greens (and every gambler knows how these can frustratingly 'land' when you don't bet them).
• French Roulette | A lot of people think French roulette is the same as European roulette. In many ways it’s the identical, yet there’s a tiny but important difference. Basically, when you place an outside bet and the ball lands in the green, half of your bet is returned to you. It’s called La Partage, and over the course of many spins it can reduce the house edge even further. If you can find a French roulette table, it’s definitely worth giving it a try.

Roulette Strategy: Comparing Inside Bets vs Outside Bets

In a nutshell, outside bets give you a greater chance of winning, but you’ll win a lower payout. The opposite is true of inside bets. Inside bets are essentially ways of choosing numbers that appear on the felt in patterns: next to each other, in a line, or a square. You pick one, two, three, four, or a line of numbers. The odds are tougher, but the rewards are great. Outside bets involve picking larger chunks of numbers, based on both their position and their colour. For example, choosing red or black, even or odd. Better odds, smaller prizes. With six different types of inside and outside bets to choose from, it's up to you to decide whether you’re going to play it safe, or go for the big bucks.

Roulette Rules: How to Play Online

Playing roulette is basically about playing the odds. You start by learning the layout of the wheel, the table and the different kinds of bets available. The roulette wheel (or random number generator) has a pocket for every number between 0 and 36 (the American roulette wheel also has a 00 pocket). Each pocket has the same chance of winning. The croupier spins the wheel, and drops a ball into it, spun in the opposite direction. Before the wheel is spun, punters place their bets on the table corresponding to which pocket they think the ball will eventually land in as the wheel slows. The odds correspond to how likely the chosen number or combination of numbers are to be chosen. Bets can be placed on:

• Single Numbers (odds of 35-1)
• Pairs of Numbers (odds of 17-1)
• 'Streets' of Three Numbers (odds of 11-1)
• 'Squares' of Four Numbers (odds of 8-1)
• 'Lines' of Six Numbers (odds of 5-1)
• Colours or All the Black Numbers (1-1 Payout)
• Dozens or 12 Numbers (2-1 Payout)
• Highs or Lows, so 1-18 or 19-36 (1-1 Payout)
• Odds or Evens (1-1 Payout)
• 'Columns' of 12 Numbers (2-1 Payout)

Combinations of numbers and bets can be used to play down the house edge and increase the chances of coming away on top.

Top-Rated Roulette Games 2018

The top online casinos continue to design new types of roulette for enhanced novelty and more adventurous payout potential. Here are a couple of the top-rated variations to play this summer:

• Mini Roulette | Mini roulette is a fast, fun, dynamic version of roulette – typically featuring numbers 1-12 and a single zero, kind of like a baby version of French roulette or European roulette. It's a great game to play on your mobile when bored or fancying something to just sit back and chill with.
• Multi-Wheel Roulette | Multi-wheel roulette games are intoxicatingly brilliant. Just place your bet and watch as it's rolled-out across all the wheels. The risk is multiplied, but so are the potential payouts. If you bet NZ$5 on red and there are 5 wheels, your risk and potential payout becomes NZ$25 (5 x 5). If you budget wisely this game gives real value.

History of Roulette

Coming from the French for ‘little wheel’, roulette has been played in France since as far back as 1796. The game as we know it today is a mixture of several European wheel games, including Roly-Poly, Ace of Hearts, Hoca and Biribi. Over the years, two main variants emerged: American and European. The now-dominant American game formed in the territories of the New World through the use of makeshift tables, while the European variant has had an altogether more luxurious upbringing, forming on wheels and tables in Monte Carlo. Today, roulette is a classic casino game that has a timeless capacity to entertain.