Place your bets, please.
Last bets… aaand no more, thank you.
The ball bounces on the wheel, and finally lands on the winning number.
Few games are as addictive as roulette, but why? What makes roulette so exciting, what is it that keeps the players coming back?
I’m a casino dealer, and I’ve been dealing roulette for a few years.
In today’s article I’ll share eleven reasons why roulette is unlike any other game…
Why is roulette so addictive?
Roulette is very addictive because it’s fast paced and relatively easy to learn. Depending on play style, roulette payouts can be very high (up to 35 to one) and there are many different bets to choose from. This makes roulette one of the most addictive casino games, if not the most.
1. Roulette is fast
All dealers are trained to keep the games going, whether they deal blackjack, baccarat, or poker.
The faster the game, the happier the players, and the more money for the casino. So generally speaking, all casino games will be fast-paced.
That being said, roulette is a crazy fast, adrenaline-fueled, electrifying game.
If the spin lasts for, say, ten seconds, then you can lose a lot or win a lot in just ten seconds.
Plus, as you’re watching the ball spin in the inside track, you can’t help being anxious, hopefully in a good way.
Speed is addictive, and when combined with gambling, you are basically guaranteed to get hooked.
2. Roulette is easy to learn
Roulette racetrack bets are quite complex, but most players don’t really use them.
The second reason roulette is so addictive is that it’s one of the easiest games to learn.
Sure, there are a lot of rules and sub-rules, but essentially all you need to do is place a bunch of chips on the layout. That’s basically it.
Compared to games like Texas Hold’em, roulette is painfully easy, and this attracts a lot of players, especially beginners.
The harder and more complex the game, the more intimidating it could be for first-timers. Conversely, games that look easy are ideal even for new customers. Roulette is one of these games.
3. Endless betting combinations
After a few hands, some casino games can get boring. For example, traditional blackjack can be very uninteresting, in my opinion.
But if you play roulette, you can bet on so many different numbers and sections. And if you combine them, then possibilities are basically endless.
Roulette bets are divided into different categories…
- Inside bets: chips placed on the central part of the layout. Such as numbers straight up, splits, corners, and street bets. Payouts are as high as 35 to one.
- Outside bets: red, black, odd, even, 1-18, and 19-36. But also columns and dozens. Lower payouts, but much safer bets.
- French bets: bets that cover a specific section of the wheel. For example, if you throw a plaque and call orphelins, you are betting on 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 29, 31, and 34.
- Track bets: similar to French bets, these could be “28 and the neighbors”, meaning a chip on 28 straight up, and also a chip on each of its four neighboring numbers on the wheel.
- Custom bets: some regulars will have their own personal call bet, so they can just throw a chip, announce a single word, and the dealer will place the chips on the layout or racetrack automatically.
4. Bright colors
This applies to all casino games, as well as the interior of the casino as well.
Everything is designed to catch your attention and make you feel like you are playing a game (you are, technically).
The atmosphere in casinos is almost surreal, akin to that of a theme park, or a video game.
Everything from casino chips, to the red and black of the roulette wheel, to slot screens, to the patterns you see on the floor, usually has bright colors, and we human beings like that a lot.
Some casinos go completely crazy with this, and you’ll see bright neon lights on the roulette wheel as well, and extravagant colors on the dealer’s uniform.
5. Payouts are usually high
If you win, you win big.
It’s not like blackjack, where you are paid 3 to 2 if you are dealt an ace and a picture card, at best.
And yes, there are side bets on blackjack, but it’s not the same.
Although roulette can be played conservatively (for example, if you bet on even chances, or six-lines), some players like to just go all in and bet everything on a number or section.
And if it comes in, the payout will be ridiculously high.
This does not happen with most casino games, so over time risk-takers tend to just play roulette because it’s potentially very profitable.
That is, if you get lucky — no roulette strategy will ever make you win consistently.
6. Roulette is pure luck
In poker, experience and skill play a big role — and in the long run, they make all the difference.
Then you have games where there is both skill and luck involved. If you play, say, blackjack or baccarat, whether you win or lose will be dictated mainly by luck, but the way you play can lower the house edge a bit.
And then you have games like roulette where some players like to think they have a strategy, but in reality, unless you cheat, there is no way to manipulate the house edge.
Roulette is pure luck, which means there is no need to think. Just put your chips on the layout and hope you get lucky.
While this turns off some players, it also means the game is very easy to approach.
7. It can be played live
By live I mean online casinos with live dealers.
You’re still playing on your phone or laptop screen, but the game isn’t generated by code — it’s like playing at an actual table in a casino, only, at home.
So those who prefer to play online, for whatever reason, still have the option to “play live”.
This can be very addictive as there is no one watching you and playing is as easy as visiting a website or clicking on an app on your smartphone.
8. Lucky numbers
Your birthday. Your age. Your favorite number.
The numbers that are close to the green zero. Those who end with 2. The first four. The last three.
Because there are 37 numbers, as well as endless combinations of these numbers, you can pick one based on what you think is lucky for you.
You can’t do that on other casino games. Even craps doesn’t give you the same option.
You can get pretty creative when it comes to betting on the roulette layout, and you can even have favorite numbers.
So that’s one more reason why the game can become so addictive.
9. Roulette “strategies”
As I mentioned, no roulette strategy will make you win against the house in the long run.
And even if you find one that does make you win, the casino will consider that cheating, and you will be banned or told to play on other tables.
Still, there are dozens of roulette strategies you could follow, or even come up with your own.
Martingale, D’Alembert, Norman Leigh, Fibonacci, and so on.
They won’t lower the house edge but it’ll be a different way to play, so you’ll never get bored.
10. House edge is relatively low
Especially in the case of a single-zero roulette table where La Partage is applied.
Roulette can be very addictive simply because depending on how you play, you could win and lose often.
For example, if you cover roughly half of the numbers on the layout, you should expect to win roughly 50 percent of the time.
Yes, the house has a statistical advantage. But it’s not huge by any means.
And compared to the lottery, the odds are… spectacular.
11. Roulette is 24/7
Not just online roulette. Many casinos are open 24 hours, every day.
And although there will be less dealers from, say, 4am until 12pm, some tables will still be open.
Chances are you will be able to play roulette just because it’s the most famous, most loved casino game.
That means you’ll never have to worry about the closing (or opening) time.
So if you ever feel bored early in the morning and fancy a few spins, you know you’ll be able to just drive to the closest casino and play.
And if possible, that makes roulette even more addictive.
