
Together with the tremendous popularity of roulette casino game a whole set of myths and beliefs has emerged that prevents credulous players from relying on logic and even common sense while playing roulette game of chance. Our basic roulette guide will introduce you to the world of roulette myths and superstitions.
Common roulette myths
- The most common roulette myth is based on the gambler's fallacy. Due to it the previous results in every game of chance are connected with the future results, e.g. if several spins of the roulette wheel came out at Red, we may assume that the next spin is likely to stop at Black. In fact, it is very untrue. Roulette is a game of mere chance, and every spin of the wheel is an independent trial, which means that previous results cannot define the following ones.
- Some players may assume that all roulette wheels are actually the same. It is in fact illogical as far as different roulette wheels - European and American - have different number of zero pockets. There is a single pocket for zero in European roulette and two pockets in American roulette ('0' and '00'). This influences the roulette house edge greatly - from 5.26% in American roulette to 2.63% in European variant.
- There is a belief that mathematical betting systems actually work and can help you win large sums of money. In fact, we have already mentioned that roulette is a game of mere luck. No system can influence the random results of the roulette wheel's spin, especially as there is no chance to analyze any past data and draw reliable mathematical conclusions to apply an efficient betting system.
- According to another roulette myth, there is no difference between inside and outside bets. In fact, it matters what bet you make. It is actually recommended to make outside bets rather than inside ones in order to secure you from tremendous loss. Even though outside bets pay less - 2 to 1 or 1 to 1 - your chances to come up a winner are higher than with risky inside bets.
Roulette superstitions
Superstitions are a usual thing in all games of chance. They are based on primeval beliefs (for instance, a belief in a magical power of material objects) and are quite common for all nations.
- A lot of players tend to bet on their 'lucky' numbers like numbers 3 or 7, date of their birth, etc. Of course, this adds some extra excitement to the game, but in fact no number is more likely to come out than other numbers in roulette.
- One of the biggest roulette superstitions is assuming that trends work. For instance, if reds have already come out several times, it is possible that the next spin will stop at black. We already know that no past results in roulette influence the future ones, so we deem this superstition nonsensical.
- It is not uncommon to rely on "magical power" of certain talismans - rabbit feet, lucky charms, etc. No one can forbid the use of these, but no 'lucky' objects will actually increase your odds at roulette and make you a winner.