Roulette Special Rules: The Surrender Rule

The single zero (in a European roulette) and the double zero (in an American roulette) can be a source of frustration for some roulette players. However, this animosity can definitely be eradicated if they know about the game’s special rule – the Surrender Rule.

This rule, despite its popularity among expert roulette players, is rarely found. Needless to say, if you look hard enough, you’d still be able to find casinos, both online and offline, which accommodate such special rule.

The surrender rule is basically a player’s friend as it works largely on his favour by making it possible for some or even all of his money return to his bankroll. The only condition for this to happen is that the ball should land on either the single zero or the double zero.

This further means that the special rule has a significant effect on the house advantage which is now either greatly reduced or obliterated altogether.

Still, players should note that the rule applies only on even money bets, which are basically outside bets which pay even money. These bets are Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low, Dozens, and Column.

The rule comes in three distinct variations, and depending on the region as well as the wheel being used, the terms may apply differently.

En Prison

This rule is typically applied on French roulette wheels. This roulette game supposed to have the least casino edge out of the three popular versions. The others are European and American variants. With the En Prison taking effect, the house advantage is further reduced from 2.7% to a whopping 1.35%. This means the chance for the player to win and make profit is further increased.

The rule works in this way: suppose the player makes an even-money outside bet and the single zero comes out. He will choose between losing 50% of his bet or let his entire wager be “imprisoned” for the next spin. In the latter’s case, the bet is basically held hostage by the dealer. If the bet wins he’ll get it back. Otherwise, the house forfeits the amount.

Le Partage

This special rule, which is quite popular here in the UK, shares some similarities with the En Prison rule. To better explain the mechanics, imagine this scenario: the player once again makes an even-money outside bet. A single zero comes out. The bet, which is supposed to be a losing one, will be divided into two: 50% will be recovered by the player, the remaining 50% goes to the house.

While there’s no chance for the player to fully redeem his bet, he still at least gets half of this losing money. Most experts would swear more on this rule because it provides both the player and the dealer a better deal.

Surrender

American roulette game is a roulette game like no other. It has the highest casino advantage of 5.26% thanks to the single zero and the double zero. What’s more, it has its own special rule: the Surrender.

The said rule pretty much works like the Le Partage in which the winning number should either be “0” or the “00.” The only thing that differs here is that the rule exclusively applies only to American roulette games.

These rules do not necessarily make it possible for the player to beat the game. However, with the significant reduction of house edge, it does help the player get a better shot at having an enjoyable and profitable roulette game session.

The Roulette Wheel Secrets You Need to Know Before Playing

The roulette wheel is where the action happens. This spherical-shaped instrument that is peppered with numbers and pockets fully captures attention of the players as they await for the outcome. Just as how unpredictable the small ball bounces off from one fret to another, so is the fate of your bet. Considering how important the roulette wheel is on a casino roulette game or an online roulette casino game, it would be unimaginable if a player doesn’t have a better understanding on the physical and the mechanical aspects of this casino instrument.

Quick history: the kind of roulette wheel we know as of today has its roots traced back in the 17th century when Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, thinker, and inventor, attempted to create a perpetual motion machine. It went through a lot of transformation through the years and ever since, it has become one of the staple games in almost any casino, both land-based and online.

Today, there are two general types of roulette wheel: the European and the American roulette. There’s virtually no big difference between the two except for the fact that the American version has two zero slots (single zero and double zero), while the European wheel only has a single zero. We explained here why you’re better off playing on a single zero roulette (European) than on a double zero roulette (American).

Casually looking at a roulette wheel, one could instantly have an impression that the numbers are arranged randomly. This could be true but those with keen eyes may notice that there is a discernible pattern arrangement of number pairs of high and low numbers as well as odd and even numbers.

European vs. American Roulette Wheel

As mentioned above, the European roulette wheel variant has a single zero and is often the choice among players for the low average casino advantage of 2.7%. Online casino roulette enthusiasts prefer this type for the same reason.

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Aside from the single zero are the 36 numbers that come along with it. The sequence of the numbers would be like this: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26.

The American wheel, meanwhile, is kind of infamous among players for its extra double zero on top of the 36 numbers and the single zero. This setup gives the house an edge of 5.6% against the players.

Numbers are ordered in the wheel in this fashion: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2

Taking a closer look…

For both wheels, the black numbers are 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33 and 35. The red numbers, meanwhile, are, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34 and 36.

When you add all the black numbers, it would total to 334. With the red numbers, you’ll get 332.

There are 8 even red numbers and 8 odd black. On the other hand, there’s 10 even black and 10 odd red.

For the math geeks, they could find 5 black prime numbers (11, 13, 17, 29, 31) and another 5 on the red (1, 3, 5, 7, 23).

Each of the roulette wheel numbers don’t have any arithmetic value. However the sequence to which they are arranged, respective to the variant, is well thought of. Its purpose is to give an impression of balance and randomness at the same time.

Knowing vs. not Knowing

For the beginners, they may fail to fully grasp the entire picture of the wheel, thus forcing them to pull numbers to bet out of thin air. Expert roulette players, however, have a better understanding on the relationship of the numbers and sectors of the roulette wheel. This gives them some idea on which side of the wheel the ball will probably land in the next spin.

The bottomline here is that, familiarizing the kind of roulette wheel you intend to play with will give you an advantage over not knowing it. If you wish to know the other elements of the game, like the odds and payouts, or betting systems and strategies, we welcome you to browse in our site. Enjoy and good luck.

Betting on Single Zero Roulette

The single zero roulette, although it is available to play in all parts of the world, both online or in a land-based casino, is particularly popular among European casino players. Commonly known as the European roulette, the single zero roulette is far more favourable to play than its counterpart, the double zero roulette, otherwise known as the American roulette.

The so-called old Continent roulette wheel draws more players because of the fact that it has a lower house edge than the American roulette wheel.

In this section right here, we explained thoroughly the roulette house edge and why it is important for any roulette players to know it before they sit on a roulette game. For those who missed it, we pointed out that the house edge is simply the advantage the casino establishment has, whether it is online or a brick and mortar, over the player. This is how they make their profit, and any gambler in the right mind wouldn’t want himself to get caught in a game where he’ll be more likely to lose against the house than win for himself.

Describing the Single Zero Roulette

The single zero roulette can easily be spotted with a roulette wheel that has 37 numbered slots on it. The numbers are from 1 to 36 plus a single zero slot. The numbers are alternately colored from red to black except for the 0 which is colored green.

Looking at the arrangement of the roulette wheel, one might have the impression that the numbering is done randomly. On the contrary, the distribution is well thought of in such a way that the sum of the numbers from this part of the wheel is equal to the total of the opposite area.

Betting on the Single Zero Roulette

There’s basically two types of bets in a roulette – the inside and the outside bets. You can head over to this link to find more details on bets. But basically, inside bets are done on the areas of the roulette table where the individual numbers are located. The other type of bet, meanwhile, is placed in the outer area where there’s no specific numbers to be found but only the colors, groupings and odd or even-money.

The house edge on a European roulette is 2.7% and the rate can further be diminished thanks to the special rules that are exclusively applied on single zero roulette games.

To mention a few, there’s the “la partage” rule. What it means is that when the ball falls into the zero pocket, players who placed bets on even-money receive half of their bet back. Computations would tell that the house edge goes down to 1.35%

Another special rule is the “en prison.” As hinted by the term, the player’s bet that lost is put into prison. If the pocket that comes up is zero, the bet is withheld until the next spin. If your bet finally comes up, then the imprisoned bet is returned to you. Should you lose the second time, the bet finally goes to the house.

A lot of online roulette casinos feature European or American roulette. Our personal pick is the former since the advantage leans more towards the players than on the casino.