I’ve talked about French and European roulette being interchangeable with each other, but there is a difference between the two games. Legend says that roulette was invented in France, which is part of Europe, so many people assume it is the same game.

Both games use the same rules and both have a single zero, meaning the odds are better than the American version. The first difference is in the physical layouts of the table and wheel. In other versions, the wheel is usually on one side with a single table. In French roulette, the wheel is in between two tables. This fact makes it easier to spot in a casino. Also, the table is usually completely red and there are no black colors around the numbers, even though they are considered black. This is just part of the style and original version of the game.

As for the bets, everything is the same as the European version, except for a few additional types of bets that can work to your advantage. You may have come across the term “La Partage”. This is a rule that is nearly identical to the “En Prison” rule where a player will lose only half the bet when the ball lands on zero. I wrote about En Prison in an earlier post and you can read the full details of it here.

The biggest difference between the two game variations is that the French version has “call bets”. They are specific pre-made bets where players can bet on special groups of numbers ordered by their physical position on the wheel. I listed a few of the major call bets below with their original French names and translated into English:

Voisins du Zero – Neighbors of Zero: This bet covers 17 numbers surrounding the zero on the wheel as well as the zero itself.

Jeu Zero – Zero Game: This is similar to “Neighbors of Zeros” bet, but you are selecting only 7 numbers around zero and including zero.

Tiers du Cylindre – Third of the Wheel: This bet covers one third of the numbers on the wheel. Basically it’s the 12 numbers that are opposite of the zero slot.

Orphelins – Orphans: This is a bet on all of the numbers that were not included in the “Third of the Wheel” and “Neighbor of Zero” bet, which includes 8 numbers.

Finales – Finals: These are final bets that use the final digits of each number as a way to coordinate the bet. For example, if the player announces “Finales 5”, The numbers 5, 15, 25 and 35 would be wagered on. This would be allowed for any other number as well. Sometimes you are betting on 3 or 4 numbers at a time depending on which digit you select.

I hope this good Wikipedia image below will illustrate where these numbers are in respect to the positions on the wheel:

If you are interested in this game and want to practice and try out these bets, play our free flash French roulette game with no download required, or go to CasinoMax

In case you were wondering what Royale roulette was, it’s actually a variation of European roulette. There is no major differences in the way the game is played and there is usually a single zero. The only thing different that makes this game Royale is the fact that players have a chance to win a progressive jackpot. This is a jackpot that slowly builds up as more people play, sort of like the huge jackpots found in slot machines that are hooked up to a network.

Typically, Royale roulette is found online where all the bets and wagers are processed electronically. Otherwise it would be hard trying to split up money and putting it into the ticker at a land based casino where players are using solid chips. This jackpot is fairly nice and can sometimes reach over a hundred thousand dollars. It has been known that the jackpot can sometimes reach over a million dollars but it is very rare and doesn’t happen often.

When a player places one of the classic bets, they will be allowed to make an additional side bet. Usually this is only $1 or it could be required to be as large as the basic normal bets that you are doing. All of the side bet money goes into the pot, which grows progressively over time when more player take this wager. In order to claim the jackpot, the ball must land on the same number 5 times in a row and that player must be making a side bet every time. If this happens, the player will win the massive jackpot. Also, it doesn’t matter what number is chosen, as long as any number comes up 5 times in a row, you will win. Still, the odds are slim that this will happen, but the payout of money is massive. Many players love this game, especially roulette fans who play the game often.

If you are interested in this game, you can find and play Royale Roulette at CasinoMax.

This is an interesting topic for those who are into gambling. Many people believe the term VIP (Very Important Person) is synonymous with “high roller”, and it is in most cases. Basically a high roller is someone who brings in a lot of money to a casino and makes major bets and gets a lot of attention, especially from the people in charge of the casino. These players automatically become VIPs because their money is important to the casino.

The other type of VIPs are those that play at the casino on a regular basis and not necessarily bringing in much money. In the long term, these players are regulars to the casinos and they bring in a steady income, so the casinos will classify them appropriately. The more money they bring in, the better treatment they will get from the casinos in terms of bonuses and goodies.

So how do you become a VIP player if you are playing online? I found that this is not that hard to do and many casinos will gladly be interested in giving you this title, which you can brag about to all your friends if you would like. Basically all you need to do is email them or chat with someone online at the casino and request VIP membership.

This membership really is exclusive and many casinos require some conditions before giving out membership. VIP status is not something worthless that can be given to everyone that walks in the door! Usually the requirement is to have played at a casino for some specific amount of time or on a regular basis. Other standards require that the customer deposits money or a lot of money into their casino account regularly, or apply for the high roller bonuses often.

The benefits of being a VIP player at an online casino are quite generous. These players can build up their comp points more quickly than the average player. In some cases, players can actually build their own custom games in their account or ask that the table limits be increased just for them. They get larger sized bonus offers and more opportunities to get exclusive bonuses. The ultra high level VIP players can actually get gifts like vacation packages, X-boxes, free checks and even a brand new car! They get all the best treatment like one would get in Las Vegas, only they obviously couldn’t get free hotel and resort time like at land based casinos. Though, online casinos make up for it in different ways over the internet with equally generous advantages.

One online brand, Jackpot Factory, has their very own VIP lounge casino where you can sign up and request information about it. There are some deposit requirements that should be met, but I know some players who were great fans of this casino brand and they let them become VIP players anyways, so it’s not all about the money. Check them out if you are interested, they are nearly the most reputable online casino in existence today and some of the best service and game play that I know of. They accept all kinds of currencies and languages as well. Unfortunately they do not accept US players at the moment.

If you are located in the US, you are not out of luck because CasinoMax and Cherry Jackpot online casinos

One of the most famous betting systems used in all casino games is the Martingale system. The Martingale betting system is actually most popular with roulette because of the high table limits since roulette usually has a larger maximum than the other table games. This system is very popular but it also requires players to have deep pockets and to take on enormous risks.

The basics of the Martingale are simple. It is a negative progression form of betting where players make larger whenever they lose and keep the bet the same whenever they win. This system works best when customers bet on red or black colors, odd or even numbers and high or low numbers. Basically the outside bets are perfect to use here. The key here is you want to bet on something with the best odds, or nearly 50/50 odds with these outside bets.

Here is an example of using the Martingale betting system while playing roulette. First a player can bet $10 on red. The croupier will then spin the wheel and drop the ball in. If the ball lands on the red slot, the player will win $10 and the next bet they will make is $10 again. Basically the bet will always be $10 after winning a bet and you will always make a $10 profit after every win.

If you lose though, then your next bet will be double the previous bet. For instance, if you lost on a $10 bet, you would then bet $20. If the ball lands on red, you would win $10, which would cover your previous loss of $10 plus a $10 profit. If you lose for a second time in a row, you would again have to make a wager that is double that of your previous bet, or $40. If you win here, you would cover your total loses and again make a profit.

The severe risk comes when you start getting a long streak of losses. Say you lose twice in a row, then your bet keeps doubling to $40, then $80, then $160, $360, $640 and then over a thousand dollars. You would need to lose six times in a row before you would start betting over $1000. This is nearly equivalent to flipping a coin and having it land on heads six times in a row. It is theoretically possible but highly unlikely. It becomes more and more unlikely that the ball will keep landing on red. Eventually it should land on black since the odds should even out over the long term.

As you can see, there are two major requirements to use the Martingale system effectively in roulette. You need deep pockets (large bankroll) and you need a roulette wheel with high table betting limits. In the example above, lets assume the table limit is $1000 and you need to double your $640 bet. You can only bet $1000, so this screws up the whole system. In fact, a player could theoretically never lose while using this system if there was no table limits and he had an infinite amount of money.

For practical purposes, a billionaire probably would never have to worry about losing all of their money if the started off with small bets. It is because of this system that casinos placed betting limits on roulette tables, so that the Martingale system would eventually fail after a long streak of losses, otherwise the casino could lose a lot of money like it has done in the past.

Try out the Martingale betting system on our free flash roulette game. There is a low betting limit in this flash version, but if you play for real money, the table limit is much higher. At least you will get a feel for this system and be able to practice it a little to see how it works.

You see advertising and banners about all the different bonuses that casinos are offering, but do you know what they are for? There are actually some really good ones out there and some bad ones. Some are just flat out highway robbery as I’ll explain what some of these bonuses are and what they are good for.

Percentage bonuses are basically known as match bonuses that apply to your deposits. For example, if you see a banner that says 100%, this means the casino itself will give you a bonus equal to your deposit. For example, if you deposit $500, the casino will give you an extra $500 for a grand total of $1000.

No deposit bonuses are those given to players even if they do not deposit any money. These are very attractive to many players because they can actually keep the winnings while playing and trying out the games offered at online casinos. Typically, these are very small bonuses ranging between $5 and $100.

Reload bonuses are offered to current players at any time after their first deposit. For example, if a player runs out of money, the casino might give them an extra 100% reload on additional deposits into the casino. These are commonly offered at any time to players and casinos tend to make these kinds of bonuses standard because they are popular with long standing customers.

These are typically the three major kinds of bonuses. Casinos do this because the industry is fiercely competitive online and the casinos are trying to attract new players and retain current ones. Plus these casinos know that they have all the odds and players should theoretically lose everything if they play through the long term. Though many players have won thousands and even millions of dollars from casinos.

Players need to be diligent and read the terms of these bonuses. There is a catch to free money being given away, otherwise players would just deposit and immediately withdrawal the bonuses and make money that way (which actually happened to casinos in the old days!). Usually the terms require that you make wagers equal to a few times your entire bankroll before withdrawing your funds. For example, if you deposited $100, the casino may require that you make wagers equal to 10 or 20 times your bankroll. This doesn’t mean making a single $1000 bet. It just means that you should play roulette or some other games and make a total number of bets, small or large, that equal $1000 or $2000 depending on the terms. This is usually the case with every type of bonus.

Things you need to watch out for in the terms is an outrageous requirement, such as making wagers equal to 100 or 1000 times your bankroll. This would not only keep your money trapped at the casino for a very long time, but it would nearly guarantee that you would lose all your money in the process of making bets. In some cases, it’s actually a better deal to forgo and not accept a bonus than to take one. Then you could deposit and withdraw your money at will without strings attached to it.

Here is a small list of good bonuses below. Read the requirements at their site if needed, and for players not located in the US, these casinos accept multiple currencies and support a wide array of native languages.

Variety of match bonuses at CasinoMax – Accepts US players and credit cards

Variety of match bonuses at Cherry Jackpot

You may have heard of mobile casinos at one time or another. These are casinos that can be played on cell phones, iphones and other portable devices. In the past, the games used to be free forms of entertainment used to cut down on boredom so people could pass the time. Players would not be allowed to play and win real money even though many loved the idea that it could be possible to gamble with real money on a portable device.

This technology isn’t that new and it’s been around for awhile now where players could gamble for real money on mobile devices. Though the number of games is still limited and you can only get so much quality graphics on a small screen on the phone. Currently, there are about 20 to 30 mobile casino games that do include roulette. In fact, roulette is the most popular game to play other than the multiple slot machine games that offer million dollar jackpots.

There are two well known mobile casino services out there and they are both owned by the same company. There is Cherry Jackpot Mobile and CasinoMax Mobile, both of extremely high quality and known throughout the world for their great reputation and services. They offer support and compatibility for over 8000 cellular and mobile devices. The huge benefit is that you can play in any location you want just about. So you are not stuck at your computer or having to drive out to the casino. Meaning you can play anywhere in your home, waiting around at work or out on the go somewhere. These are truly convenient services that are destined to become extremely popular in the coming years as more people learn that they can now play casino games with real money.

Many people don’t think much of comps but they can actually be a boon when saving money or playing longer. For the average person, comps can be earned electronically through a card at the casino. Usually you can earn these by sticking this plastic credit card sized account card into a slot built into slot machines, video poker and other electronic gambling machines. You will earn points every time you make a bet and usually after about 100 points, you can exchange it for $1. This isn’t much unless you play at casinos for a long time. Some players can easily earn 100,000 points and exchange it for $1000 to play at the machine.

Loyal members who have been around for awhile or high rollers can sometimes get a special deal where they can earn 2, 3, or more points for each bet, allowing for their comps to add up quicker. Many casinos will even give out $10 or even $100 for birthdays at larger and more luxurious casinos. Seniors can get specials as well and certain days of the week can offer special benefits. The key is to always bring your comp card when you go to the casino.

Luckily, at online casinos, you do not need to worry about remembering your comps card. Your comps add up automatically in your account as you play, making it very convenient. The good casinos offer the same specials as land based casinos, such as birthday bonuses, membership loyalty levels where you earn more points per wager and the VIP comps.

VIP and high roller comps are usually given to players who bet a lot of money and these can range from a free nights stay at their hotel and resort, free dinners, vacations and special gives. Casinos know that if people bring in big money, they can make a LOT more from casino games than they could from a hotel room, so they can throw these extra gifts in to appeal to the customer. This even applied to online casinos, except for the hotel rooms and dinners of course. Though, some online casinos were known for sending out $100 valued boxes of steaks to their valuable customers! If you are looking for some good casinos with comps points, check out

You may have noticed when you walk around the casino or if you’ve played online that each game has a maximum betting limit. High rollers are generally the kind of people that have deep pockets and can easily afford to lose a lot of money. Though in order to satisfy them, they need high limits in order to give them a rush. Imagine how boring roulette might be if you could only wager one cent bets up to 5 pennys maximum. This is how many high rollers feel about one dollar bets.

The big games like blackjack, craps and even slots can have table and betting limits up to $500 or more. Usually the big casinos have limits up to $50000 like those found in Nevada, New Jersey and Europe. If you play online, the limits are usually greatly reduced unless you sign up at one of the VIP casinos offered on the internet. Note that even though the VIP casino is based online, they still offer special comps like free vacations and gifts that would be offered to exclusive members in Las Vegas.

Roulette tends to be the game that offers the highest betting limits for players and one of the most frequented by VIP players. Even in Las Vegas, limits can go as high as $10,000, $50,000 and even $100,000 or more. Just read about Ashley Revell and his widely publized $135,300 single wager on roulette. Not many games other than roulette will allow for the massive table limits. Even online at the VIP casino I mentioned, the casino will let players customize their own tables and betting limits depending on how valuable and how money money the bring in. It was told that these private online casino members could bet as high as $25,000 per spin when playing roulette.

In my previous article, I talked about mini roulette, which actually allows an unlimited betting limit. This one is ideal for the high rollers but the house odds are much higher and the player odds are much worse. The casino knows that it’s more likely that players will lose so they allow these high roller limits. Your best bet is to review the Jackpot Factory VIP lounge casino if you are seriously considering to play with big money and be offered the great odds of the European roulette wheel.

*EDIT – As of 2015, the Jackpot Factory VIP Lounge no longer accepts US Players. Please check out CasinoMax, Cherry Jackpot, Slots Capital, Black Diamond Casino, Buzz Luck, All Star Slots, and Manhattan Slots online casinos. All of these accept US players and credit card deposits. They are owned by the same brand, which is very old and highly reputable. Each casino has an invite-only VIP program available for regular players!

Actually, the government tried to shut down online gambling to US players back in 2006. So it’s been quite awhile since the law has been around. Basically the US has been targeting banks and money transferring systems based online. For instance, Neteller used to be a huge service for depositing funds into your favorite online casino and one of the most popular services to use.

After the US anti-gaming laws were put in place, Neteller immediately banned US players from transferring money to casinos and getting money out. Basically people had to use other less known services, which still are effective in getting money deposited so players can play casino games. Also, there are quite a few online casinos that still allow US players to gamble and deposit money. In fact, people can still put money into these places with a credit card or the more well known services. This makes it much easier and quicker to gamble online.

For example, CasinoMax and Cherry Jackpot

I wrote an article a few weeks back and wanted to comment on it here on the blog, just in case the readers here haven’t seen it. Basically etiquette doesn’t seem to be much of an issue here in the US and I’ve never had problems with it here at the local casinos, but there are a few important tips you should know.

I would say the main one is not to touch the chips on the table unless the dealer tells you to. I actually saw a guy get close to crossing that line at the casino once by trying to add more chips to the bet after the dealer tells him not to. Usually the dealer says “no more bets” and raises his hand at this time after the ball has been thrown into the wheel. It would be full out cheating if the ball lands on a pocket and someone places more bets on their spot after the winning number has been chosen.

Well basically when the guy tried adding more chips to the bet, even when the ball was still spinning, the dealer caught him doing this and had to stop. Basically he stopped the wheel and took the ball out and everyone had to place their bets again. Imagine how embarrassing this would be if the dealer points you out and announces that the spin needs to be canceled. Luckily the guy wasn’t thrown out of the casino, probability because he was new to the game. Basically the dealer gave him a lecture for a few minutes in front of everyone and that was it.

So these etiquette rules really are important to follow and you should check them out before going to a land based casino especially.