attached!

So what’s the deal?  They’re called “No Deposit Bonuses.”  As the name implies, you won’t have to spend any money to get the free money.  All you have to do is sign up for a member account, and within minutes the cash is there and you’re ready to play free roulette.  Word to the wise: some casinos require a special code (like a virtual coupon) to redeem their No Deposit bonuses, so be sure to enter yours when you sign up.

How much money are we talking about?  Several times a year major sites offer a small $5-10 no deposit bonus to bring in new members.  It’s a free trial for you and a great promotion for them.  While you can’t cash out the bonus itself, any money you win while playing roulette with it is yours to cash and keep.  It’s a great way to sample some of the newer sites and if you’re lucky you might even score a big win.  There are still other sites that offer even larger free roulette bonuses.  Casino Bellini for example will give you $15 no questions asked just for signing up.  You’ll quickly discover that the only thing better than online roulette is FREE online roulette.

If you’re a high roller and $10 of free roulette doesn’t impress you, then the matching bonuses might.  With a matching bonus, a casino will contribute a certain amount for every dollar you deposit.  You can expand your bankroll before you even play!  For example, Playtech’s massive Europa Casino has a bonus offer that’s sure to impress even you.  While they normally offer players of every level a handsome matching bonus of 50% on up to $1,000, they’re offering Expert Readers’ high rollers an even bigger bonus.  If you deposit $1000, Europa Casino will add a whopping $700 to your final balance.  With that kind of cash, you could be playing free online roulette for days!

If no deposit and matching bonuses sound good to you (and who doesn’t like free cash), then check out Expert Players’ special bonus page for more deals and more free roulette.

Roulette Rules
Expert Players is here to give you the 411 on one of the casino’s oldest and most interesting games: roulette.  To many first-time players, the roulette table can look pretty intimidating.  The truth of course is that the roulette game is incredibly easy to play; it’s the betting that takes a little work!  We all want to look like a pro at the table, but as with any casino game, understanding the roulette rules is integral to playing well.  Fortunately, online roulette gives amateurs an opportunity to learn the game without feeling or looking awkward. 

Obviously to play roulette online or off you’re going to need to know how to use the table.  The good news is that at first glance the table looks more complicated than it actually is.  At the center of the action of all roulette games is of course the wheel and extending out from the wheel is a graph known as the betting layout.  All bets will be placed somewhere within the lines of that graph.  While online roulette may not have an actual wheel, the table is still depicted in the exact same way you would see it in a live casino, complete with a close-up of each spin.

Every roulette wheel is divided into colored and numbered slots.  There are two kinds of roulette games; American roulette and European roulette.  The roulette rules remain the same for both; the only difference between the two is the number of slots on the wheel.  In American roulette, there are 36 red and black slots valued from 1-36 and two green slots marked 0 and 00 for a total of 38 slots altogether.  European roulette has the same 36 alternating red and black spaces but only a single green space marked 0 for a total of 37 slots.  (It is important to note that this single slot difference results in a much higher house edge for American roulette.)  While live casinos usually only offer one roulette game or the other, online roulette makes it easy for players to find the roulette games they prefer.

To play roulette online, you simply make a bet then let the wheel determine your fate.  The croupier (roulette’s version of a dealer) will start the wheel spinning and then place a ball inside.  The ball will roll in and out of the wheel’s slots until both slow to a stop.  The color and number of the pocket the ball settles in determines which players win.  Of course when playing roulette online the entire game is animated but still plays out in exactly the same way.

The betting layout is just a flat representation of the wheel’s slots and the many bets you can make on them.  There is a square for every possible bet, and roulette rules dictate that you place your wager directly within the appropriate square.  We’ll cover bets more in-depth in the strategies section of our site, but as an introduction the roulette game has two basic betting categories: inside bets and outside bets.  In roulette rules, inside bets are those bets placed on specific numbers.  There is a square on the table for every individual number.  A single number bet is one of the most popular and is called a “straight up” bet.  Other inside bets can be made on adjacent numbers whether in pairs or in threes.

On the roulette game table, outside bets are represented to the left of the number bets and include odd/even, red/black, and high/low options in addition to 12-number sets (called “dozens” or “columns”).  To play roulette effectively, you will need a greater understanding of these bets and their odds.  Thankfully Expert Players can help you there too!  If you’re ready for more, then proceed to our roulette strategies page. 

Roulette Strategies
If you’ve come to Expert Players hoping to find a roulette strategy that’s guaranteed to help you get rich quick, then you’re going to be disappointed.  Unlike the many unscrupulous casino scam sites popping up all over the web, Expert Players is here to tell it like it is.  The truth about roulette strategies is that the best ones are simple but regardless of your roulette strategy the game’s profit potential is low.  Even with a perfect roulette strategy you’re not going to find better than 50/50 odds on any single bet.  Still, for many players the excitement of the game makes the relatively low odds worthwhile.

On our roulette rules page, we briefly mentioned the importance of knowing your bets and their odds.  When it comes to roulette strategy, this is the only way to give yourself a playing edge.  For example, straight up bets on a single number are the most popular at the table, but they also carry some of the worst odds.  Inside bets in general are poor bets if you’re looking to stretch your bankroll.  Outside bets on the other hand are generally much saner.  In fact, even/odd, red/black, and high/low bets are the best at the table with near 50/50 odds.  While we know it’s tempting to play toward sentimentality by choosing your lucky number, the best way to win is by sticking to the bets with the best odds.

Unfortunately, roulette doesn’t allow for a lot of skill and is essentially at its core a game of luck.  Beyond knowing the odds, most roulette strategies are more about understanding the game than manipulating it.  For example, while surrender in blackjack is generally not recommended, the surrender option in roulette is definitely something to look for.  In traditional roulette games if you have an even money bet like red/black or odds/evens and the ball lands on a green space you lose your bet.  In roulette games with the surrender option, you will only lose half your bet.  This makes the popular even money outside bets that much more attractive and significantly reduces the house edge.

While on the topic of those infamous green spaces…  It’s worth mentioning again that European roulette with one less green space has a house edge that is nearly half that of American roulette.  For this reason, many seasoned roulette players stick specifically to the European wheel.  Unless you’re playing strictly for the thrill of luck then we recommend you do the same and seek out a good European roulette table for your first game.

Roulette Tips
First, a straightforward word of caution from your friends here at Expert Players…  Roulette is, for all intents and purposes, a game of chance.  Unlike blackjack or poker there’s not a lot of skill involved in the game, just a few obvious choices you can make in regards to playing the odds.  There is no roulette strategy in existence that can guarantee a positive win ratio, but there are a few roulette tips you can use to help minimize your losses.

Our first roulette tip: keep your bankroll at the table.  We’re not even talking about putting it all on the line.  Just remember that your bankroll is for playing the game.  A quick search for roulette strategies and systems will give you thousands of results.  Many of these sites claim to have a highly successful and highly profitable roulette strategy sure to earn you millions.  If you’ve done your homework on the Expert Players site, then you already know these claims are a scam.  They’ll post a lot of impressive figures (they’re fake) and dozens of convincing testimonials (also fake), but the fact of the matter is that roulette remains a game of chance.  If you want to gamble your bankroll at the roulette table then that’s your choice, but don’t gamble it on these silly scams or you’ll be behind before you’ve played your first game.  Besides, you already know you can get honest and effective roulette tips at Expert Players.

Another important roulette tip: look for a busy table.  Unless you’re severely anti-social, a busy roulette table is always a good thing.  Not only does the action add to the excitement of your experience, but it slows down each spin so you’re getting more game for your money and more time out of your bankroll.  Better yet, at casinos where time at the table earns you points you’ll rack up more comps.

Not all good roulette tips are about saving or making money.  This tip is about how to use your money.  If you’ve managed to find that busy table we’ve recommended, but your preferred bet’s box is already full of chips, you don’t have to sit it out or place a bet you don’t really like.  It’s perfectly acceptable to place your chips on top of an existing pile (the croupier is keeping watch, but be sure you know what you wagered too).  You can also place your chips to the side of that box with the croupier’s approval; just be sure in doing so you’re not putting them in another betting zone.