Online Roulette vs. Casino Roulette
By John
Roulette is a simple, fun game, with a lot of potential for exciting wins. The thrill can be heightened by your company at the table, and this aspect of the game has prevented many fans from trying out the online version. Can online roulette offer the same experience as its land based cousin?
There are a number of things that contribute to a good time at the casino, but it would be hard to argue that winning isn’t the most significant. Being surrounded by people can be considered a good thing, or a bad thing. Casino roulette simply doesn’t let you play on your own, and you often have to deal with other players. Some think of this as a party atmosphere; others can’t stand the sounds and smoke. How does one get the best of both worlds? The casinos could try a little harder to provide areas with less smoke and noise, but this isn’t likely to happen any time soon, as distractions to players work in the casinos favor.
Online roulette is a nice reprieve from the distractions of a casino, large and small. Smoke and yelling may be the variables that people think are doing them the most damage, but there are a host of other techniques casinos use to take your mind off of the game. Notice the next time you take a trip to the casino roulette table, just how far into the casino you have to go. You need to walk past the slot and video poker machines also notice there are no windows where you are, though the ceiling may be made to look like a sky. Notice there are no clocks where you are; bring your own! Notice how you’re not quite as sleepy now that you’re breathing the casino air, which is pumped full of oxygen to keep us awake. Notice the hypnotic carpet patterns and insanely high ceiling, so that there is nowhere to look but straight ahead at the table. Notice how all of these things are so small that they could never be blamed for anything on their own, but once you put them all together you have an environment tailor made by the casinos, for the casinos.
Now, can online roulette deliver the same experience as casino roulette? No, it can’t, but it can offer something of more value to the serious player: a controlled environment. This presents us with the best advantage possible while playing casino games, the lack of any disadvantage. We can now play our favorite casino games, in our favorite chair, with our favorite music playing, drinking our favorite drink, eating our favorite meal, watching our favorite television show, wearing our favorite pajamas. Could we ask for much more?
An important aspect in comparing online roulette with land-based games is the question of odds. First and foremost, if you’re playing at a reputable online casino which has been in business for a while (highly recommended), you shouldn’t have to worry about the game being fixed. These casinos have been around for ages, and if they were fixed, the online world would know about it by now. Your greater concern should be over how to find better odds on the Internet than at your local casino. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of online roulette is that almost every online casino offers a European version of the game. European, or ’single-zero’ roulette is a much better game from the player perspective, with almost half of the house edge of normal American ‘double-zero’ roulette. The removal of one of the two green ‘zero’ pockets from an American roulette wheel gives you an American wheel, and better chances to win. As an added advantage if you wish to play another game it is a matter of just clicking your mouse button. So instead of cashing out your chips, walking across the casino, exchanging your money for new chips you simply click the link and suddenly you are playing baccarat online,blackjack or any of 100 different casino games.
So, the odds are better in online roulette (unless you live near Macau) and the environment is better, as you have much more control. Overall, online roulette wins the battle hands down.