The Psychology of Roulette

Why is Roulette so Popular?

When you hear the word “roulette”, for many people, the very first image that pops into their head is that suave agent James Bond, beating the house while sipping a fancy cocktail. Whether the movie world’s version of the King of Table Games is accurate or not, this idea has stuck in popular mythology.

The game today still holds a strong attraction for millions around the world, the image of the ball in motion (if not quite the behavour that the searchers of the perpetual motion machine were after), it also packs a totally different appeal.

Roulette can be played at the touch of a button, in the relaxed comfort of your own home, on the move or literally anywhere with an internet connection. What is the appeal exactly? What makes this game so popular?

Style over Substance?

Romantic visions of suave gentlemen and women dressed to kill around the grand tables of Monaco or Macau are just the tip of this game’s allure. Not only does roulette have a heritage dating back to 1655, thanks to the French physicist Blaise Pascal’s attempts to create a perpetual motion machine which produced the global phenomenon of “the little wheel”, but this game also owes its universal appeal to the the thrill and adrenaline of risk.

Who doesn’t want to make a few bob table side?

Competition

Roulette relies on our love of chance.

You can play in a crowd if you prefer to make your play more social, table-side at a land-based casino, but at its most simple, this is a game of you against the the ball spinning around the wheel with its orderly arrangement of black and red pockets.

Can you beat the house edge at roulette and come away a winner? Well, we have a whole article dedicated to that very question. You can certainly improve your odds by playing the right type of game (European vs American) but the house always has the edge.

While most players around the world have their first experience of roulette at a land-based casino, or, love them or loathe them, fixed odds terminals, there is a whole new generation of players whose first spin was online. Thanks to the advances in technology allowing a more realistic and atmospheric play that mimics, and some would say improves, on the casino vibe- there is pleanty of options online or on your mobile.

Easy to Play

And roulette has a massive advantage over many other table games; it’s easy to play. There are those who believe that online roulette is a more random game than its land-based counterpart, and others who prefer to play on a real wheel.

There are the connoisseurs who love to play “tactical” games and buy into the physics and patterns ideas, and then there is the novice to the game who can, within a few minutes of watching, understand how to join the action in a live game on the green baize.

You can just stick it on the red, and wait to see if it drops in. You can’t get much simpler than that.

Roulette is fundamentally a game for those who love to win- and who are willing to make risks to make it happen. Unfortunately part of learning how to make your wins is by losing too, and the psychology of minimising the slow streaks and maximising the breakthrough wins is all part of the learning process.

For many who love roulette, it is at heart, more than just a game.