One of the easiest and safest bets to make in roulette is a “color bet”. As in, betting on the ball to fall on either a red number or a black number.
So with that in mind, which color should you pick? Does it make any difference?
Before we get to that, here are a few misconceptions that surround color betting that you should know first.
It’s not 50/50
Even though color bets pay out an even 1:2 (in other words you get back double your bet), the odds of you winning are slightly lower than even. There are 18 black and 18 red slots in the roulette wheel, but there is also a green 0, and in the United States, a green 00, as well.
As such, you don’t have a 50% chance to land on red or black, but a 47% or 48% chance (again depending on whether you’re playing at a US or European roulette table. This tiny percentage difference may not seem like much, but it gives the house (the casino) an edge that means that the more you play, the more likely you are to lose.
Each Spin is Independant
In terms of odds, each spin carries the exact same odds, and it makes no difference whatsoever what was spun before and what will be spun later. In terms of pure odds, you’re as likely to end up with, say, 30 being spun three times as you are, say, 35, 22, and 11. Where that ball lands on a roulette wheel cannot be predicted. It is completely random. Just because the ball landed on black 5 times in a row, doesn’t mean it won’t on the 6th, 7,th and 8th spin too.
The only reason why this might not be so is if the wheel is broken or rigged, in which case you probably shouldn’t be playing at that casino anyway.
Betting on Green?
We’ve been talking about betting on black or red, but what about green? Either on 0 or 00. Well, first you need to understand that there is no such thing as betting on green. You’re betting on 0 or 00, which is the same as betting on any number (which results in a 1:35 payout) with the only difference being that if it lands on 0 or 00, all other bets are nullified and the casino takes every bet other than those made on 0 or 00.
It’s generally not the best idea to place your full bet on green, so to speak, but it’s not a bad idea to put a small portion of your spread on these numbers just in case every other bet is forfeit.
And So?
As you may have noticed by now, it makes absolutely no difference whether you bet on red or black. Your chances are the same each turn for both colors so bet, in short, on whichever color you like and switch it up to your heart’s content. Just know it makes zero difference.
This is the rational side of things, though, superstition is a big part of gambling for many people so if you have a gut feeling for a specific color or consider either red or black to be “lucky”, have at it!
