Playing Roulette at The Wynn Casino in Las Vegas
Published on April 12th, 2009 - 9:47pm PSTMost everyone has seen a roulette wheel and is fairly familiar with the game. In America there are typically 38 slots that a ball can fall into (numbers 1-36 plus the 0 and 00). However, there is another variation of the game that is quite rare in the US and the Wynn Hotel and Casino is one of the only places that offer it. This variation offers slightly better odds, and therefore makes the Wynn casino one of the best places in Las Vegas to play Roulette.
Whether you are a novice player to the game of roulette, or if you consider yourself a professional gambler, the basic odds of roulette are fairly apparent. If you place a bet straight up (directly on a number) your odds are going to be 1-38 in a double zero game (36 numbers plus 0 and 00). The payout is very attractive as it is 35 to 1, however the odds can become more attractive as you place your bets in different ways. You can place your bet between two or four different numbers, which will increase your odds but cut your winnings in half or in fourths. You can also choose to bet red, black, even, or odd which will give you slightly less than a 50/50 chance at winning. These odds are what are apparent to those who are somewhat familiar with the game.
However, anyone that has played roulette in Europe may know that the game in Europe is a little different then the game offered in Las Vegas. The 0 and 00 above is the American version of the game. The European version is only has a single 0, which offers slightly better odds. Though this version is rare, it is offered at many of the European themed hotels such as Paris and Monte Carlo. This version is also offered at the Wynn casino.
European roulette also offers different variations of the game that can be advantageous to the player. In these variations if a player placed a bet on any of the even money payouts (red, black, even, odd, 1-18, and 19-36) and the ball lands in the 0 pocket, the player will only lose half of the money wagered.
An even rarer variation to the European roulette is an option to put the bet "in prison". The way this game works is if the player places a bet on the even payout and the ball lands in the single 0, the player will have the option of either losing half of their bet or going to roulette prison. Roulette prison is where the dealer places a marker on the bet for the next spin. The player cannot add or take away any money to that bet. Let's say you placed a $10 on black, the ball landed on "0" and you were put in prison. The ball spins again and it lands on black. You would not win any money on that bet, but you also don't lose the money and essentially will get that bet back.
The Wynn casino is one of the only casinos in Las Vegas that offers the European version of roulette with the "in prison" option. The house edge for American roulette is 5.26% where the European version is at 2.70% and the "in prison" or half your money back cuts the house edge by 1.35%. While these percentages are minimal, the odds are still better with European roulette. That is why the Wynn casino is one of the best places to play roulette in Las Vegas.
