Roulette is a lot of fun, but after a while, it’s like anything else.
Boring.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could take something you’re familiar with and spice it up with some interesting differences?
That way you could enjoy the familiarity of a game you know how to play with the novelty of playing with some different rules.
As luck would have it, all kinds of variations of roulette are available.
You’re probably already familiar with the differences between American and European roulette.
In this post, I’m going to share 7 roulette variations you’ve probably never even heard of. I’ll include information about where you can play these games, too.
1. Alphabetic Roulette
Alphabetic Roulette (or “Alphabet Roulette”) is a variation that replaces the numbers you’re used to seeing on the wheel and the table with the letters of the alphabet. You have 25 possibilities for single letters, A through X. You also have a single possibility of getting Y or Z. (They occupy the same space on the wheel and on the table.)
The game also features 6 different colors—you’ll find 4 letters corresponding to each color. The YZ space isn’t colored. (Compare that to traditional roulette’s 00 and/or 0, which is green while all the other spaces are red or black.)
You can bet on individual letters, 2 letters, 3 letters, or 4 letters. You can also bet on certain combinations of letters that spell certain words, like the “Party Pit” bet, which is a bet on P, A, R, T, Y, or I. The “roulette” bet is like this, too, which is a bet on the following letters: R, O, U, L, E, or T. As in traditional roulette, you also have the option to bet on a certain color or on a column or a dozens bet.
The game has a 4% house edge, no matter which bet you place. Alphabet Roulette was launched in 2011 at Fitzgerald’s Casino in Las Vegas. It’s been approved by the Nevada Gaming Board, so it could turn up at any casino in the state.
Another variation of Alphabet Roulette uses playing cards with customized decks of 25 cards. You can read more about either variation at the official site for the game:
2. Back 2 Back Roulette
I’ve also seen this referred to as “Back2Back Roulette” or just “Back to Back Roulette”. It’s a variation of roulette with an optional side bet on your lucky numbers. If a number hits twice in a row, you win 1200 to 1 on your bet.
This variation is available at the Atlantis Casino in Reno, Nevada.
3. Diamond Roulette
Diamond Roulette adds extra colors to the mix. Instead of just red and black (and green), a Diamond Roulette table has the following colors:
- Red
- Blue
- Green
- Yellow
- Purple
- Black
Each color corresponds to 6 numbers. Bets on a particular color pay out at 5 to 1. At a table with 2 zeroes, the player can also bet on a combination of a single color and the zeroes. This bet pays out at 3 to 1, but the house edge is huge—15.79%.
Of course, there are no even money red or black bets with this variation.
This variation of roulette can be found in Atlantic City casinos.
4. Double Action Roulette
“Double Action Roulette” really mixes things up. Instead of having a single wheel, this game has 2 wheels, one inside the other. The ball lands in a slot between the 2 wheels, resulting in 2 winning numbers per spin. You can bet on numbers in the outer wheel, the inner wheel, or both (a parlay).
Bets on a single wheel have the same kinds of payouts as traditional roulette, but the parlay bets have more interesting payouts. The single number parlay pays 1200 to 1. The other bets pay out between 3 to 1 and 25 to 1.
The house edge for the single wheel bets are the same as in traditional roulette games, but the parlay bets are sucker bets—the house edge is almost twice as high on those wagers.
This game is reportedly available at the M Casino in Las Vegas.
5. Double Ball Roulette
If a roulette game with 2 wheels doesn’t thrill you, maybe a game with 2 balls will. This game is almost identical to traditional roulette except for the extra ball in action.
If you place an outside bet, then both balls have to win for your bet to be a winner. On inside bets, either ball counts as a win. If both balls land on the inside bet, then the payout doubles.
The game also has a “Double Ball Jackpot”, which pays off when both balls land in the same individual numbered slot.
The house edge varies from bet to bet, but the best odds are the inside bets on single numbers. The house edge on that wager is 5.33%.
This game has been spotted at the Tropicana in Las Vegas.
6. Prime Time Roulette
This game features an optional side bet on the 11 prime numbers on the wheel. (A prime number is a number that can only be divided by itself an 1. In this case, those include 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, and 31.)
The bet pays out according to how many times in a row a prime number appears. If it lands on a number that’s not a prime number, the side bet is lost. The payout is even money for a single prime time, but it goes up to 299 to 1 if a prime number comes up 7 times in a row.
Payouts vary based on the version of the game you’re playing.
7. Rapid Roulette
Rapid Roulette plays just like regular roulette, but instead of placing chips on a table, you place your bets using an electronic interface. It’s fun, but it’s not quite the same feeling as the original game.
Conclusion
If you’re bored with regular roulette, look for some of these variations. The house edge is usually as high or higher, but the change in rules might be just the novelty you need to keep the game interesting.
