High Limit Roulette
Roulette: the little wheel that can help you win big. Its very name, which is an endearing term in French for a small wheel, shows what kind of love and passion players hold for this classic casino table game. With a history stretching back further than we can accurately trace, this game has stood the test of time and has become one of the most popular table games on Earth. There are three things that make this game such a no-brainer for many high-rollers to enjoy. For one, it’s a simple game that takes virtually no time to pick up and understand. Two, it has a certain air of theatre and luxury about it that’s hard to replicate in other games. And three, this little wheel offers odds as high as 38 to 1, which can lead to massive payouts at high-betting tables.
How Does High-Limit Roulette Work?
The most important thing you should be aware of when playing roulette is that there are two main types: American and European roulette. There is a third version with a ‘000’ square, but this isn’t as widespread. While the former is the version of choice in the U.S., the latter is the standard pretty much everywhere else in the world. However, most casinos offer both to their players. The main difference is that the European version has 37 squares or numbers with only one single-zero square while the American version has 38 numbered squares with an extra double-zero square.
The squares numbered 1 to 36 alternate between red and black while the squares that contain 0 or 00 are green. As you’ll see in the probabilities section, this simple setup allows for a surprising range of odds and ways to place bets. The winning number each round is determined by the croupier spinning the wheel in one direction and then throwing the ball along it in the opposite one. The number that the ball comes to a stop on wins.
How to play High-Limit Roulette
You can sum up the whole purpose of a roulette game in a single sentence: the purpose is to try and guess the number on which the ball will stop. The most complex part of the game is learning the ways you can bet and what odds or payouts come with those bets.
The croupier will first clear the table so that everyone can place their bets. You then place your bets by putting your chips on the number you want to bet on or on other designated areas of the table that represent different sets of numbers. The dealer will then announce when players are no longer allowed to made bets in anticipation of the spinning of the wheel. Once the ball comes to a stop and a winning number is clear, the dealer will announce it and place a dolly on the number. The table will then be cleared by the dealer as he collects losing bets, pays out winning bets, and removes the dolly. The process is then repeated.
There are a number of ways in which you can bet. The simplest is to bet on a single number. If that number comes up, you win big. You can also bet on all black, all red, evens or odds, sets of six numbers (called a “six-line”), four numbers (called a “corner”), three numbers (called a “street”), two numbers, dozens and columns. Some of the bets, like “two numbers and a corner,” are made directly on the numbers while the rest have designated areas on the table where you can place your credits.
Roulette Game Probabilities & Payouts
We’ll cut straight to the chase for high-rollers; the biggest payout you can get on a roulette table is 35:1. You’ll get these odds when you bet on a single number where you’re odds will be 1:37 with a 2.7% chance of winning on European tables and 1:38 with a 2.63% chance of winning on American tables. As you can see, the American tables have worse odds than the European tables with a 5.63% vs 2.7% house edge. Nevertheless, this means that if you bet a £1,000, you could walk away with £36,000!!!
Roulette isn’t just an all or nothing game. With plenty of odds, any high-roller or risk-taker can find a betting style that suits them. Working our way down, the next bet has a 17:1 payout, which means you’ll get £18,000 for a £1,000 bet on any two adjacent numbers. Here, you’ll be playing odds of 1:18. The third biggest payout is 11:1 for a three number street, which means you’ll get £12000 for a £1000 bet. The last really big payout is 8:1, which comes when you bet on a four number corner. The potential payout for this is £9,000.
From here, the odds keep going down until you eventually get to a 1:1 payout, or £2,000 on a £1,000 bet. You’ll get 1:1 odds by betting on either black/red or odds/evens. Remember, you can make multiple different bets in a single round. For example, you could play a certain amount on all odd numbers while also placing a single number bet on 12. This creates a nearly endless range of possible outcomes and odds.
High-Limit Roulette Maximum Bets & Payouts
As high-rollers ourselves, we know you’re already wondering about maximum bets and maximum payouts at online casinos. The maximum bets and payouts offered by a casino vary greatly depending on a number of factors such as the casino’s risk tolerance, the individual table rules, whether it’s a high-limit table or a VIP table, whether there are live croupiers, etc. For roulette, it can get even more complicated as different types of bets may have different betting limits.
Roulette betting can start as low as £0.1. However, it’s the maximums we are interested in. William Hill, which is an online casino that’s known for its high-limit live casino, offers bets as high as high as £6,000. However, you may still be limited to a £36,000 payout, which means the highest-stake bet you’ll be able to make with that amount is a six-line for a 5:1 payout. However, you’ll be able to place a £1,000 bet on a single number.
That’s also why different odds have different betting maximums. For special VIP tables and events, however, payouts have been known to reach up to £500,000, even at online casinos. The biggest ever payout was 2,000,000 Francs to Charles Wells in Monte Carlo in 1891. In more recent history, Mike Ashley was the recipient of a massive £1,300,000 (£820,000 profit) payout, which also happens to be the second largest ever.
Best Casinos for Roulette
Top Roulette Strategies for High-Limit Players
How can you play a game strategically when all the outcomes depend on the random spin of a wheel? That’s the first question people ask when discussing roulette strategies. However, although the results might be random, there are still patterns that can help you mitigate your losses or potentially rake in big wins.
Many betting strategies help you manage your risk by playing certain odds every round or help you keep tabs on what you’re winning or losing and at what rate. This type of game management is particularly important for high-limit/high-stakes players that risk it all on every spin of the wheel. Some strategies are also more suitable and have unique benefits for players with a big bankroll.
All-in Roulette Strategy
I know that the high-roller inside of you is already experiencing dilated pupils, a racing heart, and a beating pulse at the mention of the words “all in.” This is the ultimate high-roller strategy that minimizes playtime and maximizes volatility. Unless you have billionaire-level deep pockets, you should decide on a maximum sum of money you want to win (or lose) by the end of the game.
With this figure in mind, your next move is to bet as much as necessary to reach that figure as soon as possible in a single bet. For example, if you want to win £36,000 and you only have £1,000 to start with, you’ll immediately bet on a single number for a payout of 35:1. If you lose, you’ll have to start over again following the same method.
If your total figure to win was £50,000, you would bet until you won £36,000 and then bet it all on a 1:1 payout bet like odds/evens or black/read to pass the mark. This means you’ll inevitably reach odds that will cause you to overshoot your target with high risk. However, it’s definitely a thrilling way to play.
Martingale Roulette Strategy
Although the martingale strategy has got a bad reputation among players, this is because it’s a surefire way to lose your money if you don’t have deep pockets. However, for those that can keep playing at high-stakes for a long time, you’re almost guaranteed to win back your money at some point, even though it might not be a huge payout. The reverse martingale is generally considered the safer bet.
To anyone without an appetite for risk, this strategy might seem absolutely crazy. However, the math behind it checks out. How it works is, you make a bet the first round, if you lose, then you make a bet to win back double of what you lost. It’s easy to see how this can quickly spiral into huge bets and huge payouts. For example, if you bet £1,000 on 8:1 and lose, you’ll then need to make a bet with a possible payout of £2,000, let’s say £150 on 17:1. If you lose again, you’ll need to bet to win back £2,300.
If you lose a number of times in a row, you can always make it back if you have the bankroll and betting limits on your side. Lower betting limits on online casinos make it difficult to take this strategy to the max. Another cool feature of this strategy is that you can bet whichever way you want as long as you double your bet every round.
Progressive Bet Roulette Strategy
The classic progressive bet roulette strategy states that you must bet ⅔ of your previous payout in the next bet. By doing so, you always put at least ⅓ of your winnings away every time you get a payout. This strategy is best if you want to maximise play time. A corner is most often paired with the ⅔ strategy. However, you can come up with any combination you wish.
Using this classic strategy, if you bet £1,000 on a corner and win, you’ll have £9,000. You’ll then bet £6,000 on the next round on another corner. However, you could also play ¾ progressive bet and pair it with a six-line. If you bet your initial £1,000 for a £6,000 payout, then you’d bet £4,500 on another six-line for a potential £27,000.
This strategy improves on the briefly mentioned shortcomings of the Reverse Martingale Strategy by employing a bit more variation and improvisation on the part of the player. While you bet your entire winnings from the previous round in each successive bet with the Reverse Martingale Strategy, the Progressive Bet only requires that you bet ⅔ of your winnings in any way you see fit.
You can mix your progressive strategy up even more by playing different pairs at different rounds. If you are playing to get to a certain total, you can adapt your strategy even further to reach your goal.
The Benefits of Playing High-Limit Roulette
The benefit of playing high-limit roulette isn’t just that you stand to win huge payouts. No matter what game you play and whether it’s in a real casino or an online one, high-rollers are a casino’s best customers. Not only do they bring more money in, but they are also the most regular players.
That means, in many cases, that when it comes to high-rollers, the customer is really king (or a VIP, at least). Casinos will go to great lengths to entice their high-rolling clientele to play more by making it as convenient and alluring as possible. High-rollers can look for these benefits at brick-and-mortar and online casinos.
Get Access to Better Tables, Competitions, and Prizes
Just as you expect to get better service if you pay thousands of dollars a night at a 5-star hotel, you expect better service if you wager thousands of dollars in a single bet at a casino. This is especially true for high-limit roulette players who are willing to test their luck and place huge bets.
If you’re willing to bet the big bucks, casinos will frequently offer you VIP tables with the best dealers and exclusive limits. This will put you in a special class with other high-roller players and give you an experience worthy of your bankroll. You might even get special invitations to exclusive competitions or tournaments with more up for grabs than just your winnings.
High-Roller Roulette Players Get Better Rules
The dreaded house edge. It’s what all gamers fear most. No matter how hard we try, the house always wins in the long run. Narrowing the house edge is one of the most common ways in which casinos cater to their high-rollers.
For example, a casino might offer American roulette with a much higher house edge (5.26%) to their low-limit players while offering European Roulette with a lower house edge (2.7%) to their high-limit players. They can then also bring in rules like en prison and le partage that effectively bring the edge down to 1.35%. By restricting these rules to their high-limit tables, casinos not only make high-rollers and VIPs feel special, but they also give them a very real incentive to keep playing.
High-Rollers Can Negotiate for Favorable Terms
This one is more applicable to luxury VIP casinos all over the world than to online casinos where there is less room to manoeuvre. Just imagine trying to negotiate with the house if you’re only going to bet £50. Not going to happen. However, if you’re putting down hundreds or thousands of dollars, the casino might just offer you an ear.
This was something that happened often in the olden days, especially when casinos were more desperate for money. However, even today, you’ll find casinos willing to pander to high-rolling players’ terms by offering them rebates on their losses, free plays, etc. Just imagine bombing out on a huge amount going for a single number on the roulette wheel, getting a cash rebate and then playing a safe strategy to recuperate most of your losses.
High-Rollers May Be Able to Apply for Credit
It doesn’t happen often nowadays, but some establishments will still fund their most loyal and high-rolling players’ gaming with a line of credit. This is usually reserved for a casino’s most loyal players who have contributed to the casino the most.
Kind of like a loan, if you lose big, the casino will offer you terms on which you can win it back at a later date or pay the money back over time. This is obviously very risky for a casino, so it’s only reserved for their VIPs and provided on an individual basis only.
High-Rollers Can Get Better Deposit and Withdrawal Terms
One way in which casinos protect themselves from too much money leaving their coffers at once is with their withdrawal limits. Usually, online casinos only allow you to withdraw a few thousand at a time before requiring identity verification or outright blocking you. Obviously, this would represent a problem to high-rollers who may have a bankroll of tens or hundreds of thousands.
That’s why casinos often make concessions on these limits for their high-rolling players. Many online casinos tie what kind of withdrawal terms you are eligible for to your VIP level or loyalty program progress. Others simply do it based on what your bankroll is and how much you have wagered.
History of High-Limit Roulette
In days gone by, the simplicity of roulette and the wide variance of odds meant that it was a game to be enjoyed by all. It was a favourite among the lower class with similar versions being played in ancient China, Rome and Greece, particularly among soldiers. The roulette we know today was introduced to the masses in 18th-century France.
Roulette proceeded to slowly increase in popularity and evolved into modern European roulette (with one 0) in around 1796 in Paris. Shortly after this, roulette made its way across the Atlantic to America. This is where the American version was born and the extra ‘00’ square was added as a way to give the casino a bigger edge. Regardless, it became popular there too. Today, these two variations are still the most widely played in the world.
Roulette continued its upward trend in popularity. It is now considered not just a cheap way to gamble for the plebs but also a high-class form of entertainment. During the 19th century, every casino slowly fell in line and adopted the roulette table. Today, it is a must-have for any self-respecting casino.
Experience the Excitement of High-Limit Roulette!
If there’s one thing that’s special about roulette, it’s how it can provide huge amounts of exciting and exhilarating gameplay while staying accessible to everyone. Unlike poker, blackjack, baccarat and other traditional casino table games, roulette doesn’t require you to be highly trained in order to take part in high-stakes gaming.
The beauty of roulette is that every player is an equal before the wheel. It doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the odds and you don’t have to worry about being bettered by other players.
Roulette provides a wide range of odds that suit a wide range of players with diverse risk-appetites and bankrolls. For high-rollers, roulette delivers some of the highest winning payouts of any table game.
Today, casinos offer roulette tables with maximum betting limits between £1,000 and £10,000 and payouts of tens of thousands. In real casinos, especially at special roulette events and tournaments, you can expect maximum bets of tens of thousands with hundreds of thousands in payouts. Now that’s what we call real high-limit gaming!