Ah the Roulette table. Sometimes one or two people are quietly playing it and sometimes you can't see the layout through the crowd. I've seen people step up and play for hours on end and people step up and walk away in minutes. I like Roulette. But you have to be smart about it. Yes, we all know that it's not one of the best bets in the house. It's fun and that's what matters. Let's look at some guidelines.

Guideline One: Don't Chase it All

Have you ever walked up to a Roulette table and seen some guy or gal putting chips all over the layout? Me too. There's no point in playing if you're risking 30 or so chips to win 5-6 chips. Keep your bets relevant with winning expectations. Also the more bets you have out there, the more confusing it can get. You should always know what your profit / risk is for any bet you have.

Guideline Two: Play Parts of the Wheel

It's amazing how many people know the layout of Roulette, but don't know the layout of the wheel. Pay more attention to the wheel. Take a part of the wheel-a fourth, third or whatever-and play it. Rather than blindly peppering your bets all over the place, you become highly concentrated in an area on the wheel itself.

Guideline Three: Don't forget the Zero(s)

In American Roulette, the layout has two zero spots (0, 00). In European Roulette, there is just one single zero spot. These numbers do get hit, so don't forget to factor them into any system or strategy thinking you're doing. While betting on red or black may pay 2:1, it doesn't have a 50% chance of winning-thanks to the zeros.

Guideline Four: Be Fast

If you are playing Roulette in the real world, you don't have all day. That's because casinos want a certain number of spins per hour. Dealers are trained to keep the wheel spinning. You may have 45 - 60 seconds between spins. Sometimes you can get a little more. Either way, it adds up to you not having all day to think about your plays. It's important to start thinking about what you want to bet when the previous round is still going on. And this goes back to the first guideline of not chasing it all. Concentrate your bets. Good luck playing Roulette and I hope all your spins are winning ones.