What Does -3 Mean in Roulette Betting?

Those who frequently visit betting sites are no doubt familiar with the fun and exciting atmosphere that is created when the numbers 0 and 00 are featured on the screen. While the fun of playing with numbers that end in zero is undeniable, players must also be careful when placing big bets because the meaning of certain combinations of numbers can be a little more complicated. In reality, the number -3 has several different meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Here are just a few of the countless ways that the number -3 can crop up on a roulette wheel to confuse and delight amateur and professional gamblers alike.

Roulette Betting: The Basics

Those who visit betting sites know that there is a wide variety of games available for play on virtually any device. The most classic and popular game is of course roulette which is offered by numerous different online casinos. Although the rules and philosophy of roulette can vary from one establishment to the next, most games of this type follow a fairly standard pattern. In general, players place bets on whether the next spin of the roulette wheel will land on a red or black spot. Since most people believe that red is better than black when it comes to roulette, players typically place large wagers on the red side of the betting table. Of course as we have established, the rules and philosophy of this game can vary from one establishment to the next so it is always a safe bet to check the specific terms and conditions of any given casino before placing your bet.

Roulette Betting: The Mathematics Of The Game

Even for those who are not terribly mathematically inclined, it is not hard to understand the basic rules of roulette. Essentially, the object of the game is to predict the outcome of the spin of the roulette wheel using numbers and letters. Specifically, players try to predict the outcome of the spin based on the letters and numbers displayed on the wheel. For example, if the wheel displays the letter ‘R’ followed by the number ‘17′, it means that the next spin will most likely be a red slot. This will be designated as a “17 Red’ outcome. Similarly, a ‘20′ displayed on the wheel would correspond to a black “20′ outcome. 

Since it is standard practice to wager on red in most cases, it will always be easier to determine the possible outcomes of a spin if we assume that players are betting on red. This means that there are only 17 different potential outcomes instead of the 36 possible combinations listed below. 

Roulette Betting: The Wild Card Situation

Let’s say that a player places a big wager on red in our example above and the wheel lands on the number ‘2′. Since the game is being played in the United States, the player will have to wait 24 hours before their winnings are released. In the meantime, the casino will have the opportunity to ask the government to re-examine the case and either reverse the decision or increase the wager. In other words, a ‘2′ is a wild card that can appear in any position on the wheel and has all the statistical odds of appearing in any one of the 17 slots. This means that a ‘2′ has as much chance of landing on the red side of the wheel as it does on the black side. In actuality, there is no set number of wild cards that can appear in any one position on the roulette wheel. Instead, it is simply a matter of chance.

Roulette Betting: Combining Numbers

The object of combining numbers and letters in roulette is to create a shorthand way of representing the possible outcomes of a spin. Instead of having to memorize the number and combination of each letter in the outcome, players can simply learn to recognize the possible combinations of numbers and letters that make up a winning outcome. For example, a player might quickly find themselves able to recall that a ‘1′ followed by a ‘7′ is associated with a “Red 27′ outcome while a ‘1′ followed by a ‘2′ or a ‘3′ is associated with a “Red 20′ or ‘Red 33′ outcome respectively. In the event that a player is not familiar with the rules and methodology of the game, they can find a glossary of terms and definitions on almost any website that relates to gambling in general or roulette in particular. For those who prefer something a little less abstruse, there are numerous examples of “regular expressions’ that can be utilized to verify the validity of various possible combinations.

Roulette Betting: Using The Odds

Since the frequency of each number and letter appearing on an ordinary roulette wheel is fairly even, it is reasonable to assume that each outcome has an equal chance of happening. This being the case, it is very easy to determine the odds of any given outcome based on simple division. Let’s say, for example, that we played our hand of roulette and landed on the number 1. This would mean that we won one hundred times our original wager. To find the odds of this outcome, we would simply divide our stake (in this case one hundred dollars) by two. This is because the other 17 possible outcomes (i.e. ‘2′, ‘3′, ‘4′, etc.) have also occurred with equal frequency, resulting in an equal chance of occurring. Therefore, the odds of any one spin yielding a win are 50%.

The chances of winning vary greatly from one online casino to the next, depending on various factors. For instance, the size of the jackpots and the wagering requirements of players can affect the frequency with which certain numbers and letters appear on the wheel. Since winning is all about chance, this variation is to be expected and makes the game more exciting for players who enjoy the elements of luck.

Roulette Betting: More Than Meets The Eye

Although most people are familiar with the basics of roulette, there is a great deal more that can be discovered about a game that is often considered to be among the more sophisticated forms of gambling. For instance, did you know that many professional gamblers are also great mathematicians? It is certainly true that the more you know about a subject, the more you realize how much you do not know. After all, no one really knows everything there is to know about something unless they know exactly what they do and do not know about it. In that case, roulette is more than just a game; it is a veritable mathematical treasure hunt!

To demonstrate, here is a short but comprehensive list of some of the more interesting and unique aspects of roulette that you may not know about:

Roulette Betting: Statistics

One of the first things that you will learn when you start getting into roulette is that there are some pretty amazing statistics behind the game. To begin with, let’s look at how the game is generally favored by players. As mentioned above, most people wager on red in most cases. This means that if the wheel lands on red, the bettor will win more often than if it lands on black. In fact, in general, roulette has a “red advantage’ of about 3 to 1. This is actually a fairly large margin considering that there are only two options (i.e. red or black) and not three or more as in some other games. It should also be pointed out that the odds of winning greatly depend on the number of players at a specific casino. The larger the player base, the greater the chance of the average winning bet. Naturally, this is all about probability and nothing more. Still, this advantage can make up for considerable losses in some cases.

Roulette Betting: Frequent Payouts

Another interesting aspect of roulette is that winning usually ends up being quicker and more convenient than in other games. Generally, the average winning bet in roulette is settled in approximately two minutes. This is considerably faster than other games where it can take minutes or even hours for a wager to be resolved. Of course since bets are generally smaller in size in roulette, this minimizes the time that is required for the house to process payments. Frequent payouts in roulette also contribute to the excitement of the game. In most cases, players will see their winnings instantaneously as the wheel stops turning and the coins are dispensed.

This element of sudden and unexpected winning is what makes roulette such fun and exciting play. It also explains why so many people become addicted to this game. The need to keep gambling once you start winning is due to the fact that it is very difficult to stop gambling once you have become used to winning. Once the brain has gotten used to sensing large wins, it wants more and more frequent wins to maintain its excitement (even though the chances of winning are actually getting smaller as you go along!).