The Definitive Live Roulette Strategy Guide for Kiwi Players

Kia ora Kiwi punters, if you’re looking for some hints and tips when it comes to Live Roulette strategy, we’re stoked to have you here!

Live Roulette is a super-exciting and pretty new form of roulette that’s taking the world by storm — unfortunately, we Kiwis don’t get a lot of attention because of our small population. That’s going to change today though because we're about to show you the ins and outs of live roulette and how the average Kiwi punter can get ahead of the other players around the world.

To give you an idea of who we are — we’re a team of both local and international gambling experts that have been playing roulette for a long time now, both online and in bricks-and-mortar casinos all around the world. If you’re only used to playing with the TAB, we’re here to help you broaden your horizons in the world of online gambling — best of all, it’s all legal and safe to do in New Zealand with the best live roulette sites.

We pride ourselves on having a uniquely Kiwi perspective — and we want to use that to help you understand the strategies of Live Roulette. Without further ado, let’s get stuck into the definitive Live Roulette strategy guide for Kiwi players!

Live Dealer Roulette vs Online Roulette – What's the Difference?

This is a question we get asked a lot! It can be confusing because the best roulette casinos in New Zealand offer both “normal” online roulette and live dealer roulette. The crucial difference is that when you are playing normal online roulette, you are just playing against a computer, kind of like a video game or Candy Crush on your phone — there are no other people playing apart from you.

When you play live online roulette, however, you are playing with a real-life human dealer, and real-life human players, and you’re even playing in a real casino with a real wheel and table. Of course, you are not actually inside a real casino, but rather you are virtually transported into a real casino via a live, high-definition video stream. You’re presented with a real human dealer who you can talk to, and you can even chat to the other players, all via a little messaging panel.

All of this adds up to a completely different experience than normal online roulette — you do feel like you are inside a real casino, and the excitement levels are dialed up to 11. Real dealers, real players, and a real casino make for super-engaging gambling, and once you try it, you won’t go back!

Winning Against Live Roulette Dealers

Just like if you are playing roulette in a real casino, the dealer doesn’t have any influence on who wins, how much they win, or where the ball lands. Every Live Roulette spin is completely random, and it must be that way to follow New Zealand gambling laws.

You could argue that a dealer could practice their spinning technique to hit a number or avoid a number, however not only would this be incredibly difficult, but it is also again, illegal. Most dealers love seeing their players win!

So, while you don’t have to worry about trying to win “against” the Live Roulette dealer, there are plenty of strategies you can employ to help luck go your way.

Best Live Roulette Strategy for Kiwis

There are a lot of so-called ‘foolproof' Live Roulette strategies out there, but honestly, most of them are either complete rubbish or a very quick way to lose all of your money. Let’s get into the basics of Live Roulette strategy to keep ahead of the game.

Find a Busy Live Roulette Table

This won’t necessarily help you win more, but it will make the game last longer, and you’ll have a lot more fun while you’re playing your game of live online roulette. When a Live Roulette table is busy, there are lots of players to talk to, the bets take longer, and the wheel doesn’t get spun as much over time.

That all adds up to more time doing what you enjoy, and that’s having an exciting and sociable session of live online roulette!

Take it Easy

A lot of people just figure if they play for long enough, they will eventually win. And yeah, over time, that might be the case — but not before you lose a bunch of cash in the meantime!

The longer you play, the more tired you’ll get, and the more likely you’ll start betting with your heart, rather than with your brain. The roulette table isn’t a place to be all stoic to see how long you can last — this isn’t an All-Blacks test!

Instead, play for short bursts, and take breaks often — that way you’ll be alert for every bet, and you’ll be far more likely to bet smart.

Keep it Low-Key

Live Roulette can have some pretty sweet wins/returns, especially if you bet on just one number. In European Roulette, it’d be 37/1 and in American Roulette it’d be 38/1. But the returns are so high for a reason — they are really hard to hit!

Instead, we reckon it’s a way better strategy to place outside bets — for example, betting on columns, sections, or dozens. This approach lets you pick more numbers at once — while the returns won’t be as huge, you’ll increase your chances of winning! And that’s what we’re all about, right?

If you’d like to find out more about basic Live Roulette betting odds and strategy, look at our article on Roulette Strategy for Kiwis: Odds and Payouts.

Professional Live Roulette Player Tips — What Not to Do

As we mentioned earlier, there are a lot of so-called strategies that promise to make you rich. Well, we talked to one of our in-house professional Live Roulette players to see what you shouldn’t do when it comes to trying to beat the house in Live Roulette. Here’s what they had to say:

Don’t Use Elaborate Live Roulette Strategies and Systems

There are heaps of ‘systems’ out there that promise to beat all of the odds. You might have heard of the likes of the D’Alembert Roulette Strategy, or the Martingale Roulette Strategy. There is even one called the James Bond Roulette Strategy!

Look, the truth is, these so-called systems are flawed, and they can’t beat the random spins of the Live Roulette wheel. In fact, to call them systems is a bit of a joke. The Martingale System, for example, requires you to double your bets until you win. Bet 10. Lost again? Okay, bet $20. You keep doing that until you eventually (and theoretically) win. Once you win, you go back to your starting bet and start all over again. But honestly, between your first bet and your winning bet, you’ll probably lose your bankroll.

Just stick to the basics and have fun!

WATCH: What is the Martingale System?

Don’t Look for Patterns as a Live Roulette Strategy

All of us, and I mean all of us, are wired to look for patterns in things. Ever notice that you can often see a face in the clouds, or even in a tree? That’s just our brain trying to make sense of the world around us, and unfortunately, that can leak into Live Roulette.

There are no patterns in Live Roulette because every single spin is completely different and random. Trying to look for a pattern here is only going to lead to tears. I know, sometimes one number will land more than others in a single game, but again, that’s just pure chance — and it has no bearing on whether it will land again. Each spin starts again, completely independent of the last spin.

And hey, if you do find yourself convinced, you’re seeing patterns, it’s probably just because you are getting tired and imagining things. So, take our tip about taking breaks, and start again in ten minutes!

Live Roulette Bonus Types

Live Roulette isn’t like pokies, where they will throw bonuses at you left right and centre — it’s a much more sophisticated game that requires a bit more patience.

In saying that though, there are a few ways you can add some spice to your Live Roulette life in the form of bonuses.

Bonus Live Roulette

This is a variation of Live Roulette where you might get a bonus here or there, for example, if five blacks are spun in a row. It’s not a very common form of the game, but if you hunt around the Live Roulette lobbies, you might be able to find a game of Bonus Live Roulette here or there.

Welcome Bonuses

This is the most common way to get some cheeky bonuses. Nearly every online casino or Live Roulette casino will offer you a bonus for signing up to their site and you'll get especially great bonuses at the best online casinos. The most common form of bonus is to match your deposit, so for example, if you deposit 20 in free bets. There are always a few little strings attached, but if you read our reviews for each online casino, we’ll spell it all out for you, so you don’t step into the unexpected!

European Live Roulette vs American Live Roulette – Which is the Easiest to Win?

European Live Roulette and American Live Roulette are the same, except where European Live Roulette has one zero (or house number) American Live Roulette has two zeros. That means European Live Roulette has a 2.7% chance of the house winning, and American Live Roulette has a 5.5% chance of the house winning.

Interestingly, while it’s obvious that you’ll have a better chance of winning with European Live Roulette, American Live Roulette is much more popular. You are far more likely to find a table to play American Live Roulette, and you might have to hunt around a bit to find a game of European Live Roulette.

Evolution Gaming Live Roulette Variations

Just like online roulette variations, there are quite a few different versions of Live Roulette beyond just American Live Roulette and European Live Roulette — each having its quirks and features to keep you interested. In this section, we’ll put the spotlight on Evolution Gaming, which is among the top casino software developers in the world.

They have a ton of different versions of Live Roulette, and here are a few of them:

Lightning Roulette

Lightning Roulette is Evolution Gaming’s pride and joy and has been setting the Live Roulette world on fire! It blends the best bits of French roulette, makes each spin lightning quick, and you can win up to 500x your original bet on certain outcomes. Don’t just believe us though, Lightning Roulette won Product Innovation of the year at several industry conventions in 2018.

Immersive Roulette

Immersive Roulette dials the ‘live’ in Live Roulette up several notches, with multiple camera angles, including one where you can see every movement of the ball, even in slow-mo!

Speed Roulette

Using a custom-designed roulette wheel, Speed Roulette offers games that last just 15 seconds from spin to spin. Betting only happens during the spin, so there is no waiting around here!

Auto Roulette

As the name suggests, there is no real-life dealer in Auto Roulette. Instead, the game is run by a fully automated, but real, roulette wheel. You can play Auto Roulette in European, American, or French variations.

Double Ball Live Roulette

Double ball Live Roulette does just what it says on the tin: instead of spinning one ball, the dealer spins two balls at once. And yup, you guessed it, this means you double your chances of winning on every spin.

Double ball Live Roulette also pays out at 35/1 if both balls land on the same number and will pay out at 1,200/1 if both balls land on the same number that you picked.

Live Roulette Odds

The odds of winning in live online roulette vary, depending on the bet you make. To give you an idea of the odds for each bet, let’s have a look at American Live Roulette:

Live Roulette Casinos in New Zealand - What to Expect

If you follow one of the links on this page, you can be guaranteed that the Live Roulette casino you arrive at is completely safe, legit, and legal to play in New Zealand.

We recommend starting slowly and playing at a table with small bets. Take your time to figure out the basics, and then after that, you can have a look at some of the Live Roulette variations we mentioned above.

Live Roulette is fast-paced and exciting, and once you get to grips with it, you’ll have a ball!

Best Live Roulette Strategy – Our Verdict

We hope we’ve shown Kiwi punters how to make the most of Live Roulette. If you want to have a go at practicing the roulette strategies we’ve discussed, there are tons of roulette games at the recommended top online casinos.

If you’ve never played Live Roulette before, there is no time like the present to have a go!