Roulette vs. Poker: A Thorough Comparison

Roulette and Poker are two of the most-beloved casino titles. Both online and land-based gambling venues have dozens of exciting Roulette and Poker variations.

As a beginner, you may find it difficult to choose between these two highly popular casino classics. So, here’s a detailed Roulette vs. Poker comparison to help you discover which casino title might be more suited to you.

A quick look at Roulette basics

Roulette is an exciting casino game that features straightforward rules and is quite easy to start. For novice players, land-based and online Roulette UK games use a spinning wheel and a small white ball. The Roulette wheel features numbers from 1 to 36 that a coloured in alternate red and black. Depending on the Roulette game you choose to play, the spinning wheel has one or two green-colored 0 pockets.

Next, we have the Roulette table. The table is where all the wagering action takes place. At land-based tables, players must move their chips in the specific number slot/slots they wish to wager on.

When playing at the new mobile casino, players have to drag their chips onto the specific betting area on the Roulette table. In Roulette games, you can place wagers on a single number or a group of numbers. Also, you can bet on which coloured slot the ball will land in.

After placing the bets, the dealer puts the small white ball into the spinning wheel. The ball eventually comes to a stop in one of the pockets on the wheel. If you’ve wagered on a winning number or set of numbers, you can receive a potential payout per the game’s paytable.

Blackjack Player’s hand explained

Poker is an interesting casino game that comes with easy-to-understand rules. So, even beginners can start playing Poker after watching a few rounds of Poker gaming action and learning the common Poker terms. But it’s important to remember that Poker is also a casino classic that is difficult to master.

In Poker games, the main objective is to capture the “pot”. As a refresher, the pot is the sum of players’ wagers during the multiple betting rounds. To win the pot, the ranking of your Poker hand must be higher than all other players at the table. The pot may also be won by making a wager that no other opponent calls.

With the top live casinos online, you can choose from multiple Poker variations. Texas Hold’em is the most widely played Poker version in the history of Poker. Other good Poker games to try your hands at are Omaha Hi, Five-Card Draw, and High Low Chicago.

Roulette and Poker similarities

As explained earlier, the way Poker and Roulette games are played is entirely different. Roulette’s game involves using a ball and a spinning wheel, whereas Poker is played using cards. But that doesn’t mean these two casino classics don’t share similarities. Below we’ve given some similarities between Roulette and Poker.

Luck and Probability

All casino titles are luck-based games at the end of the day. And Roulette and Poker are no exception to that.

Sure, the game of Poker requires some skill in deciding what betting options to go with at any given time. But as the cards in Poker games are shuffled and dealt randomly, it’s no wonder Poker is based on the element of chance.

Roulette, as you’d guess, is a luck-based game, as there’s no way to know where the ball will stop on the spinning wheel.

Given the random nature of Roulette and Poker games, understanding probability can help you make more informed bets. Roulette players can use a Roulette calculator to calculate the odds for different Roulette bets.

Strategic play

We just explained that both Roulette and Poker are luck-based games. But players have the option to employ betting strategies when playing these games.

It’s important to keep in mind that using a betting strategy doesn’t mean that you’ll have guaranteed wins in Roulette and Poker. But with lady luck by your side, betting systems can improve your chances of winning.

Martingale, Fibonacci, and D’Alembert are popular betting strategies for Roulette games. There also exist several widely-used betting systems for Poker. If you’re using a Poker or Roulette betting strategy for the first time, it’s a good idea to test it in the Roulette simulator or demo Poker games.

Roulette and Poker differences

House edge

Roulette games are played against the house. As such, they come with a built-in house advantage (works in the long run) that covers their costs and funds their operations. The house edge in Roulette games is based on the number of zero slots on the wheel. The more zero pockets, the higher the house edge will be.

The game of Poker, in contrast, is played against other opponents at the table. So, Poker games aren’t designed to have a casino advantage. Gambling venues generate revenue here by taking a small amount from the pot.

Poker psychology

Ask any experienced Video Poker player, and they’ll tell you that the game of Poker also involves the element of psychology. A good betting strategy and poker psychology can sometimes turn things in your favour. 

Roulette, on the other hand, is a more straightforward game. After all, the random stopping of the ball determines the outcome in Roulette.