Roulette or Poker: Pick your Poison

By Ronald Torr

The gambling world has expanded enormously over the past few years thanks to the explosion of internet casinos and online poker rooms on the internet. With the great number of casino games available, how does one pick the right game to play?

It generally depends on why one likes to gamble; do you enjoy the strategy and sophistication of a game like poker or are you more in it for the thrill and luck like in roulette? It doesn't matter which one you prefer; the whole idea behind gambling and gaming in general is to play what gives you some enjoyment. If you're not sure, don't worry, we'll compare poker and roulette to help you decide which game is right for you.

Let's begin with roulette. Roulette is the quintessential casino game, everyone from kings to James Bond to that drunken hobo have taken their chances with the roulette wheel. There's something intrinsically pleasing about the game of roulette - roulette, by the way, means 'little wheel' in French - and some will say sinister.

Myths surrounding the origin of roulette say that the mathematician Pascal sold his soul to the devil in exchange for the game of roulette. I imagine this myth originated with people who were bankrupted by roulette and didn't want to accept reasonable circumstances for their losses.

The game is simple; you pick a number associated with either red or black place a chip(s), and hope your ball lands into your number's slot. There are more sophisticated bets one can make but the fact remains the same; you're just taking a guess and hoping the ball will land in some way corresponding to your bet. People claim there are systems and sure-fire winning schemes but these are patently false. At its base, roulette is a game of luck. The thrill of the game is premised upon this fact.

Poker, on the other hand, is a game that is based mainly on strategy and while luck plays a part in the game, strategy can make or break any hand. Poker is a game in which you can spend years and can actually become something of a poker expert; that is, you can get better at poker over time because the more you learn about strategy and whatnot the better you can be. Roulette, no matter how much you know, is still based upon luck.

Poker has an outlaw allure because of its origins in the Wild West and on riverboats in the South. This is in contrast to the sophisticated origins of roulette and the outlaw nature of the game gives it a flair that many people find appealing.

With the surging popularity of online poker and poker tournaments, poker seems to be the more popular choice. It really depends, however, on your preferences. If you like the strategy of poker, play poker. But if you're looking for a relaxing game that is easy to learn and you just want to play without needing a lot of experience, play roulette.