Roulette Wheel Tattoo – Gamblers & Gangsters

Tattoos – Origin, Culture & Superstitions

First things first, let quickly take a peek at the origin and history of the tattoos, the cultures that were involved, and what they presented. Right after we get familiar with their background, we will overview more thoroughly the roulette wheel tattoos and the styles they are part of.

Origin – The Marks of The Ancient

The origin of tattoos dates since the Bronze Age which was around 5,300 years ago! Wow, right?! In 1991 the oldest tattooed body was discovered in the Italian Alps, and thanks to the low temperature the corps were perfectly preserved. Of course, the shape and form of the body writings are simple, crosses, dashes and elementary figures.

Unfortunately, their meaning has not yet been discovered… The truth is that tattoos exist from ancient times, and they were implemented in many different ways. Some African and Native American tribes considered them as war signs for warriors. Through ages and centuries, and most importantly different cultures, they were used to mark either the greatness of the nation and the power of their soldiers.

Also, to scar military prisoners or people who overstepped the rules. One thing is clear, all those practices are long gone, and in the 21st-century tattoos are a whole new world-wide culture with their own uniqueness.

Culture – The Ink Nation

Since the number of tattooed people is growing every minute, we can definitely say that a new culture has been formed. Of course, this is not something new because the tattoo society dates from the early fifties, but the style of tattooing back then was different. It is like everything else in this world, it evolves, and the tattoos themselves look different nowadays which seems normal since it is an industry with serious cash flow.

But what do we mean by culture? This is where it is getting tricky because tattoos are the expression of your own inner self, which is inevitably related to your roots and heritage – the place of birth, nationality, local history etc. So, let’s say that in that big culture, we have thousands of micro-local-cultures because after all, tattoos are a statement of your mindset.

Superstitions – Rumours and Myths

Yes, they are a reflection of your mind and, that is why quite some time, tattooed people have been wrongly accused, accounted to criminal groups or any other malicious activities, but this is wrong! Yes, there are some historical signs of such a treatment, mainly because of the fact that Great Britain used them to mark their prisoners, but that was long ago. And such historical facts must be left in the past, where they belong. And still, even nowadays, in some countries people are predisposed toward others with tattoos. But this is a superstition because the ink doesn’t make people criminals and expressing yourself is a matter of a free will.

Roulette Wheel Tattoo – Types & Meaning

And now to the main point – the roulette wheel tattoo! The roulette tattoo become popular in the last 30 years. The truth is, in that time period the whole culture went through a massive revolution and the overall perception of tattoos changed globally. People started combining their illustrations and covering whole body parts. Creating new outlooks, some of which with the years of practice were developed as separate styles. That’s how the gambling style was created. What’s the best roulette tattoo design? Are there any different types of the model? Its time to find out!

As we already mentioned, tattoos are a personal expression, but what type of people have tattoo roulette? The answer is easy, this model is typical usually for two major groups – Gamblers and Gangsters. Like every other casino related tattoo, it shows the courage and the risk which you are willing to take to win a bet. People who choose a roulette wheel tattoo, usually like to push their luck and life on the edge. If you are one of them, you might be interested to check some of the top online roulette casinos available nowadays.

Types & Styles of Roulette Tattoos

This is where it gets interesting because the shape, the vision, the concept is entirely your choice altogether with the choice of an artist. You can even have a Shot Roulette tattooed on your chest (the roulette drinking game rules of which are super easy, by the way).

There are many styles in the tattoo culture, but roulette tattoos are typical mainly in prison (gang-related) tattoos, gambling and the so-called Chicano style (Mexican tattoos). We will, not let the subject so easily and we will review and discuss each of these types separately so you can get a clear idea of what they are and what are the differences between them. But hey, don’t worry, after the generic info, we will also give you some names of the best artists around.

Prison tattoos are quite easy to distinguish because they are usually are randomly spread all over the body, without any certain patterns. Depending on the country, the prison and region they could include the visualization of churches, dogs, guns and specific gang marks typical for the place in question. Pretty much that is the definition of the “old-school tattoos” but with different numbers, signs, writings, all related to gangs, as you can easily imagine. It is safe to say that most of the people with such tattoos nowadays have nothing to do with a gang, though. Most of the times they are simply fascinated either by the look or by the idea of such tattoos.

The gambling tattoos are related of course to any type of casino games. But quite some time they part of a full sleeve or a full back piece. With other words, they are attached to other tattoos of its kind like aces, roulette table, roulette wheel, the dead man`s hand, old fashioned revolvers, dices, dollar bills, clovers, skulls and others. Rarely, but you can spot them in combination with religions sign and expression simply because many gamblers believe in fate.

Chicano style is more like a combination of the previous two. It covers a huge part of the gambling aspect, parts of the prison one including some religious elements. Apart from guns, casino games and luck related elements, you will also see crosses, roses or Christian saints integrated. Another significant part of this style is the portrait of women, also called “Chola”. They could appear with the typical make up for the Mexican Day of the Dead. Also, you may see them with gang bandanas, pistols, or imitating the famous Greek drama theatre masks. The motto behind them usually says “Laugh now, cry later” or “Smile now, cry later”.

Artists, Prices & Quality

The final result and the quality of the tattoo depend 80% on the artist and 20% on the customer because if you don’t take good care of your tattoo, you risk infections and ink loss, which will ruin your project entirely. Therefore, it is important to spend some money and go to an experienced artist who will take good care of you and who will explain how to treat your tattoo afterwards. Never trust low-priced artists, this could lead to a painful or fatal end, or serious dissatisfaction and struggle.

All real tattoos are permanent, so it is entirely your choice how much you are willing to spend, but after everything we told you, we believe you know the answer. Good tattoo artist usually takes serious commissions, but they are also specialized in different tattoo styles, so you should do your homework first. Search online or in social media for artists around you, check their websites and portfolios. Just assure yourself that this is the right person for your need and that his services would match your budget. You also need to take into consideration the size of your tattoo because that will also reflect on the final price.

UK Artists & Price-Range

To give you a better idea of what would be the cost of your tattoo, we will tell you how much roughly the price for a full sleeve is. Based on the size and the complexity of your choice, you can have the approximate amount. The actual price range is quite large, and this is something normal when we are speaking of any type of art. Depending on the city and the artist a full sleeve is £3000-£5000. If you are looking for suggestions, we have some in mind. Check those names in the web and explore more about their work: Justin Burnout, Anthony Cole, Chris Crooks, Eric Kueh, Simon Caves, Zmetek, Gazz Neaves, Andrew Curzon-Berners, Gibbo, Lianne Moule, Rob Richardson, Matt Adamson, Toby Gawler and others.

Europen Artists & Price-Range

Taking into consideration a large number of countries, it is impossible to give you accurate statistics about the price. The prices depend on the overall standard of life. Roughly, in middle Europe, the sum required for a full sleeve in a professional, reputable studio is €4000-€7000. Meanwhile, in Eastern Europe in countries like Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Romania and others, the price for the same quality tattoo could come to only €1000-€1500. And at last here are some of our favorite artist in Europe: Mikael de Poissy, Alice Carrier, Maud Dardeau, Easy Sacha, Anne Frank, Vincent Van Gogh, Jay Freestyle, Kim-Anh Nguyen, Marc Mussler, Johann Morel, Jean-Luc Python, David Mottier, Celiozzi, Stuart O`Keefe, Chaim Machlev, Valentin Hirsch, Julia Rehme, Lus Lips, Julia Toebel, Massi Novecento, Arnaldo Bel Fiore, Andrea Zorloni, Antonio Todisco, Mattia Bretti, Todor Todorov, Vezdhin Hasanov, Nikolai Dimov, Krasen Dimitrov, Ivan Panayotov and more.

What Roulette Tattoo to Choose?

This is maybe the most difficult question that you will face. It is hard to take such a decision since it is a permanent mark on your body. Our recommendation is to start with something small, which could, later on, be covered you strongly dislike it. Think about your personality and the things you like, you believe in or mottos you follow in life, this could be a good start for your research. Your body is your temple and decorating the walls is a reflection of your personality, so choose wisely! You can find amazing artists with great skills in different styles, all around the globe. There are great ideas and amazing models online of roulette tattoo sleeves, roulette table tattoos and roulette tattoos in general if that’s what you are looking for. Be creative, find the best images and find a nice and decent artist to recreate them for you and make your new tattoo unique. For inspiration, you can find a plethora of casino images in high resolution via the web, whether that be interesting roulette pictures or other gambling-related photos. Also, be patient because it could take some time, blood and pain until your tattoo is completed.