Summary:
The black and red roulette strategy is a popular method among casino players, involving bets on red or black numbers with a 1:1 payout. While considered a 50/50 chance, the presence of green zero pockets reduces actual odds.
Table of Content:
Roulette offers casino players multiple betting possibilities that can lead to unexpected outcomes and payouts. The black and red roulette strategy certainly has its pros and cons, just like many other gaming systems at the famous green table. Is it worth trying? The answer depends very much on your playing style!
If you don't want to miss out on all the amazing opportunities of learning something new with tips and strategies for our live casino games, continue reading this article dedicated to the red and black strategy of roulette.
In the game of roulette, whether at a land-based casino or online roulette table, the easiest bet, and certainly the most common among novice players are those placed on the colour red 🔴 and the colour black ⚫. As we all know, the name of these bets is determined by the colour of the pocket in which the numbers are placed.
These bets fall under ‘even money bets’, or bets in roulette that have a payout equal to the amount of the player's initial wager (1:1). For instance, if a player places a winning bet of $1 on a red (or black) number, they’ll be rewarded $2 in winnings or $1 in net profit. Sidebar, while many players think this is a 50/50 bet, remember that you’ve got at least one green zero pocket in play, or two if you’re playing American roulette.
First, a colour bet is present at all tables. Even the most cutting-edge variants possess this betting option. Although the arrangement of the numbers on the betting grid may vary depending on the roulette wheel you’re playing (American or French), numbers are always assigned the same colour, minimizing any possible misunderstandings at the table. For example, a 7 will always be red and an 8 always black, no matter if you’re playing an American or French table.
Red Numbers:
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36;
Black Numbers:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35.
The payout on simple combinations remains unchanged in each case. By betting on colours, the player can achieve a fair payout with a good chance of winning, around 50%. The zero, and the double zero in American roulette, are usually hosted by a green pocket.
Remember, the zeros basically have no colour here - they’re neither a black or a red. This means that a bet on red or black will not be considered a winning bet if the 0 or 00 comes up, thus lowering the odds of winning up to 48.65% per round in the case of 37-number European or French roulette and up to 47.36% when playing the 38-number American roulette.
💡 Did you know? Red and black have always been part of gambling history - and this especially rings true with roulette! Indeed, some historians have documented red and black’s existence on the wheel at least as far back as the beginning of the 16th century, with the birth of a popular Italian game: the girella. The different parts of this crude wheel consisted of segments coloured by alternating black and red, so that the public could recognize a win even from a far distance.
One quality we all appreciate in gambling is taking advantage of different types of bets. Roulette allows you to try a hand at various bets and apply strategies in the hopes of increasing your bankroll. Even a simple bet such as red or black can thus turn into a useful method of playing with a bit of cunning and luck.
Some systems embrace a doubling method, which consists of multiplying a bet, round to round, based on various events or table results. It’s all in a coup to attempt to sway the house advantage closer to the player! Roulette strategies that encompass this thinking, doubling, should be used with caution. We’ll get into why in a moment.
Within this category, falls various tactics. More or less, they’re all quite similar to each other and are based on simple chances. Let’s take red and black. Some techniques work with the prominent colour on the table, but in different ways. So, if red was on a winning streak, they’d stick with it, while others would go against it and bet black. Other systems double after each win, while others double after each loss.
In general, however, the doubling game is mainly associated with the Martingale System, the most popular roulette betting system of all. Let's unpack this popular doubling system below.
The Martingale is one of the best-known systems among roulette players. It also certainly helps that it’s one of the easiest and simplest to understand and follow, even for complete beginners.
Quite simply, the system requires you to double your bet after each loss, and return back to your original when you win. The intent is to instantly recoup your losses when a win comes around.
Usually, this doubling method involves betting on the same colour, alternating the two red/black bets according to the previous round's result. In addition to covering accrued losses, this technique also allows the player to gain additional profit. Applied to reb/black, it would play out as follows:
This system, which mathematically is considered foolproof, has some shortcomings at the gaming table that need to be considered.
For starters, doubling a bet after a loss can require a bankroll, should you go on a bit of a losing streak. And let’s be honest, losing streaks can always happen in games of chance! So, have a good look at your bankroll and always ensure you can sustain this system before giving it a go.
Now, we’re not meaning to get super negative, but if a losing streak continued, or your bets began quite large, there may come a point when you reach the table max bet. So it’s not quite an infinite system, but you can always hope a losing streak doesn’t go that long!
Finally, it is worth remembering the famous saying that roulette has no memory! Every time that ball drops, consider it an independent play! The ball has the same probability of ending up in each of the wheel's squares on each and every spin. It is also not so rare for a red number to be drawn consecutively more than a few times (hence the terms ‘red storm’ or ‘black storm’).
So, what are the advantages of this system? The Martingale does allow for an instant recoup of losses when a win occurs, so for longer sessions it’s a fun one to try and has proven efficient in this regard. But always keep in mind that even if this system brings you success, roulette must be treated as a game of probability and economics. Learning how to play also includes knowing when to walk away (and knowing when to run, as Kenny sings it).
Over the years, roulette enthusiasts have developed many game strategies to apply at the table to win systematically. Some systems, like the black and red system discussed here, can make more money than is invested. Still, always balance your choices with your bankroll, and set limits for yourself if need be. Remember that no system is foolproof, otherwise it wouldn’t be gambling, now would it?!
No, betting on red or black in roulette is not really 50/50. The odds of winning a red or black bet on a single-zero roulette wheel is 48.6%, which is worse than the 50% chance that players might suggest. This is because there are green pockets (0 and sometimes 00) on the wheel, which give the house an advantage.
The roulette wheel's sections have numbers ranging from 0 to 36. Odd numerals are red, and even numbers are black from 1 to 10 and 19 to 28, respectively.
Red and Black is an even money bet since the payout equals the amount of the player's initial wager.
Both red and black have the same probability of winning that is 48.65% in European Roulette and French Roulette.
Learn about other roulette strategies in our guide: