Roulette strategy guide
Roulette is one of the most established casino games in the world and, along with poker and blackjack, one of the most famous thanks to TV shows and movies over the years. In the hundreds of years since its creation, a huge number of roulette strategies have been developed. Today, we'll look at some of the most popular.
Roulette strategies - how they work
While online roulette is a game of chance like most other casino games, having key betting patterns in place before getting to the table increases the chances of getting the target results. These strategies affect which bets should be made and when especially in reaction to other bets.
It should be noted that, as with any strategy for gambling or anything else, there are no guarantees of winning, especially when the strategy relies on chance. Also, many of these strategies are based on the so-called 50/50 bets in roulette, such as odds or evens, or also reds or blacks. They don't have the same effect on bets with lower odds like straight-number bets.
Most popular roulette strategies
You'll come across dozens of online roulette strategies when researching. We've gathered below a list of some of the most popular ones to use at the roulette table.
Martingale strategy
The Martingale method is often presented among the best roulette strategies. The system has been applied to games of chance or, in fact, any situation when wins and losses are based on unknown factors. While it has been more commonly used as a strategy with things like crypto recently, it was originally a gambling strategy.
It is one of the most popular progressive roulette betting systems. The basic premise is that, if the result of the wager is either 50/50 or extremely close to it, then the reaction to a loss should be to double the wager and make the same bet again. For example, if the losing bet was 20 on red, the next bet should be 40 on red, as a win will recover the first loss.
New gamblers like this straightforward system, but for experienced players, this is not a popular strategy, as it's entirely possible to have a string of losses and accrue a much larger loss than the original one. Unless the player has essentially unlimited funds, it can't be considered a successful roulette strategy.
Paroli system
The Paroli system, based on the work of famous mathematician Blaise Pascal, is in many ways the opposite of the Martingale, as it relies on doubles bets based on wins instead of losses. After the first winning bet, the same bet should be made again with double the stake, and if that also wins, then the same should happen again.
The key point to the Paroli is, however, that the stake should be reset both after a loss and also after three wins. This is based on the idea that after three wins in a row on a 50/50 bet, the probability of getting a fourth win drops dramatically. Therefore, in theory, putting a smaller bet down after the third win reduces the chance of a large loss.
This is a popular betting system to use on the roulette wheel for those who wish to play with low stakes, as it is seen as one of the safer methods available. In reality though, it only feels safer because it constantly pushes the wager down.
Fibonacci system
Those who are familiar with mathematics will have heard of the Fibonacci sequence before, although not likely in connection with betting. The sequence works by having every number equal to the total of the previous two numbers, ending up with this sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, and so on.
In betting, the idea is that for every loss, the player should increase their wager to the next number in the sequence, and for every win, they should decrease the wager by two numbers in the sequence. Essentially this just boils down to the same system as Martingale.
The key difference is that, because of the 'two steps back' on a win, it is slightly less risky than the Martingale, and a string of losses will increase the stake more slowly. For instance, with a starting wager of one, 10 losses in a row using Martingale ends up with losses just over 1,000, whereas 10 losses using Fibonacci equals just under 200.
D'Alembert system
The D'Alembert method is really just another variant of both the Martingale and Fibonacci systems and takes parts of each. Overall it is a much simpler system, where the player chooses a small wager to start with. With each loss, the player increases the next wager by that amount or decreases it after a win.
For instance, starting with a bet of five, a loss would increase to 10, and another would increase it to 15. Overall, this means that the wager amount increases much more slowly than in the other methods, although any wins are also lower, so covering any losses is more difficult.
While it is slower and generally safer than both Martingale and Fibonacci, it does rely on the same flawed logic as they both do, and so it doesn't make a very good strategy either.
Labouchere roulette strategy
Compared to the other roulette strategies already mentioned, the Labouchere method sounds a lot more complex, although it is fairly simple in practice. It starts with the player laying out a sequence of numbers, for instance, 1-2-3-4. The sum of all those numbers is 10, which is the total target winnings for the session.
In each round, the player takes the first and last number in the sequence, adds them together then wagers that amount. If that wager wins, the player removes those numbers and keeps going until there are no numbers left. If the wager loses, the player adds that wager to the end of the sequence and continues. For 1-2-3-4, that would be 1+4 or 5.
The theory is that once all the numbers are finally crossed off, the target winnings will be achieved. However, like Martingale or the other variants of it, it also doesn't account for an extended streak of losses. As a result, it can easily end up with the player going through their funds without ever completing the numbers. Effectively, it is Martingale but with more mathematics behind it.
James Bond roulette strategy
Despite the name, this isn't linked to the super spy himself, only named after him. This is probably the most complex roulette strategy out there, as well as the one that requires the largest betting fund to start with. It uses more than just the 50/50 bets and instead it covers bets across the board.
The method requires 20 'units' of bets in each round; for the sake of simplicity, take 20 as the total wager as an example. In that case, the player would bet 14 on a 50/50 bet, 5 on a six-line, and 1 on the zero. In theory, only 12 numbers on the wheel would then result in a complete loss, whereas all other numbers would pay a profit.
The issue is that only the zero bet pays more than a loss of 20, so a single losing spin could wipe out several wins at once. In the end, the odds are not really improved, and because of the larger initial outlay, this is only a roulette system for those extremely secure in their available funds.
Roulette strategy tips
As explained above, the important thing to remember is that regardless of the system used on a roulette game, there is no guarantee of a win, and while having a set goal and an idea of betting limits is good to have to control the total spend, there is no 'beat the casino' system. If there were, casinos around the world would be out of business.
The key thing to remember is to bet responsibly and know the limits. Setting a budget before the session and not exceeding it is essential to play roulette or any other live casino games.
Conclusions
In short, while names and calculations with complex formulas can look impressive, the reality is that roulette will always come down to a game of chance, and any system that claims to be a guaranteed win is simply misleading. Don't be lured in, be sensible and remember that there is always a risk when playing roulette.
FAQs
Q. Do any roulette betting systems have better odds than others?
A. The key fact to remember is that all casino games have something called RTP, or Return-To-Player, on every single game. This is the average amount that a player can expect to get back over a long playing session. While some systems may look like they have better odds in the short term, the fact is that over enough bets, all systems will end up paying out around the same. In fact, the only mathematical way to actually improve the odds slightly is to play European roulette, or better yet French roulette, as both of those have a better RTP than American roulette.
Q. Can systems like the Martingale system work in practice?
A. Take this as an example. Say a player bets 5 on evens for a single spin. If they win, they make 5 in profit. If they lose, they double the wager to 10 and bet again. Now if they win, they would make 10 in profit, covering the previous loss and getting 5 more. In theory, everything evens out. The issue is something called the gambler's fallacy. This is the concept that if a player loses enough times, eventually they have to win because of probability. The issue with that is, every spin is a separate coin flip in essence, with nothing to do with previous spins. It's just as likely to get 50 losses in a row as it is to get exactly 25 and 25 losses. There is never any logical way to guarantee a win, which is the entire basis of the Martingale system. As a note, it is entirely possible to see this system 'work' a handful of times, but again that is just down to chance and never means that it is an effective roulette strategy.
Q. Is Paroli a safer betting system?
A. The important thing to remember with Paroli is that it isn't safer because of the odds, but simply because it doesn't increase the bet on losses and forces the wager amount down regularly. Unlike in other systems, there isn't a constant possible increase in the wager, with the limit being only four times the original wager and even then only for a single spin. Of course, a loss at four times the bet would inherently wipe out the previous two wins, so as stated above it still isn't entirely safe.
Q. What makes European roulette better for players than American roulette?
A. European roulette is known as single-zero roulette, meaning the wheel only has one zero space. American roulette has both a zero and a double-zero, which slightly increases the chance of all players losing. While the difference is very small, especially when only a few spins are played, mathematically, European roulette is more favourable for the player. The French roulette variant is even better in theory for the player, thanks to special rules that come into play on a zero.