Sergio Zammit is an online gambling writer with expertise in casino games. One of his fundamental abilities is to simplify complex topics so that anyone, including non-native English speakers, understands them. He joined SportsTalkPhilly.com in 2021 after having written for other leading gambling sites.
All posts by Sergio ZammitRoulette is a fascinating game of chance that has kept mathematicians and players motivated throughout the ages. 37, or, in the case of American roulette, 38 numbers appear to have the same probability of winning each round. However, many believe that with the right roulette strategy that works, you can skew the odds in your favor.
In this roulette guide, we’ve explained all the reasonable roulette strategies and given examples of how they work. After reading through it, you should be able to implement different betting systems on your favorite table and understand which ones are best suited for your playing style. To conclude the guide, we’ve also provided answers to common questions asked by fans of this casino game.
How to Win at Roulette
The purpose of any roulette strategy is to be able to make a profit or minimize any losses when betting on this game. To win, you simply need to correctly guess on which number the ball will land. Placing a Straight bet, which means betting on a single number, gives you the chance of winning a payout of 35:1. However, the roulette odds of winning this bet are very low: 2.7%, to be precise.
Fortunately, you can win a payout by casting a broader net and betting on multiple numbers at a time. This increases your chances of winning, but as the odds get better, the payouts get lower. A reasonable roulette betting strategy is one that manages to improve your odds while still leaving room for a small profit.
Best Roulette Winning Strategies on Different Game Variations
Most roulette tables can be categorized into one of three main variations, as we explain below.
European Roulette Strategy
The European roulette table is the most common at both land-based and real money online casinos. It is most easily recognizable by its single green zero and offers the second-best odds of winning with its broadest bet types. Outside bets that group 18 numbers, such as Odd/Even, have odds of 48.65% of winning. For this reason, almost all roulette tactics are based on this version.
American roulette Strategy
The main difference between European and American roulette is that the latter has an additional number, a green double zero. As a result of this number, the best odds of winning a game are 47.37%. Since the odds are lower and the American roulette strategy is identical to the European one, you should always use a European table to give you the best chances of winning.
French Roulette Strategy
While most casinos limit their choice of roulette to European and American, some also include French roulette. This twist on the European version features two additional rules, namely La Partage and En Prison. With these rules, players can get half of their wager back or get a rerun if the ball lands on zero. Thanks to these rules, the French version has marginally better odds than the European one.
The Most Basic Roulette Strategies
Before we move on to more complex roulette systems, we’ve outlined four of the most basic strategies in roulette.
Roulette Dozens Strategy
One of the most popular outside bets in roulette allows you to bet on 12 numbers at a time. Called a Dozens bet, this wager groups numbers 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36. Winning this bet pays 2:1, so you’ll get double your original wager as profit in addition to your wager. When you place a Dozens bet on European roulette, there will be a lower house edge, so your chances of winning this bet are 32.4%.
Roulette Columns Strategy
The Column Bet is very similar to the Dozens bet as it also groups together 12 numbers. Moreover, the odds of winning on a European roulette table are also 32.4%, and payouts are 2:1. Placing a $1 wager on each of the three Column bets would cost you $3, but you could get $3 back if one of your bets wins. This should happen unless the ball lands on the zero.
Black and Red Roulette Strategy
The Black and Red roulette strategy is another popular way of betting on a large group of numbers at a time. While the Dozen and Column bets group 12 numbers, the Black and Red bets group 18. These bets are known as even-money bets since they pay out evenly. In practice, this means that if you place a $1 bet and you win, you’ll get a $1 prize plus your original $1 wager.
Instead of betting on either all black or red numbers, you can also bet on all odd or even, or high or low numbers. The odds of winning any one of these bets on a European table is 48.6%.
Double Down Roulette Strategy
There are several different double-down roulette strategies, though they all work in the same way. These strategies recommend that you double your previous bet when you lose and reset your bet when you win. The Martingale System is the most popular example, and we’ll explain how it works in the next section of this guide.
How to Win at Roulette Using the Eight Top Strategies
According to some mathematicians and players, the likeliest way to win is to implement the best mathematical roulette strategy. Below, we’ve explained the most popular strategies and provided you with a table for each.
The Martingale Roulette Strategy
This winning roulette wheel strategy is based on even-money bets such as Odd/Even or Black/Red. To begin, you should place the minimum bet size allowed at the table, such as $1. If your bet loses, you should use the same outside bet but double the value. You should continue doubling your previous bet until you’ve won, at which point you should reset your next bet to $1.
Here’s an example of how using the Martingale roulette strategy could turn out.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Odd $2 Loss -$2 -$3 3 Odd $4 Loss -$4 -$7 4 Odd $8 Loss -$8 -$15 5 Odd $16 Win $16 $1 6 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$1 7 Odd $2 Win $2 $1 8 Odd $1 Win $1 $2 The main drawback of the Martingale roulette strategy is that it can deplete your bankroll quickly. Every loss requires you to double your bet, and, using our example, a $1 wager can grow by 16x in just five wheel spins.
The Reverse Roulette Double Down Strategy
Once you’ve gotten a grasp of the Martingale System, you can try reversing it. This means doubling your bet after each win and resetting your bet when you lose. With this system, you won’t need to spend too much too quickly.
Here’s how the Reverse Martingale System could play out using the same example as above.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$2 3 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$3 4 Odd $1 Loss -$1 -$4 5 Odd $1 Win $1 -$3 6 Odd $2 Loss -$2 -$5 7 Odd $1 Win $1 -$4 8 Odd $2 Win $2 -$2 Comparing the two examples of the Martingale Systems, you might instinctively think that the original is the best strategy for roulette. While indeed the profit of the first example is bigger, the negative balance at one point was also higher.
The D’Alembert System
If the Martingale System would put a strain on your bankroll, you could use the D’Alembert System as a close alternative. Once again, you should pick an even-money bet and stick to it throughout the game, and you should start by placing the minimum bet. If your bet loses, you should add a bet unit, so if your first bet was $1, your second should be ($1 + $1) $2. With every additional loss, you should add another bet unit, while with a win, you should deduct a unit.
The best way to understand this roulette table strategy is through an example. To help you compare this strategy to the previous so-called Double Down roulette strategies, we’ve assumed the same results.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Black $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Black $2 Loss -$2 -$3 3 Black $3 Loss -$3 -$6 4 Black $4 Loss -$4 -$10 5 Black $5 Win $5 -$5 6 Black $4 Loss -$4 -$9 7 Black $5 Win $5 -$4 8 Black $4 Win $4 $0 Through this example, it’s evident that the D’Alembert System puts less strain on your bankroll than the roulette Double Strategy. However, while your risk exposure is lower, so are your potential gains.
The Reverse D’Alembert System
It’s not just the Martingale System that can be reversed. The Reverse D’Alembert System is a positive progression strategy that requires you to increase your wager when you win and decrease it when you lose.
The following table outlines how this system plays out over the course of eight spins.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Black $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Black $1 Loss -$1 -$2 3 Black $1 Loss -$1 -$3 4 Black $1 Loss -$1 -$4 5 Black $1 Win $1 -$3 6 Black $2 Loss -$2 -$5 7 Black $1 Win $1 -$4 8 Black $2 Win $2 -$2 Just as was the case in the Reverse Martingale System, the Reverse D’Alembert brought a loss instead of the break-even that we got with the original version. However, the maximum loss in this example was $5, whereas, in the original D’Alembert System, this was $10.
The Fibonacci Roulette Strategy
Named after the Italian mathematician, the Fibonacci roulette strategy makes use of a specific sequence of numbers to help you determine your next wager. To understand how this works, you must be aware of this sequence, which is built by adding the previous two numbers together. As a result, this sequence starts off as 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and so on.
To use this roulette strategy to win, or at least try to, you need to wager on the same money-even bet. You also need to use the sequence to determine the value of your next wager. If you lose, your next wager should be equal to the next number on the right. If you win, you should place a wager according to the second number on the left.
This is not a simple roulette strategy. However, the following example should help you.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$2 3 Even $2 Loss -$2 -$4 4 Even $3 Loss -$3 -$7 5 Even $5 Win $5 -$2 6 Even $2 Loss -$2 -$4 7 Even $3 Win $3 -$1 8 Even $1 Win $1 $0 Just like the Martingale, D’Alambert, and similar strategies, the Fibonacci sequence is a negative progression betting system. This means that every time you lose a bet, you increase your wager so that, if and when you eventually win, you will have made up for all your losses. The challenge, however, is being able to afford your losses until a win arrives.
The Reverse Fibonacci Roulette Strategy
By this point in our guide, it probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that there is an opposite way to implementing the Fibonacci strategy. To apply the reverse strategy, you should move to the next two numbers on the left of the sequence after a loss and to the right after a win.
We’ve explained the Reverse Fibonacci roulette strategy further in the following example.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$2 3 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$3 4 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$4 5 Even $1 Win $1 -$3 6 Even $1 Loss -$1 -$4 7 Even $1 Win $1 -$3 8 Even $1 Win $1 -$2 Yet again, this example has shown how reverse roulette strategies can reduce the burden on your bankroll by lowering potential losses. However, they tend to result in marginally more losses than the original strategies.
The Paroli System
So far in this guide, we’ve looked at strategies that require you to increase your bets after a loss. The Paroli System is different as it recommends keeping your previous wager when you lose and doubling it when you win. However, you should only double it a maximum of two times before resetting your wager. It’s a fairly simple strategy and, unsurprisingly, is a popular one among roulette newbies.
The basics of this system are identical to previous ones, so you should start with small bets and stick to a single even-money bet type. Here’s how the Paroli System works in an example.
Round Number Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 Red $1 Loss -$1 -$1 2 Red $1 Loss -$1 -$2 3 Red $1 Loss -$1 -$3 4 Red $1 Loss -$1 -$4 5 Red $1 Win $1 -$3 6 Red $2 Loss -$2 -$5 7 Red $1 Win $1 -$4 8 Red $2 Win $2 -$2 The Paroli System is most successful during brief winning streaks, but it’s impossible to forecast if or when these will happen. However, the unique structure of this betting system allows even smaller bankrolls to play more rounds.
The Labouchere System
The Labouchere System operates in a strikingly different manner than all the previous ones. To implement this betting system, you must first decide how much you win. It’s best to keep realistic numbers, so let’s say you’d like to win $15. You next need to split this prize into smaller numbers, such as 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, and 2.
Your first bet should be the total of the furthest left and furthest right numbers. In this case, it would be (1 + 2) $3. Place this wager on an even-money bet type, and if you lose, add your bet value to the furthest right of your sequence. This should look like 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, and 3.
However, if you win, you should cross off the furthest left and furthest right numbers. This means that you’ll be left with 5, 3, and 2. Once again, add the furthest left and right numbers together to get the value of your next wager. In this case, this would be (5 + 2) $7. Continue updating your sequence by adding previous bet totals to the right when you lose and removing numbers when you win.
The following example should help you understand the Labouchere System in further detail.
Round Number Sequence Bet Type Wager Result Profit/Loss Balance 1 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2 Low $3 Loss -$3 -$3 2 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3 Low $4 Loss -$4 -$7 3 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4 Low $5 Loss -$5 -$12 4 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5 Low $6 Loss -$6 -$18 5 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Low $7 Win $7 -$11 6 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5 Low $7 Loss -$7 -$18 7 2, 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 Low $9 Win $9 -$9 8 5, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5 Low $10 Win $10 $1 Labouchere is not a simple roulette strategy and can be confusing, so you should certainly keep a note of the evolving sequence written down.
What is the Most Successful Roulette Strategy?
In the following table, we’ve looked at the results of using the eight most popular roulette strategies on the same eight rounds.
Roulette Strategy Ending Balance Highest Loss Martingale $2 -$15 Reverse Martingale -$2 -$4 D’Alembert $0 -$10 Reverse D’Alembert -$2 -$4 Fibonacci $0 -$7 Reverse Fibonacci -$2 -$4 Paroli -$2 -$4 Labouchere $1 -$18 The Martingale System has clearly delivered the biggest profit in our random example. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the biggest loss registered when using this betting system is also one of the highest value. While this might look like the best system, the truth is that no strategy is best. Roulette is a game of chance that’s designed to be fair and random. Even though a strategy might help during one game session, it might not be in the next session. This is the main reason why almost no professional gamblers play roulette to win money consistently.
Less Popular Roulette Strategies
If you are a risk taker, you might want to try one or more of the following roulette strategies.
The Andrucci System
You can try to take advantage of Chaos Theory at casino games to win roulette games. The Andrucci System is a European roulette strategy that does not, however, require you to bet on even-money bets.
To begin, you should follow an existing game for about 35 spins. If you’re playing virtual roulette or cannot just watch, you should participate in the game by placing a minimum bet on an even-money box. Keep a list of winning numbers during these spins and identify the one that wins the most.
The Andrucci System requires you to place a Straight bet on that number for about 35 rounds. Since the payout for this bet is 35:1, you’re likely to make up your losses as long as you register at least one win within these rounds.
The James Bond Roulette Strategy
While England’s top spy preferred Baccarat, he’s been known to play this casino wheel game to acquire information or come face-to-face with one of his adversaries. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about the risk of sticky endings and can instead make use of the James Bond roulette strategy to try and win decent payouts.
For this high-risk strategy to work, you will need a sizable bankroll. Set a unit bet value, such as $1, but place 20 units per round split into three bets. Place $14 on the High bet type covering numbers 19 to 36. Place $5 on a Six-Line bet type covering numbers 13 to 18. Your last $1 should be a Straight bet on 0.
Stick to these bet values and types for all subsequent rounds, no matter whether you win or lose. According to the laws of probability, you should make up any losses with a healthy profit, but there is no way of telling when this will happen.
666 Roulette Strategy
The Devil’s Wheel roulette strategy, better known as the 666 roulette strategy, is another system that requires deep pockets. It involves betting on the majority of numbers on the table in order to boost the probability of winning.
Similar to the James Bond roulette strategy, this betting system requires you to set a betting unit, such as $1. Each round will involve betting a total of 60 units spread across 10 types of bets. You should place 36 units, or $36, on either the Black or Red bet type covering all black or red numbers, respectively.
Next, you should place six Split bets of $4 each on 0 and 2, 8 and 11, 10 and 13, 17 and 20, 26 and 29, 28 and 31. Finally, place three Straight bets of $2 each on any of the remaining seven numbers. You could, for example, bet on 22, 24, and 35.
The 666 roulette strategy allows you to bet on more numbers and this increases your chances of winning. However, simply winning does not mean that you’ll recover your original wager and make a profit.
Three Misunderstandings of Winning Roulette Strategies
In this section, we’ve addressed three of the most common myths and misunderstandings of roulette strategies.
1. There is No Way to Learn How to Beat Roulette’s Every Spin
No matter which expert guru or mathematician you consult or which winning roulette strategy you implement, there is no way to guarantee a profitable result in roulette. You could bet on all the numbers on the table, and you will win a bet, but the cost of your bet would be higher than the payout.
2. How Much Roulette Pays Depends on the Table
While American and European roulette differ in house edge and total numbers, they offer the same payouts for the same bets. Straight bets pay 35:1, Six-Line bets pay 5:1, and Dozen bets pay 2:1. However, you might come across variations of roulette tables that are based on classic rules but also offer lower standard payouts to make up for special multipliers or other bonuses.
3. Winning and Losing Streaks Exist in Roulette
You should never rely on your strategy on a winning or losing streak because even though they may happen every once in a while, you never really know if or when they do. Every time a new round of roulette begins, all 37 or 38 numbers have the exact same probability of winning. If 5 won in the previous round, it still has a 1 in 37 or 1 in 38 chance of winning the next round as well.
Top Tips for Using Roulette Strategies
Keep these roulette tips in mind the next time that you play at land-based or online casinos in Pennsylvania.
- Use low bets – All the basic roulette strategies recommend starting with the minimum table bet to conserve your bankroll.
- Stick to the strategy – For any winning roulette strategy to work, you must follow it accurately.
- Take advantage of casino bonuses – Take advantage of roulette casino bonuses to boost your bankroll and allow you to stick to a strategy for longer.
- Explore different strategies – Use low-stakes or demo games to test different roulette betting systems until you find the ones that you prefer.
- Always play responsibly – The best way to play roulette is to treat it as a form of entertainment since it is, ultimately, a game of chance. Get gambling help if you ever need it.
Use Your Roulette Strategy at the Best Online Casinos in PA
Now that you know all the different roulette strategies, you’re probably eager to try them out. If you’re seeking options outside of traditional platforms, consider exploring casinos without spelpaus for a wider range of games and fewer restrictions. The good news is that the vast majority of offshore casinos provide a range of virtual and live tables that include European, American, and French rules. Sign up to any of these top sites to become eligible for a generous welcome bonus and numerous ongoing bonuses.
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