Roulette Strategies | Guide To Roulette Odds & Probabilities
No time to beat around the bush. In this strategy guide, we are going to teach you some of the most common strategies for playing roulette. There are numerous types of bets out there and knowing some of them may even help you plan out an appropriate strategy. Down below, we’ve listed some of the most common strategies that players have been using for decades.
You cannot beat the house edge
A quick note before we begin: knowing roulette strategies DOES NOT IN ANY WAY MEAN knowing how to win at roulette. Since roulette is a luck-based game, and a casino game at that, the house will always have an edge over its players.
Roulette strategies can help you play the game in a more organized manner and manage your funds and casino bonuses, but they will not magically make you win every game. Such a thing, simply, doesn’t exist.
Are roulette strategies allowed?
That is a really hard question to answer. In short, YES, roulette strategies are allowed. However, they are frowned upon by casinos, especially online casinos. Depending on the casino you play at casinos may react differently towards strategies at table games. At best, casinos will simply not care. At worst, casinos may decide to temporarily ban your account but that is a very extreme case.
Casinos may list a special rule in their terms and conditions where they state the actions they will take if they should encounter players using strategies. This is why it’s important to always read the terms and conditions before you start playing or to read an online casino review. Make sure you know how a casino feels about strategies before you start implementing them into your game.
The Most Common Roulette Strategies
There are several roulette strategies that have been used throughout the years. While they all have their strengths and weaknesses and quirks, they all have one thing in common: they cannot beat the house edge.
The Martingale Strategy
One of the most basic strategies when it comes to playing roulette. The strategy involves placing the smallest bet on one of the colors or on either odds or evens. This ensures that your win will double your bet.
When you lose, you double your bet and you keep doing so until you win. By the time you win, you will have received all your money back along with a small profit. Once your color or number type is drawn, you reset the entire process and start again from the lowest possible bet and rinse and repeat.
The drawbacks of this strategy are clear: it can be very expensive and there is a good chance that you may end up losing all your money relatively quickly. This strategy also tends to be boring and because of its monotony, players start paying less attention to the game. On the other hand, as long as you’ve got a bit of luck on your side and as long as the casino doesn’t mind that you use them, you might actually win a few games.
The Reverse Martingale Strategy
This is a strategy we do not recommend as it has never really worked for us. However, many players have reported having success and so we are listing it here. The Reverse Martingale Strategy is the same as the previous one but it works in reverse. When you win a round, you increase your bet. When you lose, you stay on the current bet until you win.
Needless to say, you can see how risky this strategy can be as it requires a lot of money. Not to mention, with each new win, you are required to increase your last bet by 100% and that means spending even more money. Again, we really do not recommend you try this strategy unless you’re absolutely sure how it works.
The Fibonacci Strategy
If you are familiar with Fibonacci numbers then you may already have an idea of how this strategy works. This strategy works best when implemented on even numbers only. Set an amount that will be your betting sum and start betting using the famous Fibonacci number system which goes like this:
The idea is to increase your next bet by the sum of the last two bets. After your first win, you will make the same bet again. Once you win again, you will place a bet that will be equivalent to the sum of the first two bets and that means doubling the bet. After your third win, your bet would be the sum of the last two bets and that would mean: three times the original bet amount (base bet + double bet). After your fourth win, you would place 5 times the bet amount (double bet + three times the bet), and so on. When you lose a round, you will start from the very first bet.
Statistically, this is one of the safest bets you can use for roulette betting but, as always, there are drawbacks. When you get to some higher bet amounts, losing a bet can feel really disheartening.
The 007 Strategy
If you’ve ever watched everyone’s favourite secret agent, then you already know that James Bond has a thing for playing Roulette and Baccarat. Seeing how James Bond is famous, it’s only natural that he should come equipped with his own betting strategy.
While it sounds cool to place bets just like 007, a lot of times it doesn’t make much sense either. For this strategy, place the following bets: Place C$14 on a number from 19 – 36. Place C$5 on numbers from 13-18. Finally, just for the fun of it, place C$1 on the number 0. The total bet comes down to C$20.
The nice thing about the James Bond roulette strategy is that it covers the majority of the board. Indeed the only numbers not covered are from 1 to 12. Everything else will be a small win. Unfortunately, hitting one of the uncovered numbers is going to deal a significant blow to your funds. Just like James Bond, you have to take some risks if you want to win.
The D’Alembert Strategy
The D’Alembert is a much safer alternative to the Martingale strategy. Instead of doubling your bet after each win, the D’Alembert Strategy works on a token system. Basically, set an amount that will act as your token and, just like with the Martingale strategy, you will either raise the amount or lower it.
The safest bet is to start from the lowest bet and move your way up with each loss. Once you get a win, you can reset the progress all the way back but it’s not unusual to simply lower your bet amount by just one token. You can even combine this strategy with the Fibonacci Strategy to make your progression even safer.
The Labouchere Strategy
At first glance, the Labouchere strategy may seem complex but it’s actually quite simple to understand. First, you need to decide on the amount of money you wish to win. For our example, let’s say we want to win C$10. Now we have to take those C$10 and divide them into smaller uneven chunks. The end result should look like this:
3 – 2 – 1 – 4
You can set any pattern you like but the sum of all numbers needs to be the amount we wish to win. For our first bet, we will place the sum of the first and the last number in the sequence. In this case, it will be C$7. If we win the first round, we will cross the first and the last number like so:
3 – 2 – 1 – 4
Now we continue until we win with all the numbers in the sequence. So, in our next example, we will place a bet on our two remaining numbers (2 and 1) so a C$3. Let’s say we lose this amount. In case of a loss, we will add the entire loss amount to the end of the sequence, so it will look like this:
2 – 1 – 3
In our next bet, our bet amount would be C$5 (2 + 3) and the cycle continues. The great thing about this strategy is that even in the worst-case scenario, you can only end up losing as much as you are hoping to win. In the best-case scenario, you will win the exact amount of money you were hoping to win from the start.
Roulette Strategies Summary
Roulette can be a very exciting game with or without strategies. While using strategies can help keep your games and funds organized, it will not help you beat the house edge. Have fun, don’t overspend and make sure you set limits for yourself. Thank you for reading our guide and we hope we have helped you understand roulette strategies a little better.
