Roulette Strategy: How to Win at Roulette?

An Overview of Roulette Strategies

Roulette is a casino game that originated in Europe and spread all over the world. Nowadays, it is a game that is known in every country of the world and can be found in any casino: we can easily say that it is at least as popular as blackjack, poker, and slot machines. Because of this popularity, many people, including mathematicians, have tried to solve the secret of "beating roulette".

The “secret” here is whether there is a strategy/system that guarantees winning and/or significantly increases the chances of winning. Since each game will result in only one of a total of 37 (or 38) outcomes, some thought they would discover a pattern over time. Others believed that the roulette wheel could not be beaten and therefore preferred to focus on budget management rather than the chance of winning. Therefore, we can divide all existing strategies into two main categories:

• Those who focus on the best way to win in roulette. Strategies in this category attempt to increase the player's chances of winning through certain betting options.
• Those who focus on the best way to bet on roulette. Strategies in this category do not focus on the chance of winning. Instead, they direct the player to place bets according to certain rules. That is, they are interested in the amount of the bet, not the type of bet.

We can call the first one "chance strategies" and the second one "betting strategies". Now, let's take a closer look at these.

Main Principles of Roulette Strategies

Roulette is a table game based on mathematical foundations. In the classic variants (European & French) there are 37 pockets on the wheel, and it is possible for players to bet on any of them. This simply means that if you bet on a single pocket, your chance of winning is 1/37. Of course, you can also bet on multiple pockets: for example, with the “black” bet, you try your luck on a total of 18 numbers, so your chance of winning is 18/37.

“Chance strategies” focus on this. For example, in addition to a “black” bet, they also ask you to place a straight bet. In this way, you cover 18 + 1 pockets and increase your chances of winning to 19/37. Theoretically, the more you increase the number of pockets you cover, the greater your chances of winning. But of course, the solution is not to place bets on all pockets on the table. The main purpose of these strategies is to ensure that you cover as many pockets as possible before diminishing returns occur.

“The player will win sooner or later”

“Betting strategies”, on the other hand, do not care about which pocket you try your luck on and do not try to guide you in this regard. They recommend choosing bets that pay 1:1, but this is not mandatory. Because the purpose here is to guarantee a payment large enough to recover all losses when a win occurs by determining the bet amounts according to a certain order. Its basic principles are quite simple: if the player plays long enough, he will eventually win. When he wins, he will be able to cover all his losses and make a small amount of profit, if he has placed his bets according to the recommended system.

The effect of the variant on strategies

Before ending this section, let us also point out that the roulette strategies will not differ between the basic variants. So, for example, you can use the strategies we list in this article on both European and American roulette – they work the same way in both. However, keep in mind that the American variant increases the house edge due to the additional 0 pocket, thus causing you to recover less of your investment in the long run. In other words, although the use of strategies does not differ, we strongly recommend that you use them in the European variant.

Roulette Winning Strategy List: Top 4 Explained

Based on the fundamentals we mentioned above, we can say that 4 strategies are currently much more common than the others. We're not claiming that any of these will be the best strategy for roulette: that's up to you to decide based on your budget and expectations. To help you do this, we will briefly explain each below.

The Martingale System: A Classic Doubling Strategy

Betting strategy. It is extremely simple and forms the basis of many other strategies. All the player has to do is double the bet when he loses and continue doing this until he gets a win. When you win, you go back to the initial bet amount and start the cycle again. For example, let's say you started playing with 2 CAD and lost the first 5 spins:

• 2 CAD – 4 CAD – 8 CAD – 16 CAD – 32 CAD

If you win your 32 CAD bet, you bet 2 CAD again on the sixth spin and continue the cycle. Suitable for all experience levels.

The Fibonacci Roulette Strategy: Betting with Science

Betting strategy. This is a strategy that also asks you to increase the bet amount after each loss, but the increase will be according to the Fibonacci sequence. This is an actual mathematical sequence thought to be linked to the “golden ratio”, and it is exactly this:

• 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, …

That is, each digit is the sum of the two digits before it. In case of loss, you increase your bet by following this sequence, and when you win, you go back to the beginning and repeat the entire cycle.

The D’Alembert System: Increasing Bets Incrementally

Betting strategy. It is a strategy that asks you to reduce the bet by 1x after winning and increase it by 1x after losing. For example, let's say you start playing with 2 CAD and lose – the next bet should be 4 CAD. If you win this bet, you reduce it again to 2 CAD on the next spin. It's like Martingale, except it asks you to reduce the bet after a win. For the same reason, the total bet amount increases in a more controlled manner.

The James Bond Strategy: A Flat Betting Approach

Chance strategy. You need a budget of at least 20 CAD for this system. Bet 14 CAD on 19-36, 5 CAD on the line bet (13-18), and 1 CAD on the 0 pocket. Thus, you will place a bet on 25 of 37 possible outcomes. As long as the result is not between 1-12, you make a profit. Your probability of winning one of these bets is 67.57%, while the probability of losing is 32.43%.

Simple and Effective Tips for Roulette

• The best roulette wheel strategy you can use is to choose wheels with a single zero. (In other words, European or French roulette.) Double-zero wheels (American roulette) have a higher house edge. Single-zero variants allow you to recover more of your investment in the long run.
• One of the most important roulette tips is to manage your budget efficiently. Don't spend all your money on one bet. Divide your budget into ten units and try a different bet with each group. Thus, you will both increase your playing time and have a more entertaining experience.
• Prefer European roulette. This is not just because it has a lower house edge compared to the American variant. European roulette is the ideal option for players of all experience levels in terms of gameplay, payouts, and betting options. It is neither too complex nor too simple.

Advanced Roulette Tips & Strategies

If you want to try more complex strategies, you can check out the following:

The Labouchere System: A Cancellation Technique

Let's say you have a budget of 6 CAD. Create a series whose sum corresponds to this number, for example 1 – 2 – 3. When placing a bet, use the first and last numbers of this series to determine the amount. If we use this sequence, you should start playing with 4 CAD (1 + 3). If you win, delete the first and last digits in the series. If you lose, add the lost bet amount to the end of this sequence (e.g. 1 – 2 – 3 – 4). Your goal is to continue playing according to these rules until there are no numbers left in the sequence.

Betting on Sectors: The Kesselgucken Method

This requires you to be looking at a physical wheel, so it cannot be used in the online versions of the game. Kesselgucken means “following the wheel.” By looking at the speed of the wheel and the ball, you try to make a prediction on what the outcome will be and place your bet at the last possible moment. There is no scientific basis, but many experienced gamblers say that it works.

Utilizing a Roulette Strategy Chart

A roulette strategy chart is a "cheat sheet" that shows all bet types in the game being played, with their payout amounts and chances of winning. There is also a section where the player can take notes, for example you can save the results of the last 50 rounds. Using such a chart will be beneficial for players of all experience levels because you can see the most important basic information at a glance.

Practical Tips on Roulette: Make Sure to Try These Too

• If you can't decide where to start, inside bets are the best option. Bets that pay 1:1 (red/black, low/high, odd/even) offer the highest chance of winning in all variants of the game. If you cannot choose a strategy, you can simply place inside bets.
• Don't chase your losses, remember that there is no such thing as a winning/losing streak, and know when to stop playing. Roulette is a game of chance and should be played for fun, not for income.
• Check out the table's minimum and maximum limits before you start playing. Ideally, the minimum limit should be as low as possible, and the maximum limit should be as high as possible. This is important for almost all betting strategies.

Is There a Specific Roulette Strategy to Win?

There is no definitive answer to the question of how to beat roulette. All we can say is that there is no system or strategy that will guarantee you a win. The main problem with chance strategies is that all probabilities are equal. Let's say you cover 25 of the 37 outcomes: there are still 7 outcomes left, and the probability of the outcome being one of them is equal to the others. So even if you increase the chances of winning in the short term, the house still wins in the long run.

Betting strategies work because the proposition that the player will eventually win is true. However, there are two basic problems here. The first is the possibility of bankruptcy if the win takes too long to occur. For example, if you have a budget of 100 CAD and use the Martingale strategy, you will need to win within the first 6 spins. Because for the seventh spin, you have to bet 128 CAD – your budget is not enough to continue the strategy. Even if you have a large budget, every roulette table has a maximum bet limit, and once you reach this limit, you will no longer be able to increase the bet any further – thus, the strategy becomes useless.

Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy that suits everyone and every budget. Trying out the systems and tips we've listed above, it's best to use a mix of them: you'll have to decide which one is the better choice based on your own needs.