How Does the Four Pillars Strategy Work?
To apply this strategy, you should:
- Make three corner bets, each covering four numbers.
- Place two line bets, each covering six numbers.
Kavouras had certain predetermined bets to cover selected numbers. He called the first corner bet the "main one," and he selected those numbers as described earlier because of their "color characteristics." The placement of the other bets appears to be more related to sectors of the wheel by placing together consecutive numbers. In essence, what he did was to cover different sectors and include as many numbers as possible in order to limit his risk. Here is a detailed explanation of exactly how this system works:
- Place a bet on 14-15-17-18 for the first corner with a bet of 2 units.
- Place the second corner bet on 19-20-22-23; the bet is 1 unit.
- Third, place the corner bet on 31-32-34-35 with a bet of 1 unit.
- Place the first line bet on 4-5-6-7-8-9 with a wager of 1 unit.
- Place the second line bet on 25-26-27-28-29-30 with a bet of 1 unit.
This strategy covers 24 numbers with a total of a 6-unit bet.
With this combination, you will cover 64.86% of all the possible outcomes on the table when playing single-zero roulette. By losing, the probability of this is 35.14%, and if so, the maximum loss is 6 units. A good example of five spins is starting with 2 units as seen below.
- The main winning bet pays +12 units profit, bankroll: 14.
- One winning corner bet pays +3 units profit (bankroll: 17).
- One wins the line bet without any gain or loss of bankroll, which remains at 17.
- Loss of a round results in a loss of -6 units in bankroll: 11.
- Loss on the fifth spin: another -6 units. Bankroll: 5.
This means that the effect of losing two rounds consecutively can be undone with just three successful rounds. While this sounds like a very promising scenario, remember that this is purely theoretical and real results are highly variable and impossible to predict, as the following simulated results show.
Our Test of the Four Pillar Roulette System
Kavouras created this strategy to be used for live roulette, where the physical dynamics of the wheel and the movement of the ball were integral in using the strategy. He even seems to attribute a mystical value to the roulette wheel. The thing is, roulette wheels have been built without physical defects for almost 50 years now, and RNG software can actually simulate the randomness of physical laws.
This means the system also applies directly to RNG- or digital-based roulette. It also enables us to do a simulation using a tool like Google Sheets to run thousands of spins in just seconds to determine how the system will work over time. That's exactly what we did: we ran a 500-spin simulation for four players, each with a starting bankroll of CAD 1,000 and making CAD 1 bets. Here are the results:
The second player did the best, completing the round of the session with CAD 1,171, while the fourth player did the worst, ending with CAD 769. Thus, this experiment shows that gameplay using The Four Pillars system may vary drastically between players to the profit or loss in some players, but the absence of progression means that there are no abrupt swings in balance, and this strategy is relatively low-risk in this regard.
Pitfalls of Four Pillar System
Setting aside the mystical claims about the "characteristics of colours," here's an objective assessment of this strategy:
The system does nothing to reduce the house edge. As a roulette strategy, it inherently cannot, just like the Four Pillar system.
Basically, it is a flat or non-progressive betting strategy in which the same bets continue for every round, irrespective of whether one loses or wins a bet. Contrary to the Martingale system, this does not involve increasing the amount staked after any loss.
Whereas the Four Pillar system is designed to positively influence the probability of winning, its primary failing feature is that it has no bearing on the house edge.
That strategy might work while playing with a bankroll of CAD 200–CAD 300, managing volatility. In all likelihood, that was a statistical anomaly. The house edge never changes over long periods, and the system cannot boost long-term winnings.
For this reason, the system's pros and cons are largely irrelevant. Technically, so long as you place bets covering 24 numbers, whatever configuration you're employing the Four Pillar system.
Final Thoughts – Major Win Probability With Four Pillars
The truth is that there aren’t any roulette strategies that can provide you with a win probability as high as Four Pillars. The most effective ones, such as D’Alembert, Martingale, Reverse Martingale and Fibonacci, have around 47-50% win probability.
Four Pillars takes the percentage over 60% because it allows you to cover most of the numbers on the table. Not only that but regardless if you win with a corner or line bet in the round, you still end up winning more than your original bet.
Advanced players who have deep knowledge of how all roulette bets work can utilize it to maximize their rewards. However, you must remember that even though Four Pillars has a high win probability, it doesn’t guarantee you a hit in every betting round.
Hence, you have no guarantee that you will make a profit in each round. No strategy can guarantee you that because all casino games are games of chance and have random outcomes, which aren’t always what you want them to be.
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