There are many roulette strategies you can use to try and lessen the house edge and thus increase your chances of winning. However it’s important to acknowledge and accept that the outcome of every spin of a roulette wheel and where the little white ball lands is 100% random, and thus impossible to predict.
As such, most roulette strategies focus on the most effective way to bet your chips on even-money, high odds bets as opposed to predicting the correct numbers. In addition, by using some common sense you can also help your roulette funds go further as well as help reduce the house edge. For instance:
Top Roulette Tips
- Choose a table limits that suit your budget – Always play within your means by choosing roulette games with table limits that suit your budget. Set an affordable per session or daily budget and don’t exceed it. Ride the winning streaks, but log off or leave a casino when you encounter a losing streak.
- Pick European over American Roulette – European Roulette has 37 numbers (36 + 0) so your odds of winning a straight up (single number) bet are 2.70%. American Roulette, however, has 38 numbers (36 + 0 + 00) so the odds of winning the same bet drop to 2.63%. In fact, all American Roulette bets have lower odds than their European counterparts.
- Play high odds even money bets – The bets with the most favourable odds in roulette are even money bets - Red/Black, High/Low and Odd/Even. With identical odds of 48.65% for European Roulette and 47.37% for American Roulette, they’re as close as you’ll get to a 50% odds bet like a ‘coin flip.’
- Avoid low odds or longshot bets – If your objective is to play slow and steady to build up your chip stack, avoid low odds or longshot bets. Although these are the most tempting bets because they boast the biggest payouts, such as the Straight Up bet’s 35:1 payout, for instance, they have the worst odds.
The 2 Up 2 Down Roulette System
The 2 Up 2 Down system is a simple and effective roulette system that can be use on all even-money roulette bets – Odd/Even, High/Low or Red/Black.
The sequence
The sequence with this system is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
How it works
- Select a betting unit that suits your budget such as £1, £10, £100 or whatever you can afford.
- Keep betting the unit, say £1 for example, on any even money bet until you lose twice in row (2 down).
- In that case, raise the bet to £2 and keep betting until you win twice in a row (2 up) and then immediately reduce your bet back to £1, or until you lose twice in a row, in which case raise it to £3, and so on.
- If you reach the end of the sequence, either start it from the beginning or extend it (add 6, 7, 8 etc.).
Advantages
This is an ideal system if you’re new to roulette and have a limited bankroll. Once you’ve mastered this system, you can try one of the more advanced systems.
Disadvantages
This system can be a little limiting which is why it’s ideal for roulette players that are just starting out and learning the game.
The D’Alembert Roulette System
Popular globally, the D'Alembert system or Pyramid system is designed to be used on even-money roulette bets, and works by changing your bet by a set percentage.
The sequence
Increase or decrease your bet size by a set percentage.
How it works
- Choose a bet size that matches or is slightly larger than the table minimum.
- Keep betting the unit, say £1 for example, on any even money bet until you lose twice in row (2 down).
- For every winning bet reduce your next bet by 10%, and for every losing bet, raise your next bet by 10% and so on.
Advantages
With this roulette system, your win/loss ratio should always be approximately 50%, which is much better odds than most other casino gambling games. In addition, because there is no set sequence to follow, you can stop at any time.
Disadvantages
The system doesn’t allow you to increase your bet size when you’re on a winning streak, forcing you to play conservatively to protect and gradually grow your stack.
The Fibonacci Roulette System
Named after the famed 12th century Italian mathematician, the Fibonacci roulette system is based on a natural and seemingly unrelated progression of numbers and is used on even-money roulette bets.
The sequence
The Fibonacci sequence is 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233 etc. (each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers).
How it works
- Choose a betting unit that suits your budget like £1, £10, £100 or whatever you can afford.
- Start by betting a single unit, say £1, on any even-money bet and keep betting it until you lose.
- Then increase your bet as per the Fibonacci sequence. For instance, £1 again, then £2, then £3, then £5, then £8, then £13 and so on until you win, thus covering your losses.
- Then you start again from £1, and so forth.
Advantages
This system ensures that you cover your losses leading up to every win so you’re not left out of pocket. In addition, you can start betting from any point in the Fibonacci sequence if you choose.
Disadvantages
This system only works as long as your bet increases remain within the roulette table limits. If your next bet in the sequence is outside of the table limit, you can’t recoup your preceding losses.
The Labouchere Roulette System
Also known as the Split Martingale system or Cancellation system, the Labouchere system is another sequence-based roulette betting for even-money bets.
The sequence
How it works
- Choose an even-money bet and a bet size that is the sum of the first and last numbers of your sequence, which using the above example, would be £6 (1 + 5).
- If the bet wins, mark off the numbers you used (1 & 5) and repeat the process with two new numbers (2 and 4) to place a £6 bet.
- If the bet loses, add the value of that bet to the end of your original sequence (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), and repeat the process by betting £7 (1 + 6).
- By the time you have bet through the entire sequence, you should have grown your chip stack.
Advantages
This system has a lot of flexibility in that you can choose a small, medium or large bet size and create your own sequence, short or long, with low or high numbers.
Disadvantages
Like many other roulette systems, this system will only work as long as you don’t exceed the table limits with your bets.
The Martingale Roulette System
The Martingale Roulette System is one of the easiest and most effective roulette systems for even-money bets. That said, it’s not recommended for the faint-hearted.
The sequence
Double your bet every time you lose.
How it works
- Choose a bet size, typically the table limit, and place it on any of the three even-money bets.
- If you win, you keep on betting your initial bet size, gradually building up your chip stack.
- If you lose, you double your next bet and keep on doubling it until you win, and cover all of your preceding losses.
- Then you start the process all over again, betting your initial bet and so on.
Advantages
The Martingale System is easy to follow and you can recoup your losses in a very short amount of time.
Disadvantages
If you find yourself on a losing streak, with this system you risk exceeding the table limits and/or reaching the end of your chip stack before you can recoup your losses.
The Parlay Roulette System
Also known as the Let it Ride system, the Parlay system is a traditionally favoured by roulette fans with big wallets and even bigger balls, because this system designed for even-money bets can make or break you.
The sequence
Double your bet every time you win.
How it works
- Choose a bet size and place your first bet on any of the three even-money bets.
- If you win, double your next bet and keep doubling it until you reach the table limit.
- If you lose, bet the same amount as your initial bet and start the process all over again.
Advantages
You can win a lot of money relatively quickly in roulette using this system, as it’s one of the few roulette systems that allows you to capitalise on winning streaks instead of counteracting losing streaks.
Disadvantages
The Parlay roulette system relies solely on luck which means you can blow your chip stack just as quickly as you can grow it.
The Pivot Roulette System
The Pivot system is a luck-based system you can use to place straight-up bets. This is unusual as most traditional roulette systems are designed for even-money bets.
The sequence
Compile a list of the numbers that come up at a given roulette table until the same number comes up twice, which will then become your ‘pivot’ number.
How it works
- Choose and stick to a nominal bet size that you will bet on your pivot number (a Straight Up Bet) for the next 35 spins.
- If within those 35 spins the pivot number wins, compile a new list of numbers until the next pivot number comes along.
- If within those 35 spins the pivot number doesn’t come up, refer to your list for the next repeated number and bet that for the next 35 spins, and so on.
Advantages
Because the Pivot roulette system doesn’t require you to increase your bet size, you can follow it for some time without doing too much damage to your chip stack. Plus, if the system works you win 35:1 on each bet so the payouts are very worthwhile.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage of this system is that there are no guarantees that your pivot number will come up within 35 spins, which means that you risk 35 lost bets.
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