What Are The Best Roulette Strategies?
Several mathematicians and roulette players have come up with betting systems. Today, it is arguable that there are seven systems that are most popular with players looking to manage their bankroll. These are:
- Martingale
- Reverse Martingale
- Fibonacci
- D’Alembert
- James Bond
- Labouchere
- Paroli
Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, which will make them attractive to different types of players. Furthermore, there is no reason why one player cannot make use of several of these strategies in a single session, even if the only reason is to provide some variety.
Regardless of which strategy you use, the key is knowing when to call it a day and either take your winnings or accept your losses. As such, it is always a good idea to set win and loss limits in addition to setting a bankroll for the session.
Nonetheless, it must be stressed that there is no such thing as a betting strategy that works 100% of the time. If there were, then casinos would very quickly be going out of business. On the other hand, you can reduce your risk by playing intelligently and with small bets, so you should not abandon all hope.
One of the most common mistakes that newcomers make is betting too big too quickly and reaching the table betting limit. This both drains the bankroll and prevents players from having any hope of recovering their losses.
An advantage of roulette is that there are several outside bets that give you an almost 50% chance of winning. Nearly all of the betting strategies exploit this as it enables them to ensure your bankroll remains reasonably balanced. Therefore, the best betting strategies are those that achieve just this.
In general there are three types of betting systems, positive progression, negative progression, and flat betting. Positive systems require you to increase your bet after a win and reduce it after a loss. Negative systems are the opposite; increase the bet after a loss and reduce it after a win. Flat betting systems simply require you to bet the same amount with each round.
Next we shall take a brief look at the seven strategies listed above.
The Martingale
This is the most famous of roulette betting strategies. It is easy to learn and in theory guarantees a profit. The system simply requires you to bet a unit and then double it after every loss. Then, when you win, return to the original bet of one unit.
However, there is a major flaw. If you start with a bet of €1 and then have a losing streak of 11 rounds, then you will have to bet €1024 on the next round. While it is unlikely that this will happen, it is possible. Therefore, you may hit the table betting limit or run out of funds. On the other hand, each successful round secures you a profit of €1.
The Fibonacci
As the name tells you, this is based upon the famous Fibonacci sequence of numbers in which each number is the sum of the previous two (1-1-2-3-5-8…). You simply bet the number of units as dictated by the sequence. If you lose you move on to the next number. When you win, rather than returning to the beginning of the sequence, you move back two places. It has the same potential flaws as the Martingale, but it is actually slightly less risky.
The Reverse Martingale
Unsurprisingly, this system works in the opposite way to the Martingale. You will double your bet after every win and if you do not win, you keep betting at the same level. The system works best with even money bets, in other words the outside bets. The idea is to make the most of winning streaks and to try to maximise your profits.
The D’Alembert
The D’Alembert system removes the risk of having to bet huge amounts to try to make up losses. Rather than doubling bets, you are increasing or decreasing them by a single betting unit. For reference, most people would recommend a betting unit being no more than 0.50% of your total bankroll for the session.
It is a negative progression system. This means that you increase your bet by 1 unit after a loss. However, after a win you do not return to betting one unit, you simply reduce your bet by 1 unit. This means that you are unlikely to run out of funds very quickly or to ever hit the table’s maximum bet.
The Labouchere
The Labouchere is considered one of the more complicated betting strategies, but it doesn’t take long to learn. The idea is to set a target profit and then break it down into multiple bets.
For example, if you want to win make a profit of €10 then you could construct a betting line of 1-2-1-1-2-1-2. You start by summing the leftmost and right most numbers, which gives you 3 and betting that amount. If you lose, you take that bet and add it to the right side of the sequence. If you win, you simply cross the numbers off and move to the next pair.
The advantage of this is that it keeps the bets small and it allows a great deal of flexibility when constructing your bets.
The Paroli
The Paroli is another strategy that is perfect for those that wish to reduce risk and don’t mind playing for small profits. The idea is very simple. You double your bet after a win and keep it the same after a loss, but after three wins, you return to the beginning. This means that you are never betting more than four units at a time (1 on the first bet, 2 on the second, and 4 on the third).
The James Bond
This is the only flat betting system on the list. It means that you are keeping your bet the same on each round.
The James Bond system requires you to place three bets that total 20 units:
- 14 units on the outside bet 19-36
- 5 units on the inside bet 13-14-15-16-17-18 (the 6-line bet)
- 1 unit on the straight up bet 0
It covers all numbers on the wheel except 1 to 12. It has more variation in terms of bets than the other strategies and it also prevents huge losses.
Common Roulette Strategy Mistakes
There are a lot of mistaken beliefs when it comes to roulette and betting strategies. People make assumptions or hear things that they believe to be true but have no mathematical grounding.
For example, some people claim that looking at the numbers that have appeared in recent rounds will give you an idea of what will come next. However, that is simply not true. The results of one round have no bearing on the results of another. The belief that they do is commonly known as the gamblers’ fallacy.
Similarly, many people believe that they have lucky numbers. While there is no harm in betting on these numbers, assuming you are gambling responsibly, there is the same chance of the ball landing on each number on the roulette wheel.
Theoretically, once the ball has been released it may be possible to calculate where it will land. However, this would require equipment to measure the speed of the wheel and there is no way you could bring this into a casino. Therefore, do not believe anyone who claims they can predict where the ball is going to stop.
Similarly, as long as you are playing at a reputable casino, either online or offline, then there is no chance that the wheels are rigged. All the equipment and software is carefully tested by third parties to ensure that it is completely unbiased and fair.
Many people fail to distinguish between American, European and French roulette, and this is a huge mistake as each has a different house edge. It is the 0 on the roulette wheel that gives the house its edge and with European roulette, the house edge is 2.7%. American roulette has the 00 segment as well and this increases the house edge to 5.26%. French roulette is the most interesting due to the La Partage rule. This decreases the house edge to 1.35%. Therefore, the most obvious strategy is to always play French Roulette with the La Partage rule.
To Conclude
Here we have given you a very brief overview of the various roulette strategies that can help you play for longer and reduce your risk. While none is perfect, all are better than simply betting blindly without any thought. We have prepared guides to each of these strategies, so why not take the time to look into them, try them out, and then decide which works best for you.
A Guide to The Reverse Martingale System
The James Bond Betting System Explained