When it comes to casino games there are some great choices at both physical casinos and for the growing number of innovative online casinos. Every player is different, with different needs and preferences to games and how they like to play, but one of the most popular casino games has always been roulette.
Why is roulette a popular casino game?
Players love roulette because it is one of the casino games where there are a variety of ways in which you can play an interesting game, put on different bets and try out different strategies to win. On top of that, it truly is a casino game that is made of chance. A game of chance is always excited, as you never know whether you’re about to have the high of winning.
Strategies for roulette
There is no strategy out there that guarantees that you’ll win at roulette. With a game that has such a large slice of luck attached to it, that will always be the way. Here are some popular roulette strategies though that you can try out and see if it helps you gain an edge and to maximise winnings when they do come your way.
1. Martingale
The Martingale strategy for roulette is one that is used when a player is wagering on the very outside bets; the 1-18 (Manque) or the 19-36 (Passe). It is also used when betting red, black, even or odd. These are the wagers that have the highest odds of winning, but also bring with it the smallest return on your investment. With a 1:1 payout, if you put one chip down on red and it wins, you’ll receive that chip back and another chip on top.
The Martingale is a risky strategy, but the process works by a player placing wagers on these outside bets. After every loss, you double your bet and keep doing so until you win. The theory is that once you win, you’ll recover all previous losses and make a profit equal to the original bet. If you do win using this strategy you will recover the previous losses, but the main danger is that you run out of money before you win, and the house advantage is always a major problem, with the zero adding that extra insurance for the house. You may also reach a point where you are at the betting limit of the table and cannot cover those losses with your next bet.
Reverse Martingale
This roulette strategy is sometimes known as Paroli and has been used for as far back as the 16th century. Whereas the Martingale system is one where you double your bet after every loss until you recover your losses, the Reverse Martingale asks you to double your wager after each win. At the beginning of a session, place the lowest possible wager on one of the even bets. Maintain exactly the same bet until you win, at that point doubling your wager with the next bet. The moment you lose you restart from the very beginning.
The theory behind Reverse Martingale is that streaks do happen and if you can win more during winning streaks and lose less during losing streaks you have a better chance of long-term success. Whilst this system does allow you to not lose a lot of money at one time, but you are likely to have a lot of losses during your run, with all even bets having a 48.6% chance of winning due to the zero slot.
2. D’Alembert System
In this roulette system you’ll be making even money bets, and we would recommend that you choose a betting amount that you are comfortable with prior to entering play. In order to see the system through a full session it is best to choose a figure that is nowhere near the table limit. Place your initial bet (on whatever you wish, whether red or black, odds or even), and if you win, the system dictates that you simply place another bet on your next spin of the same amount. If you lose however, the plan is to double your bet on the next spin.
When betting using the d’Alembert system you’ll increase your bet by the same amount as your initial bet every time you lose. So, if you started with £5 and you lose your first bet, the second bet will be £10, and for a third spin after another loss the wager will be £15, and so on. Every time you win a spin you’ll decrease the bet by the same initial amount, working backwards until you are back at the initial bet of £5. It provides a slow and steady approach to live dealer roulette, with a low risk of losing huge amounts and a chance to win back losses over several bets. The d’Alembert system is perfect for those players looking to add a little bit of excitement to their play without risking huge losses.
3. Law of the Third
This roulette system is based on the theory that after a number of spins of the wheel certain numbers will not have appeared. Choose a chip that doesn’t insist on placing a bet at every spin and write down how many spins it takes to get to 9 different numbers. Once you have done this, place bets on those 9 numbers and make a single unit wager on each over the course of the next three spins of the wheel.
The idea behind this is that is one of those numbers appears for a second time you’ll receive a payout of 35:1, risking a total of 27 units. Winning gives you a +9 total of units, winning a third of the 27 units you risked with your wager. All it takes is for a second or third number to appear during your use of this system and you’ll have a healthy return on your investment. However, it is important to realise that there is no guarantee that each slot will be hit evenly over the course of a roulette wheel being spun 37 times, with about one third likely to not be hit over that period. The Law of the Third will never guarantee you money but is a fun way to wager and maybe experience some big wins along the way.
Spinning the wheel at a live online casino
These days, there are chances to play realistic roulette games at online casinos, or even roulette at a Dutch live casino, with human croupiers on your screen spinning the wheel. The way casino games have evolved has been spectacular in recent years and players now have the chance to play realistic casino games wherever they happen to be, whether on their laptop at home or their smartphone on the move. The choice between an automated game of roulette or a live casino feed is a great one. Technological advancement has meant that players have a greater choice than ever before and that standards continue to rise year-on-year. If you are looking for the best roulette options, this guide has armed you with a few of the best roulette strategies to try out the next time you play.
Related: How RNG’s Work in Slot Machines: Are Spins Really Random?