Martingale
It’s one of the most popular systems and you’ll see it quoted on practically every site that mentions roulette but does that mean it’s a good choice if you have plans to win? Unfortunately, my answer is negative. The Martingale system can be applied on even money bets and it suggests that you should double your bet after each loss. The idea behind that doubling is that by doing so you’ll eventually recover your losses. However, in reality you’ll need an impressive bankroll in order to use it properly and are very likely to end up bankrupt in a short period of time. Why then is it that popular? I guess because it’s been around for a long time, since the 18th century precisely.
Labouchere
Similarly to the Martingale, the Labouchere is a system developed in the 18th century and is applicable for even money bets at roulette. Actually, Henry Labouchere, the author of the strategy, was an avid gambler, roulette being the game dearest to his heart. How does it work? First, you decide how much you’d like to win. Then, you slice the winnings figure into many figures of different value. For example, if you’d like to win £10, you could slice that figure into 1 – 1 – 1 – 2 – 2 – 2 – 1. Then, you should bet the sum of the leftmost and rightmost figure, i.e. your first stake should be 2, the second – 3, and so on. The problem with this system is the same as with the previous one – you’ll need a lot of money to follow the rules and a long losing streak will bankrupt you. However, you can compensate to a certain extent these flaws if you opt to play at online casinos that accept PayPal.
Other
Speaking of roulette strategies, before you start looking for one, ask yourself what these could do for you. The more they cut down your potential loss, the less likely you will be to win a substantial sum of money. The bigger the expected payout, the bigger the potential loss. A common flaw with them all is assuming that there are patterns in the numbers that come up and the false belief that after a losing streak a winning one will follow. In fact, no one can guarantee you that after 10 or even 20 consecutive times of losing your money bet on red, because the ball has been falling on either black or zero, you’ll finally win. If you believe otherwise, have a look at the psychology behind the Gambler’s fallacy. There’s no such thing as predictability with a properly-working wheel and they are all working properly – casinos make sure their equipment is checked regularly. Still, if you want to learn more about the topic, please read our full roulette wheel guide.
Winning Roulette Tips
Roulette is a game of chance, with each outcome being independent of the previous one. That means there isn’t much you can do about improving your game. While we can’t speak of mastering a strategy as is the case with blackjack and card counting, there are certain steps you can take to make sure you have a better chance at winning and that you won’t be losing that much whenever you don’t win. Here’s my list of roulette winning tips I’ve come up with playing roulette through the years.
Forget about American Roulette – With an extra double zero pocket, it has a house edge that’s twice as high, so do yourself a favour and only play European Roulette or better yet – French Roulette. The latter is even more beneficial to the player with its rules En Prison and La Partage.
Don’t Bet more than What You’ve Decided Upon – From the start decide how much your betting unit will be and stick to it no matter if you win or lose. It’s a good idea to make that basic unit no more than 1% of your bankroll. If you want to bet big, then you should play at high stakes roulette online operators.
Pay Attention – As soon as you join a table, have a look at the hot and cold numbers and the history of winning numbers. That should give you some information as to where the ball may land next. Also, have a look at the strategies of successful players at the table.
Try the Game out in Practice Mode – Not only are you not risking any money that way but you’re investing time into getting to know the game better. Moreover, you’ll practise and see how to increase or decrease a bet and see if you can place all the bets you’d like before the time runs out.
Make Outside Bets – I know straight up bets look so tempting with their 35 to 1 payout but bet on them and you’re least likely to win. A reasonable decision would be to stick to the outside bets. Even money bets, such as black or red and odd or even, only pay 1 to 1 but you have almost 50% chance of picking the correct one.
Choose a Reputable Casino – Although this one’s a no-brainer, you’d be surprised how many people don’t do it. The best roulette casinos will have a good variety of games, dedicated top bonus roulette offers and good game weighting while also being a respected operator.
Have Fun – Unfortunately, nobody can guarantee that you’ll make a fortune and forget all your troubles and many have headed for disaster adopting that mentality. So, stay clear of any unrealistic expectations, try out some of the best live roulette casino websites, and remember that it’s all supposed to be fun.