3 Best Roulette Strategies and How to Apply Them

You might see roulette as a simple casino game of luck without realizing that certain strategies can help secure a profit (or, at the very least, reduce the chances of a loss). However, choosing the right roulette strategy can mean the difference between consistent wins and losses. In fact, understanding roulette strategies generally entails a math-based approach that can be fun to practice while also significantly helping you on the payout chart.

While it is true that a little luck is always necessary, tried-and-tested roulette strategies can certainly help you learn how to win. This article will offer three easy-to-learn roulette strategies that will have you on the road to successful roulette games in no time at all.

Why Roulette?

Hearing that roulette was initially designed by the French math genius Blaise Pascal, you may think that this game of chance would be too complicated or dicey to bother with. However, roulette did not earn its nickname, “king” of the casino floor, because it isn’t a blast to play or because roulette players don’t win. If you are the sort of person who likes games that require critical thinking and analysis of probability, roulette can represent hours of entertainment, whether online or at a brick-and-mortar casino.

Functioning on a simple numeric concept wherein the wheel is broken down into a sequence of numbers from 1 to 36 — and a green compartment for zero — that alternate in color between red and black, bettors simply place their chips on the single number that they think the ball will land on. Simple, right? Yes and no. 

Roulette offers countless possible numeric outcomes, and learning how to manipulate or predict those outcomes is the real trick.

American vs. European roulette

If you are thinking about learning some winning strategies for bettering your chances of winning in the game of roulette, the first thing to know is that there are two popular versions of this game. Roulette originated in Europe but American roulette has gained a significant following as well. 

The major difference between the two games has to do with the number of slots/sections wherein the ball can land. American roulette contains an extra slot for a double zero. With that extra slot comes more betting opportunities, but also a house advantage that can make the odds of winning somewhat slimmer if a player is not fully schooled in the best roulette strategies.

The house edge established by the presence of that extra zero puts American roulette at a casino advantage of 5.26% while European roulette remains at 2.70%. For competitive gamblers who like to work strategy options, American roulette provides more of a challenge and the potential for more varied approaches.

Winning Roulette Betting Systems

Roulette offers adventurous gamblers a multitude of exciting play options that can lead to different results. When you play roulette, the best strategy for you will depend on what kind of bets you enjoy making (high risk or conservative), whether you are playing with real money, digital points, or cryptocurrency, and your preferences for advancing on the gaming table. 

Even if you are new to the roulette game and are still learning the rules, the following list offers three easy, productive ways to enhance your chances of winning and ending your losing streaks.

Visual Ballistics

As its name implies, the visual ballistics approach requires the utmost attention. The basics of this approach are to carefully observe where the ball cuts on the diamonds of the roulette wheel and where it ends up afterward. Counting the slots that exist between these two spots on the roulette wheel and forming a list gives you access to patterns that might not strike you otherwise. 

This strategy works by recognizing that the numbers on the slots are less important to note than the slots themselves. It is only the slots between the capping (diamond) and the final falling spot that should be monitored. You can then use that number to inform your bets with a greater likelihood of predictable success. 

For instance, let’s say that you watch 50 spins of the wheel and you notice that the ball has fallen an average of 10 slots away from the diamond most frequently. With this helpful information in mind, you can now place your number bets based on slots that are 10 marks away from the diamond on the next spin.

Martingale Roulette System

Arguably the most famous strategy in the world of roulette, the Martingale system works on a loss-oriented basis. That might sound scary at first but all it really means is that you will double your bet each time you lose. In this way, you are forever playing toward earning your baseline bet back, with the addition of your wins. For this reason, the Martingale roulette system is known as a “negative progression” system. Never fear: In roulette, negatives very often amount to positives! 

Negative progression just means you have to bet on the low-risk options, such as odd/even, red/black, or split wheel (i.e., 1 through 18 or 19 through 36). Let’s imagine you start with a $1 bet using the Martingale strategy and all you did was lose for four spins. The sequence of what you would spend would be $1, $2, $4, and, finally, $8. If you won any of those spins, you would return to your original bet of $1 and begin the doubling process again. 

As this system works on the principle of doubling your bets after the first bet, you will want to bear in mind that total betting amounts can increase rapidly. Make sure that your intended total betting bankroll accommodates this fast-paced play ahead of time for the best results.

Red Betting Strategy

For enthusiastic gamblers, the red bet tactic may well be best as it increases the odds of winning to a maximum: close to 50%. Of course, every seasoned gambler expects that payouts decrease when winning chances increase, and roulette is no exception to this rule. When you use the red bet tactic, you are signing on for a 1-to-1 ratio, meaning that your bet amount will only be doubled if you win. As all roulette tables are divided evenly between red and black slots and you will be betting exclusively on red, your chances of the ball falling on red are equal to your chances of it falling on black. 

The first step in this approach is establishing what is called your “base bet.” This is the figure that you will place on the probability of the ball falling on red. Think carefully about this number; to win, you will not be able to back off from it no matter how poorly you may start out or remain for a while. Think of your base bet as home base, where you will always be returning. 

It is advisable to start with a low base bet, as this is a number that you will be doubling when utilizing the red bet tactic. If you win a round, you make the same bet in the following round. If you lose, you double the base bet on red and place the base bet on black. Repeat this pattern until you win. Each time you win, you come back to that base bet on red and place nothing on black. This betting strategy typically comes with the added benefit of allowing for longer playing times.

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