Best Roulette Strategy

Roulette has long been one of the most popular table-based games of chance in both brick-and-mortar and online casinos. 

This guide covers several popular strategies for playing roulette which apply to playing at both physical and online casinos. Read on to discover how these tactics work in practice, along with the odds, payouts, and variants of this classic casino game.

Basics of playing roulette online

Online roulette is easy to grasp, even though the betting table may look complex to beginners. 

A single round is quite simple. You start by placing chips on a number or a collection of numbers, hoping the ball will land in one of your chosen positions. Once you’re done, the roulette wheel is spun, and the ball will eventually fall on one of the numbered spots. 

If you’re lucky and the ball falls on the number you covered with chips, you win; if it doesn’t, you lose. And that’s it. You can repeat this process as long as you want to play, with online games running 24 hours a day.

The roulette table contains red and black numbers from 1 to 36, along with a green 0 (plus a 00 in American Roulette). You can place chips on specific numbers and/or the lines between them, covering multiple outcomes with one bet. These are called inside bets.

You can also place outside bets that enable you to wager on a broader range of numbers, such as black or red, with a single chip. Here’s a complete overview: 

Inside bets (lower odds but higher payouts):

Straight up (bet on a single number) — 35:1

Split (bet on two connected numbers) — 17:1

Street (bet on a horizontal line of three numbers) — 11:1

Corner (bet on four numbers, i.e., a square) — 8:1

Double Street (bet on six numbers in two connected horizontal lines) — 5:1

Trio (bet on 1, 2, and 0 or 2, 3, and 0 in European and French roulette) 11:1

Basket (bet on 1, 2, 3, 0, and 00 in American roulette) — 6:1

Outside bets (higher odds and lower payouts):

Column (bet on 12 numbers in one vertical line) — 2:1

Dozen (bet on numbers 1–12, 13–24, or 25–36) — 2:1

Color (bet on all red or all black numbers) — 1:1

Even/odd (bet on all odd or all even numbers) — 1:1

Low/high (bet on numbers 1–18 or 19–36) — 1:1

Roulette odds

You must also understand the probability of all bets. Here’s an overview if you were to place one single chip on a specific bet:

Bet	French Roulette Probability	European Roulette Probability	American Roulette Probability
Straight up	2.7%	2.7%	2.63%
Split	5.4%	5.4%	5.26%
Street	8.1%	8.1%	7.89%
Corner	10.8%	10.8%	10.53%
Six line	16.2%	16.2%	15.79%
Trio	8.1%	8.1%	N/A
Basket	N/A	N/A	13.16%
Column	32.4%	32.4%	31.58%
Dozen	32.4%	32.4%	31.58%
Color	48.6% or 49.3% (La partage)	48.6%	47.37%
Even/Odd	48.6% or 49.3% (La partage)	48.6%	47.37%
1–18/19–36	48.6% or 49.3% (La partage)	48.6%	47.37%

For more on this, you can also check out our article about estimating your odds in roulette.

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Does roulette strategy work — can you increase roulette odds?

Yes, a roulette strategy can work, but not in the way you might expect — it won’t increase the odds. This answer might sound paradoxical, but let us explain.

First, you must understand that the odds in roulette are fixed and never change. Consequently, the house edge is also fixed, so even though some players and websites will tell you that you can lower the house edge with the best roulette strategy — this is false.

Some players also make the mistake of believing that the odds will improve based on previous patterns. The laws of chance don’t work like that. For example, even if a red number doesn’t come 20 times in a row, the odds for Red on the next spin will still be 48.6%. Believing otherwise is referred to as the gambler’s fallacy.

A famous example occurred at the Casino de Monte-Carlo in August 1913 when the roulette ball landed on a black number 26 times in a row. The likelihood of this occurring is an incredible 1 in 66.6 million! Gamblers lost significant amounts at this table, wrongly assuming red would hit during this unlikely sequence.

In conclusion, roulette strategy is less about increasing the odds and more about understanding the odds. 

What is the best strategy for roulette?

It might seem like strategies don’t have a place in roulette because they can’t improve the odds, but they are still valuable since they provide structure to your plays and help with bankroll management. And, as always, proper bankroll management is the key to games of chance like roulette.

So, if you’re going to start playing the game on some of the best roulette sites, it’s essential to read up on every best roulette strategy available. Let’s take a look.

Martingale and Grand Martingale roulette betting strategy

The Martingale strategy in roulette is a famous gambling method that focuses on doubling your bet every time you lose. The idea here is simple: it ensures you’ll recoup your losses and the original bet as soon as you win.

This is a good way to grind your way through a roulette game, but it can also be risky if you lose too many times in a row, so you can’t double your wager any longer. That’s why it’s always better to use small amounts and to play games with a high enough max bet.

You must stick to outside (1:1) bets like red and black for this system to work. For example:

– Start with a $1 bet on Red.

– The ball lands on Black, meaning you lose (-$1).

– Double your bet on Red to $2.

– It lands on Black again, meaning you lose ($-3).

– Double your bet on Red again to $4. 

– The ball lands on Red, and you win $8 (+$1).

Essentially, a win recoups the losses you have encountered along the way and gives you a profit equal to your original stake — in this scenario, $1.

As for the Grand Martingale strategy, it’s a more aggressive version of the above, where you not only double the bet after a loss but add the original stake. For example, if you lose $1 on Red, your next bet would be $3 (doubling the $1 and adding the original $1 stake). The next step would not be $7 (not $6), and so on.

Reverse Martingale (Paroli system) roulette betting strategy

The Reverse Martingale is the opposite of the original Martingale strategy, meaning it’s a positive progression betting system. In other words, you double after a win, not a loss.

Here’s how that works in practice:

– Start with a $1 bet. You lose (-$1).

– You bet $1 again, and this time you win ($0).

– Because you won, you double your next bet to $2, which wins (+$2).

– You now double your bet to $4 but lose (-$2).

– Because you lost, you revert to your original $1 bet. 

– This time you win, giving you $2 (-$1).

– Double the bet to $2. You win (+$1).

– Double the bet to $4. You win again and stop (+$5).

You’ll have $5, meaning you’ve achieved a profit of $4. Bear in mind that this is just an example and that this system can be very volatile. A single loss won’t just wipe out your accumulated wins, but also leave you with a negative balance. On the other hand, a few consecutive wins will lead to significant gains. 

D’Alembert roulette betting strategy

The D’Alembert system is similar to Martingale, but it is more stable because you increase your bet by one unit every time you lose and decrease by the same margin when you win. 

Here’s how this roulette strategy works in practice:

– Start with a $1 bet. This is now your ‘unit’ for future bets.

– You lose, so you increase the bet to $2 (-$1).

– You win and place a $1 bet (+$1).

– You win and place a $1 bet (+$2).

– You lose and increase the bet to $2 (+$1).

– You win $4 and stop (+$3).

You have $4 now, meaning your total profit is $3. However, remember most roulette tables have a minimum limit of $5 or $10 on outside bets, so this example should only be used as a guide.

Fibonacci roulette betting strategy

This somewhat convoluted betting strategy relies on the famous Fibonacci sequence, where every number is the sum of the two previous ones (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, and so on), which can be converted to placing even-money bets in roulette.

You move up the sequence by one number upon every lost wager and move down by two numbers after every win. Although this may seem complicated at first glance, it’s relatively easy to follow using simplified stakes.

– You place a bet equal to the first number in the sequence – $1 – and lose (-$1)

– You place a bet equal to the next number in the sequence – $1 – and lose. (-$2)

– You place a bet equal to the next number in the sequence – $2 – and lose (-$4).

– You place a bet equal to the next number in the sequence – $3 – and win (-$1).

– You go back two numbers in the sequence – $1 – place the bet and win ($0).

The Fibonacci system can escalate quickly as you get deeper into the sequence. This means you’ll need a large bankroll to cope with successive losses. However, it’s not as severe as the Martingale over long-term play.

James Bond roulette betting strategy

The James Bond system involves you covering 25 of the 37 numbers on the European roulette wheel, placing various combinations of bets and chip values. Being a flat strategy, the same numbers are played every time – win or lose.

The numbers and stakes to cover are as follows: High (19-36): $14; Double Street (13-18): $5; Zero (0): $1, which equals a total bet of $20.

You can adjust your stakes based on your bankroll and preferred betting style, scaling up proportionally as needed. Here’s how that goes in practice:

– Bet $20 on the same combination of bets above.

– The ball lands on 7, meaning you lose (-$20).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 5, meaning you lose again (-$40).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 17; you win $30 (-$30).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 22; you win $28 (-$22).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 29; you win $28 (-$14).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 3, meaning you lose (-$34).

– Bet $20. The ball lands on 0; you win $36 (-$18).

As you can see, this system can be difficult to track and may even result in a negative balance despite winning more bets than you lose.

Which roulette games are best to win real money?

The best roulette game to play is the one with the lowest house edge, and that’s French roulette due to its player-friendly rules and single-zero wheel. Let’s take a look at the three main adaptations in more detail.

European roulette

European roulette is the most popular version found in online casinos, largely because players favor dealing with just one zero. This creates a reasonable house edge of 2.70%. Modern roulette adaptations from the leading game providers all tend to use a standard European wheel.

French roulette 

French roulette is not always found at US land-based casinos and is more common online. By incorporating specific rules that apply when the ball lands on zero, the house edge drops to 1.35%. However, these provisions apply only to even money bets — Red or Black, Even or Odd, High or Low.

The En Prison rule means your bet is locked for the next spin. As for La Partage, it states that you lose only half your stake, which is returned to you instantly. 

American roulette

American roulette is commonly played in US brick-and-mortar and online casinos, but it’s a roulette variant with one of the worst house edges. It’s set at 5.26%, but it goes up to 7.89% for the basket bet that lets you cover 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. Almost every roulette strategy will tell you to avoid this variant because you get worse odds of winning over successive rounds.

What are the best roulette bets?

Since roulette is a casino game with fixed odds, there’s no correct answer here. 

A useful tactic is to analyze where the croupier will most likely land the ball on the wheel. While it’s nearly impossible to predict the exact number, you may have a better chance of forecasting the general area. Some croupiers tend to develop a motion pattern, consistently spinning the wheel and ball at similar speeds.

Here, the best strategic approach is betting on section (call) bets. Instead of placing bets on individual numbers or denominations from the betting table, you wager on specific portions of the wheel. Call bets include:

Neighbors of Zero (Voisins du Zéro) — This bet covers 17 numbers closest to 0, including 0. From left to right, the series starts on 22 and ends on 25.

Third of the Wheel (Le Tiers du Cylindre) — The wager covers 12 numbers located on the opposite side of the neighbors of zero. Looking left to right, it starts with 27 and ends with 33.

Orphans (Orphelins) — The bet covers the eight numbers not included in the other two selections, meaning they sit on two opposite sides of the wheel. On one side, you have 17, 34, and 6; on the other, 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9.

Another tactic is to initially focus on high-probability bets, like putting equal chip values on two of the three dozen columns. This covers 24 of the 37 numbers available, resulting in a 64.86% chance of winning.

If you’re betting, let’s say, $10 on each of the two dozen, you’re set to win a $10 profit. You can then use your winnings on longer odds bets, like single numbers, to spice things up and have a chance of winning big.

Conclusion

You can use several helpful roulette strategy systems to play both simulated and live roulette games in online casinos. However, it’s important to remember that none can alter the house edge, and most of all, they are only helpful for introducing structure to your gameplay and managing your bankroll. 

To win in roulette, play the variants with the lowest house edge (French and European) and adequately manage your bankroll. While you can apply one of the popular strategies mentioned above, ultimately, the rest depends on Lady Luck.

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