Roulette Betting and Strategies

Roulette is a game of chance that originated in France in the 1800s and has remained more or less the same ever since. The excitement and sparkle of the game led to its spread across Europe and to the US. A roulette wheel is marked from 0 to 36 and the object of the game is to predict on which number the ball will fall with each spin of the wheel. American casinos use a slightly different wheel to the European original in that it has a 0 and a 00 as opposed to the single 0 on European wheels. This slight difference however greatly increases the house advantage. European wheels with their 37 numbers (including the zero) give the house an advantage of just 2.7 % but the addition of the 00 gives American casinos a 5.26% advantage. No matter which betting strategy you use the house will always have this advantage. Nonetheless there are strategies you can use that will enable you to take better advantage of a lucky winning streak.

Here are the names of various bets and some popular betting strategies that you will see at casinos:

Outside Bets

Even Money Bets: a bet on 18 numbers. This is placed in the box representing the group of numbers that you are betting on. This can be black, red, low (1-18), high (19-36), even, or odd.

Group Bets: a bet on the first (1-12), second (13-24), or third group (25-36) of twelve numbers.

Column: a bet on all 12 numbers along any of the three vertical lines of the table. The chip is placed below the final number in the line.

Inside Bets

Straight: a single number. The chip is placed in the middle of a number square.

Split: a bet on two adjoining numbers. This can be either on the vertical or horizontal line between the two numbers. For instance 4-5 or 4-7.

Street: a bet on three numbers on a single horizontal row. The chip is placed on the line at the outside edge of the row either on the left or the right.

Corner (or square): a bet on four adjacent numbers in a square layout. The chip is placed at the cross point of the lines around the numbers.

Sixline (or 'sixaine'): a bet on two adjoining streets, with the chip placed on the corresponding border on the outside edge between the two streets.

Roulette Strategies

The Martingale method

This is a basic betting strategy and is best used on the outside even money bets at the casino table. These are the bets on red or black, odds or even, or high or lower numbers. If you lose you double your bet and continue doubling it each time you lose until you win. Since these bets pay out even money when you eventually win you will get all of your previous bets back plus one bet. This system is based on simple mathematics and in theory will increment your winnings by one bet each time you win while covering your losses. However, there is a catch. Most tables have a minimum and maximum bet. The maximum bet is usually 100 times the minimum and that means that if you lose 8 times in row you will no longer be able to make a bet high enough to cover your loses. Even when using the system the house advantage still applies and the losses can be hard to recover. However, if you are on a winning streak then keep at it until your luck changes.

The Boosted Martindale

This system has you adding one betting unit to your bet each time you lose. This will bring you twice the earnings when you win however your losses can quickly mount. Play it with caution!

The Anti-Martingale

This system is similar to the Martingale except that you increase your bets when you are winning and decrease them when you are losing. The theory is based on the observation that winning comes in streaks. This method is aimed at taking advantage of a winning streak while reducing the damage of a losing run. This system does not give you any advantage over the house but if luck is running your way you will make the most of it.

Betting on red

A bet on red pays even money. This system uses the basic Martingale and keeps betting on red. Due to the presence of the ‘0’ and ‘00’ slots there is only a 43% chance of the ball landing on red. This is what maintains the house edge. However, these odds are close enough to even that with a bit of luck you can cash in on a winning streak.

The single number bet

This involves dividing your betting chips into 35 units and betting one unit on the same number all the time. If your number comes up before you run out of chips you will make a profit and be able to place future bets using your winnings. There is a 60% chance of your number coming up with 35 spins of the wheel.

Multiple Bets

This is a method of betting that combines the Martingale method with the red bet. The idea is play one bet on red and another on one of the even money bets (odd-even, high-low). Each bet is played as a separate bet and doubled if it loses or reset to one bet after winning. This betting method gives good odds because you may win both on red and on the other bet at the same time. Its weakness is that you will need enormous chip resources to maintain the betting sequence through a loosing streak.

1st and 3rd column bet

This bet involves putting a bet on the first and third columns and a bet on black. The first and third columns contain most of the red numbers on the board. A red number in the middle column will loose all of the bets and a black number in the middle column will sustain a loss of one bet. A red number in the first or third breaks even and a black number in the first or third wins a profit of two bets.

The Red Snake Bet.

This bet is made by placing chips along the consecutive line of red numbers of 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, ending on 34 that ‘snakes’ along the roulette table. Aside from the pattern that it makes this bet has no advantage at all over any other random arrangement of numbers. In addition, because only one number can win the losses from this bet make it unwise.

The biased spin theory

Various theories abound on predicting the outcome of a wheel spin based on an inherent bias in the way the croupier spins the wheel. While it is unlikely that you will notice any apparent bias just by watching a croupier if you think you are on to something make the most of it.

The biased wheel theory

The Holy Grail of roulette is the biased wheel that favours one particular number or section of the wheel. While this may have occurred in the past modern roulette wheels are manufactured to excruciating accuracy and casinos are careful to keep their wheels well maintained. The chances of finding a biased wheel in a reputable casino is beyond remote but should fate roll one your way, don’t hesitate!

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