By having a plan and sticking with it you wont have any surprises. Always be prepared to lose all your money and remember, you made the choice to play roulette. We must all take some personal responsibility for our screw-ups and gambling habits and always have a roulette plan

Set a budget

I always set an amount I’m prepared to lose at the casino. Once I burn through my budget I stop playing and I never withdraw more cash. Be prepared to lose it all and smile about it.

On occasions I’ve had budgets as small as $50 and am happy with small returns. Over time I build it up to a larger bank. I have literally gone all day with a starting balance of $50.

Never convince yourself your chosen number is just around the corner, because it isn’t, and never continue betting once your budget is gone. That is the beginning of an addiction – Know when to stop.

I separate my roulette money from my drinks and food money too. Buying a beer or two doesn’t eat into my gambling cash.

Set a goal

Decide if your goal is to make money or have fun. If fun is what you’re looking for then be reckless with your betting and have a great time. If you looking to win money, be a smart gambler, not greedy gambler. A small win is still a win!

Don’t get wrapped up in the adrenaline rush which comes with a win, nor get tied up by the grief following a loss. By setting your budget you’ve decided it’s OK to lose, but having a goal keeps you on track for metaphorical riches – but only if your smart.

A win is a win – don’t be greedy

If your budget is small your bets should be small and hopefully returning small amounts back to you.

Small budgets give small wins, and losses too. The tables I play, electronic with live croupiers on stage, start a new game every minute or faster. If I win 70% of the time, which I generally do, a $2 win earns me $84 per hour. That’s more than the croupiers are paid, so be happy with smaller amounts.

On a normal casino trip my usual budget is larger so I make larger wagers, $30 – $50 per game, which gives larger returns, $10 – $20 for a win.

Double your bank consider doubling your bet

Doubling your bet often doubles your win amount and your bank moves up quicker. While my wife is vomiting dollar coins into slot machines I’m building the bank – which I know she will need later in the day when she has run out.

To win big you must bet big! That is why once I have doubled my bank I double my wager and if things go well I’ll double my bank again. $100 becomes $200, then $400 etc.

While playing I am conscious of my starting bank and am OK with losing it all. So, increasing my wagers either increase my losses or adds to my winnings. Either way, I’m having fun and a few beers so I just relax and enjoy it.

Reduce your wager as required

If you are on a losing streak, and it happens to all of us, you should halve your wager in order to conserve your bank balance. I live by this rule, halve my bank and I halve my wager until it builds up again.

Thankfully for me it doesn’t happen often and 80% of the time I quadruple my bank.

On my very first roulette adventure I started with $50 and turned it into $2,400 by doubling and halving. Sadly, I got over confident and was making stupid bets of $800 at a time, that buggered things up for me.

Because I didn’t know what I was doing and it was my first roulette game ever, I was wagering on column bets (3rd’s left to right) and betting on two of them. A $10 bet returned $15 ($5 on each 3rd) and I had a run of luck doubling as I went until I was putting $400 on each third.

Take regular breaks

When playing roulette I sit at the table for 20 – 30 minutes at a time then walk away, regardless of how my game is progressing. By taking breaks I can clear my head and contemplate my strategy and perhaps change or adjust as required. Coincidentally my breaks are in sync with my need for another beer, so there is that too.

Sitting there for hours, as I’ve seen people do, leads to a problem for some. During my breaks I’ll find my wife and see how she is going, and perhaps just walk around 20 minutes before returning.

The breaks are therapeutic and I encourage you to do it regularly.

Know when to walk away from roulette

When your budget is gone walk away and stop playing. I visit the casino to make money, not lose more than I had planned for.

Sometimes I just get tired of roulette and when that happens I stop gambling and try to convince my wife it’s time to go home. That is when I give all my winnings to her which she rapidly returns into the casinos pocket by losing it on a slot machine. No matter how much money I make it eventually ends up in the pockets of the casino.

Finally

On average I make about $60 to $100 an hour playing roulette. I hope by reading this you can apply what I’ve learnt to your own roulette adventures and make a few dollars.

Happy wheel spinning everyone and always gamble responsibly.