Everyone dreams of stumbling onto the perfect roulette strategy, one which is so cunning, so reliable, a strategy which no one has ever thought of before. In reality there are no such strategies and the best we can hope for is for consistent wins. All strategies are flawed and cannot negate the house edge. The greatest roulette wisdom comes from knowing when to walk away.
Here is what we should expect from a good roulette strategy, even though it can’t overcome the inherent house edge:
- Money Management:
A good strategy may help you manage your bankroll effectively. This might involve setting win/loss limits and choosing bets that fit your budget. - Discipline:
Following a defined strategy keeps emotions in check and avoids impulsive betting after a loss. - Focus on game play:
Strategies should allow you to focus on the game itself, rather than constantly calculating complex bets.
All strategies will eventually let you down and house edge will bite you on your bum when least you expect it. The secret to successfully using strategies is setting budget and knowing when to walk away, regardless of if you are up or down.
A couple of Roulette Strategies
Some of the more popular strategies are the Martingale, Parlay, James Bond, and D’Alembert, and even my favourite the 24 + 10 Roulette Strategy.
Every strategy, no matter how mind-blowing & awesome, it will fail you. Depending on what your goal is – profit or fun – you should at least try a few different strategies for yourself.
I have used various strategies regularly and until recently I’ve always won money – but on a recent casino visit I lost consistently. Go figure huh!
That is the randomness of roulette! I’ve said it before and will say it again “roulette will always get you in the end.”
Martingale and Roulette
Martingale is simple by design but also dangerous. It works best on even money outside bets such as Red / Black, Odd / Even etc.
With each loss you double your bet and keep doubling until you win. When you eventually win you will get back all losses plus a little more. The Martingale can quickly get out of control after a few losses in a row.
If you $10 bet and lose increase to $20 and try again. If you lost again, double it to $40 and so on. When you win return to your original $10 bet plus all previous losses.
10 losses in a row, which can happen if you are flipping between Red / Black, or Odd / Even, your wager climbs to $5,120. Winning on the 11th spin returns all your losses plus a $10 profit – congratulations. Are you prepared to continue doubling for the sake of a few bucks?
In my opinion, it isn’t worth the risk!
Parlay
This is the polar opposite of the Martingale system requiring you to double your bet with each win and return to original bet after a loss.
Starting again with a $10, following a win you’d bet $20 and then $40 etc. with successive wins and only go back to $10 when you lose.
I’m am not sure about this system. I have tried it on simulators without much success. Let me know if you’ve tried it and won some money using the Parlay system.
James Bond Roulette Strategy
If you’ve watched any James Bond movies you’ll know he plays a bit of roulette and often uses the same strategy, hence it’s called the James Bond Strategy. For a more in-depth look at Jame Bond Strategy click here.
It is kind of a simple strategy and can work for you occasionally, but course everything depends on how the pesky ball falls.
In order to get reasonable sized wins you need to bet large amounts. When I’ve played the James Bond Strategy I use small units of either $5 or $10, but you can set your playing unit at $1.
Place 14 units on 19-36 plus 5 units on double street 13 to 18 and then 1 unit on 0.
If your unit is $5 your total wager is $100. If that’s a bit rich for you, use $1 units for a bet of $20.
Based on a $5 unit the results will be;
| Number | Odds | Loss | Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – 12 | 0 | $100 | $0 |
| 13 – 18 | 5:1 | $0 | $130 |
| 19 – 36 | 2:2 | $0 | $140 |
| 0 | 35:1 | $0 | $180 |
D’Alembert
The goal with D’Alembert works by playing only even bets, such as Red / Black or Odd / Even. Long term your bets “should be” reasonably stable as the odds are 48% in your favour. Notice the odds are not 50% because of the 0 or 00 loses.
First choose an amount known as the bet unit, for example $5. With each win you decrease your wager by one unit and each loss you add one unit.
For example, with a starting bank of $100.00 and a betting unit of $10.00, playing 20 games, winning 40% of the time the results would be;
| Unit | Bet | Result | Bank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10.00 | Win | $110.00 |
| 1 | $10.00 | Loss | $100.00 |
| +1 | $20.00 | Loss | $80.00 |
| +1 | $30.00 | Loss | $50.00 |
| +1 | $40.00 | Win | $130.00 |
| -1 | $30.00 | Loss | $100.00 |
| +1 | $40.00 | Loss | $60.00 |
| +1 | $50.00 | Win | $160.00 |
| -1 | $40.00 | Win | $240.00 |
| -1 | $30.00 | Loss | $210.00 |
| +1 | $40.00 | Win | $290.00 |
| -1 | $30.00 | Loss | $260.00 |
| +1 | $40.00 | Loss | $220.00 |
| +1 | $50.00 | Loss | $170.00 |
| +1 | $60.00 | Win | $290.00 |
| -1 | $50.00 | Loss | $240.00 |
| +1 | $60.00 | Win | $360.00 |
| -1 | $50.00 | Loss | $310.00 |
| +1 | $60.00 | Loss | $250.00 |
| +1 | $70.00 | Win | $390.00 |
| 40% Win (8/20) | Total Profit: $290.00 |
Another good strategy is the Labouchere Betting System.
Happy Roulette Adventures Everyone!
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