What is the most profitable Roulette Strategy? That is one of the most common questions posed by new players thinking they can make a good living playing roulette, or considering embarking on their own Roulette Strategy.
Did you notice I mentioned new players? That’s because seasoned players know there are no strategies which areconsidered “the most profitable”. So, the short answer is “No, there are no really profitable roulette systems unless you bet big“.
See a list of popular strategies at the bottom of the page.
The truth about Roulette Strategies
The largest profit while playing roulette comes from choosing a single number, and winning. If you can conjure a strategy for that, then that’s what you do and let me know about it. Choosing a single number requires bucket loads of luck, and the opposite of luck is bad luck and every casino relies on your bad luck for them to win. Every strategy has an element of luck and bad luck. Even covering all 36 numbers, and some bad luck loses it all because – those pesky zeros are in play.
Have deflated your ego a little? You shouldn’t lose interest in playing roulette because there are strategies for improving your chances of winning. The downside is payouts are usually smaller! It is true there are strategies which are reasonably reliable, and on a good day provide you 10 to 15, or more, wins in a row. Don’t get your hopes up because roulette is famous for being random & unpredictable – meaning you can and will lose.
While a strategy may provide some wins you will always suffer losses, perhaps one after another. Unless you have a big win on a single number and walk away forever; the law of averages dictates over time everything balances out. If you play weekly over a 12 month period and add everything up you realise the truth about how much you’ve won and lost. Those numbers will be surprisingly close and likely in favour of the casino.
Winning big requires betting big
There are strategies which improve your odds of winning. Betting on more numbers may give you more wins, but the more numbers you bet on the smaller. That is why bigger bets may be needed. Putting $100 on an even money bet gets $100 (plus original $100) if you win, whereas betting $5 gets just $5. The bigger the bet the bigger the return, but on the flip side you can lose more. Can you see the conundrum here?
No doubt you’ve heard stories of people winning $250,000 or more playing roulette but they were gambling ridiculous amounts of money, a fantasy not available to the average slob on the street – like me – and if you are reading this article; like you too.
So what about profitable strategies
Choosing two thirds of the numbers is a good starting point and less risky than picking just picking one number, particularly if you’re new or nervous about losing. Some prefer even money bets such as Red/Black, Odd/Even, or 1-18/19-36. That is also a good method covering almost half the table. I say “half” because again those pesky green zeros can bite you. A win on even money bets is a 1:1 payout, hence it’s called an even money bet. $10 bets gets another $10 on top of your original $10 – doubling your money.
Covering two thirds, let’s say $10 on each, gives you a greater chance because you have more than half covered. A win pays 2:1 meaning a $10 bet pays $30. The two thirds system effectively provides the same return as even money bets but covers more of the numbers.
The way to make a reasonable profit using roulette strategies is to be happy collecting small amounts of money along the way. You can improve your strategy by changing your betting structure. What I mean is once you have doubled your bankroll double your bet. If your bankroll is $200, play until you have $400, or even $300, and double your wager. $10 bets become $20 and so on. As your bankroll increases progressively increase wagers to win more. Of course, you can also lose more! Always keep that in mind.
How the Martingale System fails
No doubt you’ve heard of the Martingale strategy. It’s very popular because it does works assuming luck is on your side. It works best on even money bets such as Odd/Even. It can work betting on thirds too, but is more risky.
Martingale is the easiest of all systems; just double your bet with each loss and recover all losses. The Law of Averages says eventually you will win. Winning gets all the money lost previously plus a little more. Sounds great right!
As I’ve said, Martingale works but it does have a dark side! Losing multiple times in a row can cost an arm and a leg. With just five losses in a row, starting with a $10 bet you need to bet $320 to win your previous five losses back plus $10.
The reason casinos set a betting limit for outside bets is to thwart Martingale players. When you hit that limit you are in deep doo-doo.
Finally
Hopefully you have figured out there are no profitable strategies. Each strategy has a risk, but for your information here are some articles I’ve written on specific strategies and my thoughts on each. Some I’ve tried, others I’m yet to try.
- Hedge Betting minimises losses
- The 2/3 Roulette Method
- The 24/10 Strategy
- Dalembert Strategy
- Labouchere Strategy
The list above is not a exhaustive, check out Popular Strategies for some more general information and visit this site regularly for updates. I try new strategies during the year and write about my experiences.
As always, happy Roulette Adventures to everyone
