This is the first question most new players want to know about roulette strategy.
The short answer is – yes and no. Push comes to shove, roulette is a game of chance. You can win roulette and make money if you’re lucky, but you can also lose a lot if you’re not.
And before we go any further – don’t believe the myths and hustlers. There is no roulette-winning formula, and there never will be. The game was designed to give the house a statistical advantage, and there’s no beating statistics. Especially considering players cannot directly influence the outcome in any way.
However, it’s also important to understand that this applies to basically all forms of gambling. Every type of betting out there is designed to give the house an advantage.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t play roulette – or that you don’t need a strategy for the game.
For starters, this game is one of the most dynamic, fast-paced and thrilling casino inventions. Stemming back to the 18th century, it’s also one of the longest-standing and most influential casino games. It’s also extremely versatile with a huge number of variants and innovative twists. For example, famous titles like Lightning Roulette or Quantum Roulette are just Game Show twists on the good old roulette formula.
However – and this is a big however – there are still ways to tip things in your favour somewhat. There are smart ways to play roulette and dumb ways to play roulette, and you want to be doing the former.
This is not such an easy task, considering that roulette is what we call a game of chance. The Devil’s Game has a considerable house edge which is hard to bend.
Nonetheless, there are certain tips and guidelines that can help you increase your winning chances. In the following lines, we attempt to answer how to make money on roulette online.
Before mastering the right roulette strategy, you should know where to play online roulette. Pretty much every casino site out there offers roulette in one form or another, but not all of them are equal in quality. Fortunately, we at CasinosOnline.com have a few recommendations for you. We examine, review and rank the best roulette casinos online and publish them on our website. Check out the list of top online roulette casinos right below.
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This guide exists to help you put together the best strategy for roulette that will work for your goals and bankroll. However, before we dive into the advanced stuff, we have to keep a few general things in mind.
We said it a million times but the basic roulette rules must be revised now and then. As it’s an exciting release, players can easily get carried away. Getting ahead of oneself is a natural urge that happens to everyone, but it can be dangerous road to take while gambling.
All in all, the answer to how to win roulette is simple – play rationally.
If you still need some tips on stepping up your game, here are a few pointers we’ll throw in for free. Not all of these are required to win and make money in roulette but they can help you reach that goal.
Another interesting thing about this game is that no roulette strategy works for everyone. A punter needs to consider multiple aspects before selecting a good roulette strategy for him or her.
The first factor is financial. It’s pivotal that you are aware of your monetary limits. Are you a high-roller or low-stake player? Can you afford to lose thousands or do you like to lie low? Answer these questions before moving on. Grab a pen and a piece of paper if you need to.
Roulette betting systems are organized bets or combinations of bets that offer exact steps that you can use as part of a roulette strategy.
In other words, a system tells you exactly what to bet on, how much to bet, and when to do so. Think of it as a ready-made strategy to win roulette or to achieve a certain gambling goal.
Importantly, roulette systems are not guaranteed ways to beat roulette and they cannot overcome the house advantage. However, they can help you avoid losses or get consistent returns through clever wagering. If that sounds vague, it’s because every system uses a different method to achieve this. As such, we recommend reading through specific systems to see their pros and cons.
The most common and effective systems for roulette include:
Let’s go through each of these systems and see how they work.
Perhaps the most famous betting system ever. The martingale is applicable in (almost) all casino games due to its adaptability. The goal of the martingale is to retrieve all previous losses as soon as you encounter a win. On top of that, you’ll also get a small profit, but that’s secondary.
Let’s see an example of the martingale.
In the martingale roulette strategy, you start with a fixed unit; let’s say it’s $5. If you lose in the first round, your next bet should double – $10. For every following loss, you will double your wager. In this case, you should add $20 to the pot.
Nevertheless, should you hit a win, you return to your initial stake. In turn, you’ll have all your lost bets’ money back.
Martingale is perfect for high-roller players. However, its downside lies in losing streaks and table limits. If you’re unlucky and lose a bunch of bets in a row, the stake will increase exponentially. Eventually, you’ll either run out of money or hit the table limit.
As such, it’s best to be careful with the Martingale. Start small and don’t overextend, or you might end up losing way more than you intended.
D’Alembert is similar to Martingale in many waysn. With every loss, you increase your bet. After a win, you decrease your wager. But the rules are slightly different.
Instead of doubling after a loss, you will add your initial unit’s value to your next bet. Similarly, following a win, you cut down one unit out of your bet instead of going back to a single unit.
With D’Alembert, you have much more control than with martingale. Also, the table limits cannot constrain you with D’Alembert – at least not as soon.
This progressive betting system can work for all types of roulette players – especially those looking for a safer and more conservative alternative to the MArtingale.
Our next good roulette strategy recommendation is the Labouchere. This is a calculation-based method that involves a bit more math in its core. Don’t worry, though – it’s nothing complicated, and the Labouchere is one of the most popular betting systems out there.
The Labouchere is based on determining a specific amount of separate units you will be playing in one session. Therefore, setting your limits is the first step in this (and every other) approach.
It’s also worth noting that it only works with even-money bets, so betting on red, black, even, odd. Any wager with a 1:1 payout will do fine.
Let’s say you’re willing to wager $100 today. You ought to divide the $100 into 10 units, making each of them worth $10, which is the minimum bet at our imaginary table. Then, write the units down next to each other 10 times. To keep track of your progress, you’ll need a pencil for you’ll be crossing out some units.
Your first bet should be the sum of your first and last number. In this case, that’s $20 (2 units). If you win, cross out the first and the last unit in the line. However, when you lose, add a number to the right of the line equal to the number of units you lost.
Continue adding whenever you lose or crossing off parts of the stake whenever you win. The ultimate goal is to cross off all the units, which should leave you with a tidy profit.
This method is why some players and pros also call the Labouchere the Cancellation System.
The disadvantage of this useful strategy to win at roulette is that lines can get too long. Again, a long string of consecutive losses can increase the stake beyond what you can afford. Set hard limits for the highest stake you’re willing to use to avoid this problem.
Going back to basics and classic roulette, the 3:2 system is also a popular one. It does, however, require considerable funds.
Basically, you place two bets per spin. In each round, you combine a red/black bet with a column bet to generate a decent profit.
Here’s an example of the 3:2 betting system:
As a result, we’ll cover 26 out of 37 numbers (around 70% of the wheel).
This method leaves you with three possible outcomes. If either the column or red bets win, you’re left with a small but tidy profit. If both win, you get a decent win. The only way to lose is to miss both, which will happen in less than a third of all rounds.
It’s nothing too clever, but it showcases how carefully combining different types of bets can be useful.
The Paroli is the simplest positive progression roulette system. This means that it works by progressively increasing the stake whenever you win while decreasing it whenever you lose.
It originates from Italian parole, which means to give your word. Sometimes, punters call is parlay or parley. Popular globally, it is one of the simplest roulette strategies.
In Paroli, you increase your bet every time you win by adding your initial stake’s value to the next bet. If you lose a round, you keep betting the same amount until you win. It’s as simple as that.
All of this means that the Paroli system has a soft curve that gently increases the stake as your bankroll grows. It’s an intuitive approach, although it ultimately suffers from the same issues as most betting systems. Sooner or later, a long losing streak will stop the strategy dead in its tracks.
The Fibonacci system is an odd alternative to roulette strategies. Again, it’s a positive progression system, which means you increase the stake whenever you win. Akin to Labouchere (Split Martingale), Fibonacci is a math-based tactic.
The stake increases follow the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, and so on.
As a reminder, The Fibonacci sequence dictates that each next number totals the sum of the previous two numbers. See how it works:
1 + 1 = 2
2 + 1 = 3
3 + 2 = 5
5 + 3 = 8
8 + 5 = 13
And so on.
Again, it will only really work if you go for an even-money bet (1:1 payout); you need an approximately 50% chance of winning. In turn, the casino will double your balance if you win.
When wagering, the numbers in the sequence represent the number of units you should bet per round.
Let’s say your base unit is $10. In the first round, bet one unit aka $10. If you lose, bet 1 unit again. After another loss, you should bet 2 units ($20). Should you fail again, wager $30. Next loss will incur a $50 bet.
However, when you win, return to the beginning of the sequence and place a single unit.
The best thing about Fibonacci is that you’re not chasing losses – you’re just keeping your spending in check while also pressing any perceived advantage. It’s a bit on the fancy side, but it’s fundamentally not very different from any other system we’ve discussed.
The next strategy is possibly the simplest one there is – flat betting.
Flat betting means repeatedly making the same bet over and over again using the same stake. In roulette, you’ll want to use an even money bet such as Red or Black. For example, bet on all red numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36) and you’ll get your money’s worth if you win.
Bear in mind that you always need to bet a fixed amount of units for a fixed amount of spins. The probability of winning is almost 50%.
While it seems a bit strange to call this a strategy, it has some advantages. For starters, it’s the least volatile way to play roulette, which is great for beginners. Secondly, flat betting relies on constant small returns. This means that you’re not likely to hit a big loss and blow your whole bankroll on a streak of bad luck – being that unlucky is extremely unlikely in this case.
Finally, we’re steering away from virtual games and heading to brick-and-mortar venues.
Kesselgucken is a strategy as old as the game itself. In German, the term means “watching the wheel”. In essence, you observe the roulette wheel looking for patterns and faults it might have. You might notice bumps, scratches and details that might affect the ball’s momentum. Consequently, you can relatively precisely determine where the ball will land.
This is where call bets come in handy. You can place Neighbours of Zero (Voisins du Zero) to cover more numbers if you’re not as sure. Orphelins will also be your friends with Kesselgucken.
The disadvantage of Kesselgucken is that it works in real-life casinos only. It’s also a controversially questionable technique that has never really been proven to work. Even in theory, it will not function for live casinos either as they often feature RNG software.
Systems are not a way to win roulette at all. As we said earlier, there is no actual, guaranteed way to win roulette.
However, roulette betting systems are a great way to give your bets some structure. Knowing when, how, and how much to bet in every round can help you keep track of your spending and plan out future moves.
These strategies for roulette were never designed to guarantee a win, either. They were designed to give some consistency to an otherwise completely random game. Some players will value this approach, others won’t. Our advice is to give the systems a try and see if they work for you. If not, you can try and devise your own plan.
Picking the right casino may not be a “strategy”, but it can be more impactful to your experience as a player than any strategy or plan out there. It can also influence your bottom line. While the rules of the game are the same everywhere, bonuses and other perks can boost your bankroll, negate losses, and make your money last longer.
Here are some things to pay attention to when picking a casino to play roulette on:
If you want some suggestions for the best online casinos to play roulette, check out this page.
That said, our top recommended pick is the 888 Casino. It’s one of the biggest brands in the industry with a huge selection of both RNG and live roulette tables as well as bonuses that can be useful to any roulette fan. Check out our 888 Casino review to find out more.
While it’s certainly possible to play and come out on top, there is no way to guarantee success in roulette or any other gambling game. Roulette is, and always will be, primarily a game of luck. It was designed to ensure the house always wins in the long run, and it was designed well.
However, that doesn’t mean that running in blindly and placing random bets is the best way to approach the game. Careful planning and betting systems can help you maximize your chances of winning while also mitigating any losses as much as possible.
Although roulette strategies do not guarantee wins, they can help you protect your bankroll from overspending and give your sessions some structure.
Just keep your expectations grounded and remember – the main goal of gambling is to have fun. Expecting to win or reliably make money will only lead to frustration, so treat these strategy tips as a way to improve your experience with roulette and not a way to get rich quickly.
Frequent Questions about Roulette Strategy
Depending on your goals, the most successful strategies for roulette include the Maringale, the 2/3 strategy, and the Romanosky mixed bet. However, it's worth noting that these strategies merely maximuze the chances of the player winning. They cannot be used to overcome the house advantage inherent to roulette.
The game always comes down to luck. The only trick is to control your spending and keep your expectations realistic. If you want to win often, play safer bets with a higher probability of winning.
The 3/2 rule refers to the 3/2 roulette betting system. This system combines two bets while splitting a 5-unit stake between them. Bet three fifths of your total stake on Red or Black, and place the remaining two fifths on a Column bet. This combination gives you a 70% chance to win, albeit in small increments.
In short - yes, the outcome of any round of roulette is decided purely based on luck. However, using proper strategies decreases your chances of losing too much too quickly.
Roulette is a pure game of luck. There is absolutely no 100% successful strategy for winning at roulette, despite what some might claim. The game was designed to ensure that the house always wins in the long run.