Best Roulette Strategy – Roulette Betting Systems Explained Being one of the most famous casino games of all time, roulette has been subject to a lot of analysis and odd calculations. The game looks simple enough and has the potential of winning you lots of money with just a single spin of the wheel. Many worthless betting strategies and systems are based on belief in the Gambler's Fallacy. I got the idea for writing about this after reading an 888 online roulette article by Frank Scoblete entitled How to Take Advantage of Roulette Hot Spots. In that article, Scoblete recommends taking a count of each outcome for 3,700 spins in single-zero.
- Remember to stay realistic about the long odds on this popular game of chance. Approach roulette with the sober realization that, with a house advantage of 5.26 percent on the American wheel, roulette is among the worst bets in a casino. Despite the odds, you can still use some simple strategies to stretch your roulette.
- Any roulette betting strategy can only cut costs and allow you to play longer, that is, increase the chances of winning if you are lucky. The essence of Martingale's betting strategy is to double the bets in case of a loss. Let's say our first bet is 1 dollar. If we win, we get $1 profit and place $1 as a bet again.
- A bet on the red is normally considered medium risk. A bet on 2 columns would be considered low risk as you are covering almost two thirds of the table (remember there’s that pesky zero pocket (or pockets in American Roulette). 1 to 18: a low bet: on one of the first 18 numbers. 19 to 36: a high bet: one of the high 18 numbers.
The Martingale system is the oldest system ever but in it’s raw form is not very successful. Roulette Statistics & Prediction uses a very much modified form of this popular strategy.
The Martingale system uses the simple technique of doubling the stake on a losing bet until it wins. In theory you can never lose, in practise you lose. The reason why you lose is quite simple.
Take this example.
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You stake 1 chip on EVEN and it loses so you stake 2 chips on EVEN and it loses again. Now you stake 4 chips on EVEN and it loses again. If you hit a bad losing streak by the time you get to eight loses in a row you are staking 256 chips just to gain 1 chip in profit. Lose another two times and you could be over the casinos roulette table limit and you’ve lost all your cash. The thing is the odds of hitting an eight losing EVEN streak is not very high. In fact it’s the same odds as the amount you have to stake, 256 to 1.
So what modification to the Martingale betting strategy does the software do to try to prevent high stakes for very small returns?
First it uses what we call a trigger mechanism.
You can set the number of times a bet has to lose before the computer activates the bet. Lets say that you set the trigger for the EVEN bet to 12. Now before you stake anything in order to lose 12 times in a row the bet has already hit the 1 in 4096 mark. So now the bet is made, say 1 chip. The odds of losing on the next spin have now risen to 1 in 8192. Now, of course, this is still not a huge number but it a much better starting point than 1 in 2.
However lets say the bet does lose for a further 4 times in a row. The odds for that happening are 1 in 131072. By using our trigger system the stake has risen to just 16 chips on the next bet which has the odds of 262144 to 1 of losing. If you lose that bet then you’ve really hit a bad losing streak, so the software can try to limit your loses by using a capping technique.
You can set a cap the number of times the doubling occurs on a particular type of bet before the bet is reset. So let’s say you set the cap to 3. The maximum you would lose before the bet is reset is just 7 chips.
The other method applies to any betting strategy you use where you can set the maximum stake you want to place on any given bet to, say 50 chips, before giving you the choice of what to do next. Either increase the maximum stake limit or reduce the stake.
The other thing to bear in mind that the system doesn’t only monitor say ODD or EVEN bet triggers. It monitors over 100 possible roulette bets and you can set which bets you want to be triggered without having to keep track yourself. The system knows what the stake was last time and tells you exactly what to bet next. Simple.
If you asked anyone to name a classic casino game, it would be a fair bet that one of the first names they would come up would be roulette. Roulette has a history stretching back all the way to the 18th century in France, and today it is enjoyed by more people than it ever was.
In online roulette, there are several different versions, with the most popular being American, European and French roulette. You can find further variations with a modern twist, such as games with more than one ball, or even more than one wheel.
This page focuses on the American (double zero) roulette game. First up, the differences between American roulette and the other versions are detailed, before discussing the house edge.
Next the online version of the game available at real money casinos in NJ, PA and elsewhere is covered. This page ends with a look at roulette strategy and some of the myths surrounding it.
If you want to play American roulette for free online, check out the game above. If you run out of credits, simply refresh your browser.
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How does American roulette work?
An American roulette wheel has 38 equal-sized divisions. First there are the numbers 1 through 36. These are joined by a pair of zeros – featuring the numbers ‘0’ and ‘00’. In other versions of the game, such as European and French roulette wheels, you’ll find just a single zero.
In roulette there are more than twenty different bets you can place. Here are some of the most popular you can place and the odds you’ll receive when successful:
- Red or Black: Choose which color the ball will land in and you’ll win at odds of 1:1
- Odd or Even: Land the same winning odds of 1:1 when choosing correct.
- High or Low: Predict whether the ball will land in 1-18 (low) or 19-36 (high) at odds of 1:1
- Columns: Place a bet on one of the three columns on the betting layout, at odds of 2:1
- Dozens: Place a bet on the ball landing on 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36 at odds of 2:1
- Straight Up: Bet on any number. Pick correctly and you win at odds of 35:1
- Split: Place your chips between two numbers. Land either and you’ll win at odds of 17:1
- Corner: Similar to the split bet, except you’ll place the chip between 4 numbers. Win at odds of 8:1
How do the house odds compare to other versions of roulette?
The size of the house edge plays a very important in roulette. In American roulette the house edge is 5.26%. This is high in comparison to other roulette variations where the house edge is 2.7% in European roulette and can go as low as 1.35% (bet dependent in the French version).
In some places you can find a wheel with three zeros which can push that house edge as high as 7.89%. Of course, there can be a feeling of patriotism in playing the American version, which might make you more likely to want to play this game.
Playing American roulette online
One of the most popular versions of American roulette is from NetEnt and can be played at online casinos in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This is an eye-catching game where you’ll find an impressive-looking dark roulette wheel spinning slowly in the upper portion of the screen.
The wheel is large enough to make all of the numbers perfectly clear, while leaving a sizable amount of room for the large betting lay out below.
At the bottom of the screen you’ll find the betting denominations. To place a bet, you’ll simply drag one of the bet amounts across to the betting layout and then drop it wherever you’d like to.
Handily, when placing a bet such as 1-18 or Even, all of the selected numbers will be highlighted. This is especially good for players who are playing online roulette for the first time.
Roulette Betting Table
You can place as many bets as your bankroll allows, meaning there is nothing to stop you placing odd/even bets, straight bets, corner bets and splits on the same spin of the wheel.
Having placed all of your bets, there are a few options open to you. If you’re feeling lucky you can hit the x2 button to instantly double up all your bets. An ‘undo last bet’ option is there if you’ve made a mistake with your previous bet, while the ‘clear all bets’ option does exactly as it says.
The ‘Rebet’ option is a handy one if you like to place a particular bet again and again. The final option is the ‘Spin’ button which sets the white ball in motion – the most exciting part of the game!
Hot/Cold numbers and roulette systems
To the right of the wheel you can see the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ numbers. Some people like to bet on the numbers considered ‘hot’, seeing them as the lucky ones for that session.
Others like to bet ‘cold’ numbers figuring they are now due to hit. The reality is that each spin is independent, so no number is more likely to be hit than any other, but if it works for you, then go ahead.
There are some who will talk about sure-fire systems that will help you beat roulette. You’ll see those online – often promising to aid you in beating the game.
The fact is, there is a house edge in roulette, and this ensures that the casino (whether online or live) will have the advantage. This doesn’t mean that in the short term you can’t make a profit, while if you’re real lucky you can also make a profit in the long term.
However, there is no way to beat the game of roulette. If there was, live and online casinos wouldn’t offer the game – they would all have gone bust.
Live dealer American roulette
Some casinos in regulated states offer live dealer roulette casinos. You can play American roulette online based on the spin of a real wheel.
Live dealer rooms work by streaming the games in real time and giving you a betting overlay that follows the standard roulette betting grid. The social interaction makes these games popular – though you need to place your bets before the dealer says ‘no more bets’ like in a brick and mortar setting.
Final thoughts
American roulette is one of the most popular casino table games. You’ll find this online as well as in brick and mortar casinos. With the range of betting options available, this is a game that is high on variety. While there are more favorable games in terms of house edge, playing the ‘American’ game will certainly appeal to many.
You can enjoy American roulette at online casinos in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey right now. As long as you are within the state lines, you’ll be able to play, whichever state you’re from. Give American roulette a spin today.