Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the world. This simple yet tricky game has been around for decades, bringing in players from all over to test their luck at hundreds of casinos worldwide. With dozens of variations and spins on the classic roulette table, it’s no wonder that roulette remains a hot spot for both seasoned veterans and new players alike.
We’ve all put in our fair share of bets in online roulette, but when playing for real money online you’ll want to be sure that you’re making the best decisions possible. Thus, using a strategy is a must.
The D’Alembert Strategy
Named after Jean le Rond d’Alembert , this is one of the most widely used strategies by professional gamblers. It states that you should wager on even chances (black or red, odd or even). If your first choice wins, you double your bet and continue like this. If your first choice loses, you take half your bet and place it on the opposite option.
You might be wondering, “I know how to play roulette, why do I need a strategy?”
If you’re playing basic even chances at $5 per spin and you win 4 times in a row, you will have $60. If the next spin results in a loss, your bet is reduced to $30 and you can keep doubling until you hit black or red and eventually come out on top.
The Martingale Strategy
How many traders do we know that always end up losing money no matter how much they earn? Probably a few. Well the Martingale is the reason why. It’s one of the simplest roulette strategies out there but has a higher house edge than even chances because it will eventually run out of steam.
This strategy calls for you to double your bet after every loss until you win, which will refund you your initial bet. If you lose consecutively, though, things can get ugly fast. For example, If you start with $10 at even chances and manage to win 4 consecutive spins, you’ll be up $20 ($40). However, if during spin number 5 you end up losing all your winnings then winning once more, you’ll be stuck with a loss of $10 ($20). With the Martingale, your next bet would be $12.50, and here’s where things get interesting.
The Fibonacci Strategy
After playing roulette for over half a century, mathematician Vladimir Kafelnikov concluded that odd and even bets had equal chances of winning. That’s because although there are 18 red numbers and only 18 black numbers, the two types of odd bets (1-18 and 19-36) actually cover 36 possible outcomes, making them equally likely to win as a single bet on a single number.
Applying this logic leads you to play 1-18 or 19-36 exclusively and to use the Fibonacci Strategy.
This strategy recommends that you place your first bet on 1-18 or 19-36, depending on what number is showing. Then, if it wins, take half of your money and start over again with a 1-18/19-36 bet. However, if it loses, go back to your original bet and raise it to the next Fibonacci number, so again if you lose again, raise to the next Fibonacci number. If you win 2 consecutive times, though , start over from 1-18/19-36.
The best part about this strategy is that it walks the fine line between having a lower house edge than even chances and being much more profitable in the long run thanks to compounding wins.
The Paroli Strategy
If you’re looking for the Holy Grail, you’ve come to the right place. Developed by Professor William Fair of Cornell University, this strategy is mathematically perfect. Well, almost. It’s a little complicated and takes a while to master but it’s definitely worth the effort.
The hallmark of this strategy is that it doesn’t rely on streaky odds, which most strategies do. Instead, it analyzes every possible combination of bets until you find the ones with the highest returns. It then uses these combinations in the same way the Martingale does, doubling your bet after every loss in order to ensure that you recover your money. However, this is where it gets complicated: It only uses even chances.
Although it means wasting a lot of time hitting dead ends, Professor Fair concluded that using odd chances made your bankroll too unstable. But if you’re willing to overlook that, his strategy is formulaic perfection.
The D’Alembert System
If you’re a fan of playing high roller online roulette, then the D’Alembert is for you. It’s named after 18th century mathematician Jean Le Rond d’Alembert . It’s based on the fact that when even chances are placed before odd ones (instead of after them like in the Martingale), its house edge is reduced to 1/37.
The gist of this strategy is placing an even chance bet, followed by a 0-1 bet, then another 0-1 bet and finally finishing up with a 1-18 or 19-36 bet. If you win, go back to your 0-1 bets but if you lose the 1st 0-1 bet, return to your even chance bet and so on.
This strategy has a lot going for it: It reduces house edge by 2%, is easy to understand and implement as well as not requiring you to use the Martingale. However, it requires a lot of time and patience in order to find the right betting combinations and for this reason is best avoided unless you stick with your 0-1 bets in which case it’s almost unbeatable.
Takeaway
In addition to these five strategies, how you bet can also affect your chances of winning. Remember that if you only place the bets that win, every other number will come into play, which means lower odds for you.
Placing even money bets as well as the 0 and 00 is a more guaranteed way of winning, as you don’t have to rely solely on black or red coming up. Try your best not to stray too far away from these strategies and you should easily be able to beat online casinos with ease!
