Win at Roulette
Roulette is one of the oldest gambling games around, dating back hundreds of years. While the game seems to be based purely on chance, there are certain strategies and tricks you can use to maximize profits and minimize losses. The nature of the game is such that it's impossible to make certain that you turn a profit, but this article outlines ways to minimize your losses.
Contents
Steps
Roulette Help
Doc:Types of Roulette,Roulette Payouts,Roulette Strategies
Maximizing Your Profits
- Spin the wheel a couple of times before starting your turn. If you are playing at a casino, this step will help you determine if there are any biases. Some wheels may be more likely to land on odd numbers, for example, than others. Take a look at the electronic board above it, too.
- Observe casino game workers if they are the ones spinning the wheel. The worker may have been playing the game for so long that he or she spins the wheel with the same force every time, resulting in a bias.
- Practice playing at a free table before betting. This will help you get a feel for the game, increase your confidence, and determine what works and what doesn't. You can also talk to the dealer, think about how much you'd like to wager, and take a moment to study other players' strategies.
- Play European Roulette, not American Roulette. The American Roulette wheel has an extra slot, 00, which slightly decreases the odds of winning. If you are given both options, choose European Roulette to increase your likelihood of winning.
- The house edge on a European wheel is on 2.63%. With the American wheel, it's twice that.
- If playing online roulette, be wary. The last thing you want is to give over your money to some scam. Make sure the site is reputable, associated with a reputable casino, and always, always, always, publishes their payout. There are too many untrustworthy sites out there to just take your chances.
- Also, make sure they have a random number generator. There are sites that rig the computer system against you. If you can verify this with others, do so.
Minimizing Your Losses
- Know how much to bet. When it comes to roulette and any other gambling game, you should only bet an amount that you know you can afford to lose. Things can get out of hand quickly, especially with a game that goes so fast.
- Once you have determined how much money you are willing to lose, stick to that amount and don't be tempted to bet any more. While this may be easier said than done, some ways you can help control temptation is to limit the amount of alcohol you consume, write the amount down on a piece of paper to hold yourself more accountable, and ask a friend to keep tabs on you.
- Withdraw your profits as they come. If you start off betting $100 and end up with $150, then you should withdraw your profit ($50) and keep it separate. Continue playing with the same $100, and that way, the maximum loss you can have is $50. The more you win and withdraw your money, the more likely it is that you will at least break even, if not make a profit.
- Stick to the outside. Sure, the profits are less grand, but if you keep your bets to red/black, high/low, or odd/even, you have a much better chance of not losing your money. The return is only 1:1, but the odds of the wheel being friendly to you are much better.
- The house edge remains the same, but your odds of winning are just slightly under 50% (because of the 0 or 00). Obviously, the fewer numbers you bet on, the lower your chances; however, the house edge on 00-0-1-2-3 (first five) is the worst of all possibilities (coming it at 7.89%).
- So clearly, don't bet 5 numbers.
- Two outside bets works as well. For example, red and odd -- that way you have most of your numbers covered and some covered twice.
- The house edge remains the same, but your odds of winning are just slightly under 50% (because of the 0 or 00). Obviously, the fewer numbers you bet on, the lower your chances; however, the house edge on 00-0-1-2-3 (first five) is the worst of all possibilities (coming it at 7.89%).
Betting Strategies
- Double up. If you are betting on black versus red or odd versus even, then try the following strategy: each time you lose, double up the amount that you bet the first time and then bet on the same color until you win. This is called the Martingale Strategy.
- For example, let's say you bet $5 on red and it lands on black. On your next turn, bet $10 on red so that you can win your money back and make a profit. If it lands on black again, double your amount again, betting $20 on red. Continue doing this until the wheel lands on red (which it inevitably will), to win your losses back and gain a profit.
- Start off by betting the minimum amount that your table allows. Remember that some tables have a maximum amount you can bet, meaning you may reach the maximum before you see a win.
- This strategy requires that you have enough money to be able to afford doubling up each time.
- Try the Grand Martingale Strategy. This betting system is the same as the Martingale Strategy, but instead of doubling up, the player doubles up and adds another unit. The "unit" is whatever bet you started off with.
- Use the James Bond Roulette Strategy. This system involves betting $200 total, distributed as follows: $140 on the high numbers (19-36), $50 on the six numbers (13-18), and $10 on zero. This increases your likelihood of winning by spreading out your bets.
- If the number is between 19 and 36, you will have an $80 profit; if the number is between 13 and 18, you will have a $100 profit, and if the number is zero, then you will have a $160 profit.
- The only way to lose is if a number between 1 and 12 comes up, which means a loss of $200, in which case you may employ the Martingale Strategy for losses.
- Look for the en prison rule. This is generally only applied European wheels -- and even then only sometimes. It's a rule that brings down the house edge to 1.35% on even money bets. Here's how it works:
- Let's say you bet on black. If the ball lands on zero (it must land on zero), the house keeps your $10 and the ball spins again. If it lands on black, you get your $10 back. You don't win anything, but you don't lose your $10!
Tips
- Look for common ball drop points on your wheel. This means that the ball drops at certain points into a numbered slot routinely. All you can do is watch the wheel over time to notice this.
- Always gamble responsibly. Never bet more money than you know you can afford to lose.
- There is a house advantage of 5.6% on American roulette wheels. If you are looking for a guaranteed high return, you may want to choose a game that is based less on chance and in which the house has less of an advantage.
- Look for deformed ball tracks. If it is the track that is deformed, no matter what ball is used, you will find the ball usually rattles at the same part of the ball track. By listening for the rattle and noting where a rattle occurs, you can detect deformed ball tracks and likely common drop points in less time.
- Look for low quality or deformed balls in play. If a ball is deformed, you will hear it rattle at different parts of the ball track. If the ball rattles at the same parts of the track, then it is more likely a ball track deformation.
- Identify wheels that are biased. You may find wheels that have dominant drop zones (wheel imperfections cause the ball to fall at certain points more than others), tilted wheels (the greater the wheel tilt, the more likely a wheel is to exhibit a bias), higher frets (pocket separators that are more likely to exhibit mechanical flaws), or wheels that decelerate at certain spots.
- Also look for wheels that wobble. Move to a location where you can see a strong light reflection on the wheel. If the wheel wobbles, the reflection will warp. This can greatly affect where the ball goes.
