Back in 2004, some unknown Croatian mathematician shocked the security staff at the Ritz Club casino in London’s West End by winning over hundreds of rounds of roulette with statistically absurd consistency.
Now, almost two decades later, we know that the guy neither cheated, nor used some ingenious supercomputer device, but was simply taking advantage of imperfections that had built up on that particular roulette wheel over time.
This “mishap” made the global casino industry invest millions in innovations like laser inclinometers to guarantee the wheel’s integrity and true randomness, and make such exploits impossible.
Nevertheless, knowing the rules of the game and understanding the odds at play can increase one’s chances of winning enough to make a difference.
Which Roulette Table is the Best?
Discussing winning chances, roulette tables have not been created equal in terms of the odds they give to the players and the house edge they reserve for the casino.
French roulette grants the best chances because it has only one zero pocket and some additional rules lower the house edge to 1.45%.
Unfortunately, French roulette is rarely offered at online casinos, so this leaves the next best option – European roulette. This variant again has only one zero pocket, but the French extra rules are missing and the house edge is 2.70%.
American roulette is played with two zero pockets which nearly doubles the house edge to 5.26%. If you are concerned about your odds, you should avoid American roulette.
Understanding the Different Types of Bets in Roulette
The rules of roulette allow betting on single numbers or on smaller or bigger groups of numbers. The larger the group of numbers, the higher the odds of one of them winning.
Payouts are based on the odds: a straight-up bet on a single number like “17” has only 2.70% odds of winning, but pays 35 to 1, while a bet on “Black” has odds of almost 50% and pays 1 to 1 in case of success.
New casino players often start with roulette not only because it is so famous, but because the low-risk bet options allow them to get the feel of the game before moving on to different bets or even other games.
Inside Bets
The roulette betting layout has an “inside” area which displays all the red and black numbers on the wheel plus the green zero.
The inside area offers the riskier and higher paying bet options: on single numbers or on groups of up to six numbers:
| Bet | Odds | Payout |
| Straight Up (1 number) | 2.70% | 35:1 |
| Split (2 numbers) | 5.41% | 17:1 |
| Street (3 numbers) | 8.11% | 11:1 |
| Corner (4 numbers) | 10.50% | 8:1 |
| Basket (5 numbers including “0”) | 10.50% | 8:1 |
| Six Line (6 numbers) | 15.80% | 5:1 |
Outside Bets
Bets made in the “Outside” area cover larger groups of either 12 or 18 numbers:
| Bet | Odds | Payout |
| Red/Black (18 numbers) | 48.60% | 1:1 |
| Odd/Even (18 numbers) | 48.60% | 1:1 |
| Columns (12 numbers) | 32.40% | 2:1 |
| Dozens (12 numbers) | 32.40% | 2:1 |
Maximizing Your Odds: Effective Strategies for Playing Roulette
A professionally operated roulette game produces random outcomes, but in the longer run a player can maximize their odds of a juicy win if a sound betting strategy is applied wisely.
Humans have created a number of such strategies like the Martingale or the Fibonacci betting systems which can be used in games with odds close to 50% like roulette.
In an ideal scenario where you have an unlimited bankroll and there is no maximum bet limit, these strategies ensure a good probability for an eventual huge win.
In the real world, however, they can also easily lead to an abrupt loss of everything you’ve got, so disciplined budgeting, limiting your game to your predetermined bankroll, and not chasing losses is crucial.
The Martingale System: How to Use This Popular Betting System in Roulette
The Martingale system is among the most popular betting strategies around the world, and many gamblers would vouch for its effectiveness, even though severe criticism can also be found.
A player using this system would double their bet after each loss, so that the first win would recover all lost money plus a margin.
Here is an example of a Martingale betting system sequence of outcomes:
- Your ₹100 bet loses.
- Your ₹200 bet loses.
- Your ₹400 bet loses.
- Your ₹800 bet wins and pays you ₹1,600. You have bet a total of ₹1,500, so you’ve gained ₹100.
- Your next bet is ₹100.
The Fibonacci System: Another Betting System to Try in Roulette
This system is based on the famous Fibonacci sequences of numbers – beautiful mathematical patterns that appear surprisingly often in nature, sciences, arts, and music.
Each Fibonacci number after the first two is equal to the sum of the preceding two numbers.
Playing roulette, the Fibonacci betting system advises players to increase their bets with one step after each win, and decrease them with two steps after each loss, like in the following sample sequence of outcomes:
- Your ₹100 bet wins.
- Your ₹100 bet wins.
- Your ₹200 bet wins.
- Your ₹300 bet loses.
- Your ₹100 bet wins.
