Roulette strategy is perhaps the most discussed and controversial of all gambling strategies. While many believe certain strategies to be successful, Roulette in essence is a game of chance just like Slots.
Roulette lends itself well to the Martingale and Grande Martingale strategies. However be warned that if you hit a losing streak you can lose big money because nearly all tables have a wager ceiling. The Martingale is a very simple system of progressive betting on an option with only two outcomes. In Roulette the common choice is to bet on either red or black; although even or odd would work equally well. The player will select a wager value (probably the minimum bet) and place it on an outcome. If the bet loses the player takes the same bet and doubles the wager, if they win they start the system over. If the player loses a third time they make the same bet and double the previous wager until they win. So if the first wager is $5, the second will be $10 and the third is $20. At any point from the third wager on, a win will result in a profit over the past three hands of $5 ($20-5-10=$5).
The Grand Martingale is the identical strategy except it is even riskier because it increases the bet at a greater rate. After the first loss the player wagers double the previous bet plus one more unit of the first bet. This carries on until a win is achieved. So if the first bet is $5 then the second bet is $15 and the third bet is $35. If you win on the third hand you would have won $15 over the three hands ($35-5-15=$15).
Problems with this way of betting occur when you hit a losing streak and reach the betting maximum. If in our example a table maximum of $500 is reached using the Martingale System and the player loses that round there is a huge loss even if the next round is won ($500-5-10-20-40-80-160-320-500= -$750).
The most basic of strategies is likely to be the most profitable and most enjoyable. The odds of getting your inside bet correct are much lower than the odds of choosing correctly on an outside bet. Therefore spend less money betting on the inside and more money betting on the outside. As always, gamble within you bankroll and set upper and lower win/loss point at which to stop.
When playing roulette online or at a land based casino, always remember inside bets will pay 35:1 no matter where the ball lands if you have selected the correct number. Therefore, whenever you can find a European Roulette table and you can afford the stakes, you should take it over an American Roulette table. This is because the payout is 35:1, but the chances of getting the correct number on an American table are 37:1 whereas the European table is 36:1 by virtue of excluding the 00 position on the wheel.
If you do choose to play Roulette, the best strategy is to have fun and set limits. Like any other game in a casino, their is a edge to the house and if you play any game long enough, the house will win. Many great mathematicians have attempted to disprove and predict the results of the roulette wheel, with no success. Albert Einstein himself said “You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.”