The Best Roulette Bets To Beat The House
A common question that is posed to gamblers is what is the best roulette strategy to employ to maximize your odds of winning? This is a complex question since the game has so many variations and playing strategies. For the un-indoctrinated, roulette is a table game found in almost every casino around the world and has been featured on various television and big screen productions. The best roulette strategy for an individual player is based upon your bankroll, personal appetite for risk, betting preferences and playing style.
Below we will explore the best roulette bets and strategies that will maximize your odds of success at roulette the next time you take your turn at the wheel.
At the outset, it is important to understand that there are three different variations of the roulette game:
*European roulette – In this version of the game, there are 37 numbers with a single green zero. The house advantage is 2.7% and betting on any individual number carries with it 1/37 odds.
*French roulette – similar to European roulette, this game also has a single green zero and numbers ranging between 1 and 36. However, this game is different since it has two rules that do not exist in other games. They are known as “La Partage” and “En Prison”. What this means is when a player makes an even-money bet (red or black, odd or even or high or low) and the ball lands in the green zero section, the player receives half of the bet back (“La Partage”) or may allow to “let it ride“ (“En Prison”) until the following spin. This wrinkle does reduce the house advantage to approximately 1.35%.
*American Roulette – this is the United States version of the game which is unique in its display, style and rules. In this version of the game, there are two separate sets of zeros. There is a single zero and a double zero. The house advantage is much higher in American roulette than in European or French Roulette. The house advantage here is 5.26% and there is a 1 out of 38 chance for the player to select a winning number on an individual spin. The oddity is that the payout is 35:1.
Now that you understand the different variations of the game, the following are the best roulette bets and strategies.
1. Simply stated, betting red or black, odd or even or high or low in any variation of the game will give you as close to a 50-50 chance as any other game in the casino. Because of the different wrinkles in each game, the odds are slightly different but, by and large, you are going to get as close to 50% as possible. For every 100 times, you play European or French roulette, you will win approximately 49 times. When it comes to American roulette, that average drops to 46 wins.
2. This is known as “dozen betting”. This is betting in an aggregate manner where players choose 12 separate numbers; the payout is 2:1. In American roulette, the odds of hitting any dozen numbers is 31.58%. In European or French roulette, the odds are 32.4%. In so doing, you have a 1/3 chance of winning but you are risking more by placing more bets at one time. American roulette has the lowest odds, of course, because of the green zero and double zero slots on the wheel.
3. Combination betting is where the player bets on any combination of numbers at a time. This gives the player odds of 17:1 and carries with it the probability of winning at 5.4%. The odds here are better than betting on any one single number. The combinations most players wager on are two, three, four or six different numbers at a time. As you increase the number of combinations, you increase your winning probability but you also increase the amount of your wager.
There are three separate strategies employed by Roulette players:
1. Martingale system – this strategy is based upon the idea that the player will double their bet if they lose in the hope and expectation that they will recuperate faster from their losses. For example, if you bet $50 and do not win, you will double your bet to $100 to recover your losses. However, a losing streak can be fatal to your bankroll and become very expensive. By and large, this is considered the number one strategy in roulette.
2. Paroli system – this is what is known as a “positive betting system“. Some people refer to it as a progressive betting strategy where your bet is increased after a win and then as wins increase the size of your wager continues to grow. A “three-win” method is preferable when using this system which means that three consecutive wins are the objective before starting over.
3. D’Alembert system – this is where the player increases their bets after losing and decreases their bets after winning and is sometimes referred to as a negative progression system. This is a flawed strategy because it relies upon the theory that the likelihood of a specific outcome has some relation to the prior result. It is important to remember that each spin of the wheel is independent and the result of one spin has nothing to do with the others. In other words, just because black has come out 15 times in a row, the 16th spin has the same probability as the first spin did.
For newer gamblers, it is best to wager on the colours (red and black), odd and even and high and low at first to get a feel for the game. Over time, this strategy will enable you to realize some consistent wins and possibly go on a streak.
You may wish to consider incorporating a combination of the Martingale system with the red/black, odd/even, high/low betting strategy. Slightly increase your bets as you realize wins and, if you do lose, drop your bet down to the table minimum. Repeat this strategy over an hour or so and see how you do.
It is recommended that you start with a minimum bet such as $10 or so this way you don’t lose too much money. Slow and steady wins the race, so go at your own pace and most importantly enjoy the experience – roulette is one of the most thrilling and entertaining games in the casino and provides hours of entertainment if played correctly and skillfully.
