A roulette strategy has one aim and one aim only: to win. Most roulette strategies are based around telling players how they should bet and when to bet it. The game of roulette has more potential strategies than any other casino game.
Best Roulette Strategy – Roulette Betting Systems Explained Being one of the most famous casino games of all time, roulette has been subject to a lot of analysis and odd calculations. The game looks simple enough and has the potential of winning you lots of money with just a single spin of the wheel.
The 3rd Dozen or 3rd 12 bet on the outside of the roulette table covers the numbers 25 to 36. This bet pays two to one, meaning that a $1 bet pays $2 if any of the numbers 25 to 36 come up on the next spin. Placing the Two Bets Together You can cover 30 numbers on the roulette layout by placing two bets on every spin: 1-18 and the 3rd Dozen.
However, most roulette players lose because the strategies they use are tailored towards promotions, rather than actual tips that can help them win.
4 Number Bet – Bets on 0,1,2,3 at the same time. Only available on European and French roulette. 5 Number Bet – Bets on 0,00,1,2,3 at the same time. Only available on American roulette. This is also the worst bet in the entire game because of the unfair payout – avoid it.
This article will explain which roulette strategies work and show why others do not.
But first, it’s important to understand the basics of roulette strategy. A lot of roulette players believe in absolute nonsense.
Here are 10 common misconceptions about the roulette strategy.
1. Previous Spins Do Not Affect Future Spins
No matter how many times you spin the wheel, the chances that the ball landing on one number/color/etc remain the same every time. You can see this for yourself. Load up an online roulette wheel and play some spins for free. Record the results of red and black and try and spot some streaks. If you find one, check how many times that color spins next. After enough spins, you will find that the odds will not have changed at all. Previous spins do not affect future spins.
2. Progression Bets Do Not Help You Win In Roulette
Changing your bet size after each bet is called “progression”. Increasing your bet size is known as “positive progression”. Likewise, decreasing your bet size is known as “negative progression”.
No matter if it’s positive or negative, changing your bet size has no impact on your chances of winning.
Many roulette players wait for some sort of ‘trigger’ before implementing a betting progression strategy. One example could be waiting for black to win 3 times in a row. From here, the player would double the bet until they win.
This will not help the player win. Each spin is independent of the next and the odds have not changed since the last spin.
The only thing that is changing is the amount of money wagered. Sure, the player could be lucky and win big, but it’s just as likely they can be unlucky and lose big too.
3. Roulette Triggers Don’t Exist
Waiting for a certain event to happen does not impact your chances of winning in roulette. The only ‘trigger’ that can help you is if it is related to the physical wheel itself, rather than the sequence of numbers.
For example, if you decide to bet the number 3 after noticing that over 10,000 spins it wins at a higher percentage, then this is called bias analysis. This would make sense since there must be something about the wheel that causes the number 3 to win more often than other numbers.
On the other hand, waiting for the sequence red, black, black, black and then betting big on red does not affect your chances of winning.
Another trigger players like to use is skipping spins. Again, this does not win in the long-term.
Imagine that over the course of 500 spins, you only bet on 50 ie 10% and you manage to make a profit. This does not mean your ‘trigger’ means anything. All that’s really happened is that you won over the course of 50 spins.
4. Bankroll Management Does Not Help In Roulette
Bankroll management has two effects on roulette strategy: you either lose your money quicker (ie positive progression) or slower (ie negative progression).
All bankroll management does is control how much you should bet on each spin. Again, it comes down to the fact that bet sizing has no impact on your chances of winning.
5. Long Term Balance Does Not Exist In Roulette
After 5,000 spins of the wheel, the results of red or black will be close to even. Therefore, it seems reasonable to think that over the long term, you could check what color has spun the most and bet on the other one, right?
Not really. If there are more of one color than the other, then this is more because of a defect in the wheel. Therefore, if your roulette strategy was to bet on red because it had fewer wins than black, it would actually be a lot better to bet on black as the wheel is favored towards it.
6. Only Bet Short-Term Roulette Strategies
Lots of roulette strategies aim to make a 1-unit profit per session. Unless your units are in hundreds or thousands, it’s not enough to make a real difference anyway
But for the sake of argument, let’s assume that winning 1 unit a session is the be-all and end-all for winning roulette.
Now think of it like this: if it guarantees to win 1 unit a session, wouldn’t you want to use it all the time? After all, if it’s that good, why limit yourself to just 1 unit?
The answer is that short-term strategies do not work for roulette. They can either win over the long-term or they don’t. Either way, the house always has the edge.
7. Roulette Streaks Make No Difference To Your Chances Of Winning
Sometimes in roulette, the ball will land on the same number twice, three times or more in a row. This isn’t some freaky wizardry, it’s simple statistics.
On an American roulette wheel, the odds of spinning the same number three times in a row can be calculated by:
(1 in 38) x (1 in 38) x (1 in 38) = 1 in 54,872
But what about the odds of spinning the same number twice in a row, say 5, but then landing on a different number, say 7?
Since every spin is independent of the previous, spin, the chances are exactly the same as above: 1 in 54,872.
So it makes no logical sense to think that if one number is on a winning streak, it’s in your favor to bet it again.
This also applies to other roulette bets, including red or black, first, second, or third dozen, etc.
8. You Can’t Use Progression To Win Before A “Rare Event” Happens”
Once again, this comes down to the fact the odds do not change. Rare events do not exist in roulette. The only reason players think they do is because they have not seen enough spins for it to have happened yet.
For example, the player may not have seen this sequence of winning numbers before: 1,4,6,2,5. But they may also have never seen this sequence of winning numbers before either: 12, 25, 14, 9, 0.
After enough spins, both of these sequences will happen at some point. With a large enough sample size, you will see that they will also occur the same number of times too.
Each sequence of winning numbers in roulette is just as rare as each other.
9. Just Because A Roulette Strategy Wins Doesn’t Guarantee It Works
Roulette betting strategies either win in the long term or they don’t, it’s as simple as that. For example, if you decide to use a negative progression strategy after losing a few bets, the end result remains a loss.
On the other hand, you could wait for “triggers” before using an aggressive betting strategy and win big. Of course, you will not be making as many bets as the progression strategy, meaning you can make your bankroll last for, potentially, thousands of spins.
Now, just because you may have won big does not mean that the system you used was a good one. If you analyze this in more detail, you will likely see multiple large spikes in your bankroll.
To see how ‘good’ this system really is, find a reliable roulette system tester and create another one with completely random bets. Over 10,000, 20,000 or even 50,000 spins, you may find that betting randomly can be profitable.
Does this mean that the random selection process is a winning strategy that works? Of course not.
You will have just been lucky.
It’s easy to think that you have a winning strategy when all that happened was that you got lucky from time to time. This happens to a lot of players.
Luck can even make losing strategies profitable. Those using it may stop playing roulette and end with a profit, making them believe the strategy was effective.
Over time though, if they continue playing, reality will catch up and the system will lose.
10. Winning Most Of The Time In Roulette Is Enough
Imagine you had a roulette strategy that won 75% of the time. Over the course of 4 days, you profit on 3 and lose on 1. Your results may be something like:
Day 1: +10 units
Day 2: +20 units
Day 3: +50 units
Day 4: -100 units
Everything was going so well until something happened that you didn’t expect and you lost big. How did this happen? You just got unlucky, right?
Except that you didn’t. Casinos don’t leave it up to chance to make money. In the end, the house wins because of its long-term edge over players.
Winning Systems: The Casino’s Illusion
Casinos profit because they know the majority of players can’t tell the difference between a winning roulette strategy and a losing one. Here’s an example that shows how this can happen.
Imagine 100 players all played roulette and used exactly the same strategy as each other, but none of them knew each other or the systems each of them were using.
After using the strategy over the course of 1 month, these were the results:
40 of the players won a total of $400,000. Since they all won, they are sure that their strategy wins. Since they believe they have a winning strategy, they will return to the casino hoping to win more money.
The remaining 60 players lost a total of $500,000. Since they all lost, they are sure their system loses. Since they believe they have a losing strategy, they will look to improve it before returning to the casino again with a new system.
But none of this matters.
At the end of the day, the casino is the real winner.
Firstly, they have made a $100,000 profit from this group of 100 players.
They also have the winning players coming back, even though it’s not a long-term profitable strategy, as shown by the 60 losing players.
Sure, they may have initially paid out $400,000, but to the casino, it’s like an investment. They pay out with the expectation the players return and bet the same strategy – only this time, the players will lose.
Casinos don’t care about winners or losers; they just need more people to lose than to win.
How To Win At Roulette
So now that the important things have been covered, it’s time to learn how to win at roulette.
On a typical American roulette wheel, your chances of picking the right number are 1 in 38.
The only way is to improve your own chances of winnings. If you don’t, the odds remain in favor of the casino.
How do you do this?
By studying the thing that actually determines the result of a spin: the wheel and the ball.
But this isn’t brand new information to casinos. They know better than anyone how players can use the roulette wheel to give them a real advantage.
Losing Roulette Strategies
So by now, you should understand why a lot of strategies lose. They use a ‘trigger’ that doesn’t exist, they implement some form of bet progression or they focus on the numbers rather than the roulette wheel and ball.
The following section will show you some of the best-known roulette strategies. However, they all lose in the long-term. From everything discussed so far, you will see why they lose now too.
The Martingale Strategy
Martingale is a betting progression strategy. If you lose a bet, you must double it for the next one.
If you go on a bad run using martingale, you can lose your bankroll quickly.
After lots of doubles, you will reach the maximum bet amount. Even if it wins, you may not be able to recoup your losses.
The odds do not change when you double the size of your bet. All that’s happening is changing your bet on a different spin.
Tier et Tout Strategy
This is another betting progression strategy but with bankroll management included too.
Like the martingale, no matter how many times you increase or decrease the size of your bet, the chances of winning never change. The only thing you are doing is making different bets of different sizes.
You are just as likely to win (or lose) making a random bet of a random size.
John Solitude Raindrop Strategy
This roulette strategy uses the balance misconception. It expects to win ‘in the end’ but this does not work because it won’t allow you to choose bets in a way that actually improves your chances of winning.
These are just a selection of losing strategies by there are countless others out there, each claiming to be the next thing since sliced bread. But they all share the same misconceptions of roulette strategy.
You may also find strategies that may sound different at first but they are actually exactly the same as other losing systems.
You must be aware of this before learning which strategies you should actually be using.
Winning Roulette Strategies
Many roulette players use strategies that do not work. Unfortunately, many people are losing because they have been convinced that it is a winning roulette strategy.
Everything that this article has covered so far should help you identify a losing system, should you come across one. Hopefully, you will never need to waste another penny again.
Now for the good news.
Here are the best winning roulette strategies.
Roulette Computers
These are small electronic devices that can measure the speed of the wheel and the ball as it travels. This predicts where the ball will land.
This is the most effective way to beat roulette.
Bear in mind though that, while they’re not illegal, if you get caught using them, you will probably get banned from the casino so keep them hidden as much as possible.
Visual Ballistics
This involves looking at the wheel with your own eyes to predict where the ball lands. With practice, it becomes a lot easier than you may think (but a lot tougher compared to other effective winning roulette strategies.)
Dealer’s Signature
A lot of roulette dealers spin the wheel and ball consistently, leading to predictable patterns. This is known as the ‘dealer’s signature’ and is the reason why they are changed every 30 minutes or so.
It works on the following principles:
The ball hits some diamonds more often than others ie dominant diamonds.
The ball bounce is not totally unpredictable.
When the wheel spins at, near enough, the same speed, the ball will travel a predictable distance and drop into a predictable area of the wheel.
Keep in mind that this strategy doesn’t work on every wheel though. You need to find the right wheel and the right dealer to get the most from this strategy.
Bias Analysis
Every single roulette wheel has some sort of defect. Even if it’s a tiny defect, it can affect how the ball lands.
This is known as bias.
If you can spot the defect and learn how it affects the results, you can profit from roulette.
Of course, this strategy relies on you spotting the defect before the casino does and removes it from play.
In your search for the best online roulette sites in 2020, there are a few important aspects to keep in mind. This selection and analysis will help ensure that the site you choose is right for you.
What are the Best Online Roulette Sites?
The best roulette sites are subjective to each player’s preferences, and usually depend on one or more of the following factors :
A site that offers a big bonus
The ‘real casino feel’
The ability to play with live dealers
Best Roulette Sites
Rank
Roulette Site
Rating
Official Link
1
bet365 casino
9.6
See Bonus
2
888Casino
9.6
View Bonus
3
Mansion
9.5
Get Bonus
4
BGO
9.5
BGO Bonus
5
Bovada (US only)
9.5
See Bonus
6
LeoVegas
9.5
See Bonus
(Updated November 2020)
One thing is for sure, you should start by only playing at roulette sites that are regulated and licensed in a jurisdiction that allows online casino games to ensure your money is safe. Don’t be persuaded by huge bonus offers from casinos you’ve never heard of without checking out reviews first! We’ve tips on how to play the game here.
This article will save you some work. We’ve judged the casinos that offer roulette by a number of criteria including security, software, games offered, and customer service.
After searching high and low for the best roulette sites, and testing a huge amount of online casinos along the way, the following make our shortlist:
Top Roulette Sites for US Players ??
When it comes to finding the best roulette for US players, Bovada Casino really is head and shoulders above the competition. With up to $3,000 in casino welcome bonuses (18+T&Cs apply), the highest credit card acceptance rates of any US casino and best-in-class customer service and roulette software, it should be your number one choice. Their software works on PC, Mac, and all mobile devices. With the ever-changing laws in the US regarding which states are accepting players from which operators, it is well worth checking to see if you are eligible to play here by visiting the site:
US Players Allowed
Real Time Gaming Software
Licensed and Regulated
Unfortunately, the rest of the casinos listed on this page don’t accept players from the USA.
Overall Best Online Roulette Site for 2020
888Casino:This globally renowned brand that has been in business since the 1990s is listed on the London Stock Exchange as 888 Holdings PLC. It offers players the best in traditional roulette as well as live dealers and the latest & greatest 3D games.
The roulette variants on offer include French roulette which offers the best value to the player of any roulette variant.
888 is fast becoming one of the world’s most popular gaming brands. A quick look around their site will show you that they offer live roulette games with real croupiers 24×7.
They provide players with slick proprietary software that loads quickly in both versions – instant and downloadable – and gives that real casino feel with a certified 97.43% payout percentage.
The roulette games at 888 are fully compatible with all desktop PCs (Windows, Mac et al) and also offer all of their games for mobile and tablet devices.
When it comes to bonuses, 888 have tailored some nice offers in the past, so do check out their site for the most current (see the link below which takes you there).
A huge number of payment options such as Visa and MasterCard debit cards, bank cheques and wire transfers are offered. Also, the following e-wallets can be used – WebMoney, Moneybookers (Skrill), PayPal and Neteller.
We think that 888 has all that you could possibly want in an online casino. If you’re only going to create an account at one site, our call would be to make it this one. It’s the casino that offers the best online roulette games around at the moment, by far.
Globally Recognised
Recurring Bonuses
Poker and Sports Betting
Proprietary Software
Mobile Casino
Live Dealer Games
Best Online Roulette Software
Mansion Casinois one of the oldest and most trusted names in online gaming, and they run a fantastic line-up of roulette variants.
Their casino comes in both instant play and downloadable versions which run on a notoriously reliable software platform. They also have an excellent mobile app allowing you to play roulette on the go.
You can even play games with live croupiers via video link. All of these features mean they get the nod as our number one for slick and realistic software for playing roulette online.
Best Numbers To Bet In Roulette
In terms of cashier options, you can use credit and debit cards, Bitcoin, eWallets like Skrill and Neteller, vouchers like UKash and Paysafe Card, and UK players can now deposit and withdraw through PayPal. If you become a regular player you might even be treated to VIP trips to football matches, live casinos, and more.
Best Bet In Roulette
The online casino (like all should be) is protected with SSL encryption which safeguards the personal and financial data of the players. Don’t go anywhere near one that doesn’t have this in place. Mansion has a dedicated customer service team that can be contacted through live chat or e-mail 24/7.
UK Licensed
Massive Bonus
Powered by Playtech
Great VIP System
Best Range of Roulette Games
LeoVegas Casino: Once the relative newcomers to the online casino world, LeoVegas certainly made a big initial splash. Now they’re very much an established player in the market.
To achieve this, they have gone to great lengths to bring their players all of the best games out there. When it comes to the best roulette sites, you’ll find no less than 27 variants to play there. Yes, TWENTY SEVEN!
They take all of the usual deposit methods, and they’re licensed in the UK and in Malta. Even if you’re not sure, LeoVegas lets you try all of their games for free without even having to sign up, which is a really nice touch.
After years of making serious waves in the online casino industry, these guys are one of the best roulette sites to open an account with, especially if you would like to try different variants of the game.
Mobile Specialists
Biggest Range of Games
Highest Paying Slots
Award Winning
Best Customer Service
Bet365 Casino: We think that Bet365 is a really top-notch roulette casino, and part of one of the biggest online gaming brands in the world. We like that it is licensed in the UK with 24/7 support via international freephone whenever we’ve needed it (not often) and live chat as well as email.
We also really like that the site offers several variations of roulette in both downloadable and Instant Play software versions and in particular the increasingly popular live dealer online roulette games – with a sleek mobile app for playing roulette on the go.
The graphics and audio at Bet365 are clear and crisp and we love the smooth animations. Again, with a licensed and regulated gaming brand, you’ll have a host of payment options.
This includes debit cards, wire transfers and, of course, e-wallets as well as many more. You’ll also be able to bet on sports and play poker, bingo, and the financial markets all with the same account.
We’ve used a lot of casinos over the years and in our experience, bet365 casino customer support really is second to none. They really do go the extra mile.
If you watch the video below, you will be able to see me playing French roulette on bet365 casino which should give you a pretty good idea of what it’s like.
Roulette 5 Number Bet
Wide Variety
Great Service
Payment Options
Best Live Roulette
When it comes to live roulette sites, the classic casino game has become quite a standard offering.
Apple caesars palace. However, some operators have made it their specialty and we particularly like the way that BGO Casino has set things up right from the moment you enter the lobby. Once you are there, you’ll be able to select from Playtech-powered live roulette tables ranging from Speed Roulette, Sligshot Roulette and the ‘premium’ Grand Roulette.
To top this, you can try your luck on BGO Prime Roulette which is a European roulette table designed exclusively for BGO players. It features a clear view of the roulette wheel and zooms in on it when the ball is in play. It’s the next best thing to being there!
—————--
Best Roulette Sites: What you Should Know
Roulette, meaning ‘little wheel’ in French, is a casino table game where you can place bets on a single number, multiple numbers, black or red and even or odd numbers that are featured on a wheel.
At online casinos, the game is offered in two formats. These are the software-generated version and one that features live dealers on video streams. Personally, my preference is the live dealer format myself, as I like the fact that it’s so much more realistic.
Main Roulette Variants
There are two major types of roulette – American and European. The wheel in the American roulette game has numbers from 1-38 and the European roulette has 1-36 in either red or black. The number 00 is included in the American version and not in the European version.
If you’re planning on playing at roulette sites, you should opt for a site that offers the European version. This is nothing to do with being patriotic if you are from the US. It’s just common sense to help you have a better chance of winning.
As it has a reduced house advantage, the game of European roulette increases your chances of winning. You’ll come across some wacky variants online such as Mini Roulette and things like Double Bonus Spin Roulette, but for the most part, the classic European roulette game gives you the best chance of winning.
Live Online Roulette Sites
If you like to play roulette for real money and cannot make it to a land-based casino, then you can opt to play at roulette sites that offer what’s known as ‘live roulette’. This format is different from the online roulette that is offered at most casinos.
The live roulette features a human croupier at an actual roulette table that can be viewed on your computer screen. They basically live stream the session to you. The croupier is often a young woman with an eastern European accent in the majority of times that I’ve played.
You will not be playing the game against the site’s random number generator but against a real wheel, alongside other players who are also online and virtually ‘sat’ at the table alongside you. The environment provided by this roulette format is unparalleled as you will not be watching graphics but a real video where the dealer will be taking your bets and spinning the wheel.
The main advantage of live dealer roulette at online casinos is that it offers an actual roulette-playing environment similar to that in a real casino. What’s more, instead of making your way down to a casino for the thrill of playing roulette and the social interaction with other players, you can enjoy the excitement of the game from the comfort of your home.
Some online casinos have also installed a live-chat feature in these games which allows you to send messages to the croupier and to other players. This adds another dimension to make the whole thing more sociable.
Online Roulette Betting Options
A roulette table can be a confusing thing when you first see it, and there are a lot of places to put your chips! We’ve made a handy guide (see the graphic below) that shows you all of the different betting options that are available.
Whether you want to play it safe and go for small wins by betting on red or black or go for the big payday by going straight-up on single numbers, is completely up to you!
Choice of Software
Select an online casino that offers you a choice of the best roulette software – Instant Play/Flash version and downloadable version. The Instant Play or Flash versions allow you to access roulette games quickly. You just have to select the instant play icon to start playing roulette.
One of the benefits of selecting the version is that you will not have to wait for the software to download to your computer. Also, you will not have to worry about the compatibility of the software with your PC or Mac’s operating system when you use the flash version.
By opting for the downloadable version, you will be able to play the game on your computer whenever you want. You will not have to log on to the site each time and select the Instant Play option to start playing online roulette.
Roulette Betting Systems
Something that you might come across when you read about roulette are these so-called ‘systems’ that are designed to help you make a profit. The most popular one is something called the Martingale system and it’s fun to think about.
The Martingale system basically works as follows for roulette: You pick red or black and bet $1 on it. If you win, great, you then bet another dollar on the next spin. If you lose, you double your previous bet in the hope that you can recover the loss from the last time. If you lose again, you double your bet again! Confused yet? Let me give you an example to help:
Let’s say that you bet on red and it loses 5 times in a row. The first time you bet $1, then $2, then $4, then $8, and finally $16. Your total outlay so far is $31. Next spin you bet $32 and red comes in. You get your $32 back and you also win enough to have covered your previous 5 bets with $1 profit left over. Sweet!
There’s a problem, though. What happens if you go on some kind of freakish run where black comes up 10 times in a row? Now you’re in the uneasy position of having to bet $2048 on the next spin if you want to continue the system.
Even if you have a bankroll big enough, it’s often the case that the table will have a maximum bet so you won’t be able to continue the system. In reality, I’m afraid none of these systems give you an advantage over the house. You should steer clear of them at all costs. Please heed my advice on this one, you will not regret it.
Online Roulette FAQs
Still unsure about playing roulette? We’ve compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions in our inbox from players new to online gaming and to roulette. They should address any additional questions that you may have about playing online at the best roulette sites.
? Which Online Roulette Site is Best Overall?
We think that it has to be 888, thanks to the variation of live croupier games, payment options and high payout percentage.
?? I live in the US. Can I play roulette for real money?
Sure you can. There are plenty of offshore companies who accept US players. Like this one, for example. Just make sure you only play at our list of the best online roulette sites. There are plenty of shady operators out there, so GPWA approved portals like our site help out with guidance in this respect.
❓ What’s the Best Roulette Strategy for a Beginner?
Different bets on a roulette wheel come with different chances of winning. Obviously, the long shots will come in far less often, but you stand to win a lot of money when they do. Picking a single number will see you get 35 times your bet back, but you have to be pretty lucky to guess right. Depending on your bankroll it might be long gone before you ever win. A safer place to start for new players is one of the bets where you have a high chance of winning a smaller payout, such as picking red or black, or choosing whether the ball will land on an odd or even number.
❓ I Saw a Roulette Betting System Online. Should I Buy it?
Absolutely not. All of these systems are scams and simply don’t work. The game of roulette is based on basic mathematics, and no trick you perform can change that. Don’t believe the sales pitch – The house always has a slight edge and no system can overcome it. You just have to rely on luck!.
❓ How can I withdraw my winnings if I get lucky?
Most sites have a huge range of withdrawal options from bank transfer to e-Wallet to posted cheques. In the US you’ll often be limited to withdrawing by cheque, although things will likely loosen up over time.