Law of the Third as a Strategy for Roulette

The Law of the Third is a roulette system based on the mathematical fact that, after a set number of spins, certain numbers will not have appeared. If a roulette wheel was made of a set of gears, 37 in all, each cog in the gear would touch once in a full revolution. However, just because a roulette wheel spins in full revolutions and has 37 pockets (European wheel with numbers 1 to 36 and a single 0) that have the same probability of attracting the ball, it doesn’t mean the ball will land in each one evenly.

In actual fact, a random view of 37 consecutive spins looks similar to a Keno board. It’s more like a shotgun blast and the numbers hit are all over the place. So, why are we mixing Keno with roulette? Because the odds of hitting all 20 balls drawn in 20 chances are about the same as all 37 pockets being hit once in 37 spins of the wheel.

Shotgun blast pattern in a wooden wall

Probability and statistics often produce a similar mathematical distribution as the shotgun blast, but a bell-curve can be drawn through the results with most numbers in the middle (at the top of the bell) hitting once. On one side of the bell some numbers hit twice or more, and the other side has numbers with zero hits.

This means that in 37 roulette spins about a third of the numbers will not appear, because some numbers will appear twice or more. With 37 numbers, about 25 will hit and 12 will not – about one third.

Can this information be used to produce winners at the wheel? The true answer is yes and no.

The Law of the Third is a money-management and betting system, not a guaranteed money-maker. However, there are ways to enjoy wagering that can produce many winning sessions and this is one of them.

How to Play the Law of the Third

To follow the Law of the Third system, choose a spot at the table and buy chips (not a color) that you don’t have to bet every spin. Write down each number for however many spins it takes to get 9 different numbers. Then wait for one spin to gather your chips and get ready to bet the 9 numbers that you saw appear. Make a single unit wager on each of the 9 numbers for the next three spins.

Beam of light with circle of light denoting good luck

If all goes well, one number will appear a second time and you’ll be paid 35 to 1, while you are risking a total of 27 units. You’ll be plus 9 units (because you won’t have to bet a new chip on that number the next spin) and you’ll win a third of the 27 units you risked – hence the Law of the Third.

When things go especially well, you’ll hit a second number for a return of 45 chips. When the Gambling Gods shine their light on you, one of the numbers will repeat each of the three spins and you’ll have a return of 81 chips.

When this happens you’ll have enough chips for three complete sessions (27×3=81) on the house to see if you can win even more.

Chance and your Bankroll

Any good betting system has to have a defined table stake and a bankroll. You have the ability to set your own parameters, but a good rule of thumb is to start with enough chips to try the system at least a few times.

If you start with a bankroll of 108 units you’ll have the chance to play the system through a minimum of four times. Buy-in for the full amount and start playing.

There are two ways to continue, to play conservative or aggressive. On the conservative side, each time you find yourself ahead 27 units, put them in your pocket and don’t touch them until you go to the cage. On a good evening you’ll find more than 108 units when your chips on the table evaporate and you are set to quit.

On the aggressive side, as soon as you are ahead 54 units, play the next group of 9 numbers for 2 units. If you manage to hit one or two numbers, you’ll be well on your way to a great evening. You can then go back to the single unit, or stay at 2 units for the next group. If you double your stack to 216 units you can try a single group of 9 numbers for 3 units.

If you fail on any attempt of increased units, just start over again with a single unit. When luck comes again, push to 2 units. Remember, you’ll have some good and some bad, but you can increase your fun and finances by leaving when you are ahead, instead of trying to break the bank every outing.