How to Win at Roulette

Roulette has developed a mystic aura surrounding it over the years. The long history of the game includes many failures, but also some spectacular success stories like the original “Man Who Beat Monte Carlo”. However, roulette doesn’t need those stories to highlight the fact that the game is spectacular fun.

Beyond the spinning ball and the intrigue of using a special system to capture and exploit a run of winning numbers, players often lose sight of just why they are playing. Most casino players wander to the gaming tables without thinking about a specific strategy to win at roulette. Unfortunately they are more likely to see their chips bleed away quickly because they are making so many bets on numbers that even when they manage to have a few lucky strikes the payoff is quite small. And, if you don’t maximize your payoffs there is little chance of leaving the table a winner.

Choosing Your Strategy

Before wagering, roulette players should decide not just what betting strategy or system they will use, but also whether to just casually pass the time or try for a roulette win. Casual bettors may enjoy the game immensely, but they are unlikely to ever have the kind of night they will remember for years to come.

Roulette players have devised many betting systems over the years to take advantage of both good and bad streaks. None of them are designed for a large win. For instance, the Martingale system player is after a steady win of one unit at a time, constantly trying to dodge the bullet of seven straight losses.

Likewise, D’Alembert system players grind away with a very popular (and sometimes profitable) system of gathering the same small units, but again they don’t fully capitalize on a winning streak.

It is a good start to decide to use a betting system; even if your roulette win strategy is simply to choose a few numbers you like and keep betting on them most of the evening. You’ll get a chance to play enough roulette to keep you happy, and you might increase your bankroll. However, if you want to go for a big score, it’s time to make some serious decisions about your table bankroll and your overall bankroll.

The Big Win

Nearly every “system” advocates quitting about the time the table stake or daily stake is doubled. If you come to the casino with $200, your goal is to enjoy yourself at the roulette tables and perhaps leave with $400. However, for these purposes let’s consider playing to win $3,000.

To get to that number you can take three approaches. The first approach is to immediately increase your starting bets to a level about five times your usual wager. If you usually bet 5 units of a 200 unit bankroll, you would start at 25 units. This higher wager will give you only 8 bets instead of 40, which means you will bust out quickly most times you play. Many players overbet their starting bankrolls and lose quickly.

The second approach is to use your usual betting limits but start increasing your wagers immediately upon a winning session. It is possible to use the Labouchere system, but there is zero room for a losing session. You would start with a simple line of ten units and, as soon as it was achieved, make a new line and double the wagers.  Four consecutive sessions would translate to a $3000 win. Any less than five in a row and the entire stake is lost.

A Pivot system player may find success when trying to score big by doubling their single number wagers each time their starting bankroll of 105 units is achieved. When 210 units are reached the bets double again. This is likely to result in a very rapid increase or decline in the table stakes (bankroll) but the player can return their bets to the starting amount and may ward-off a complete disaster. However, that means the good fortune of earlier spins are quickly erased and the player must contend with the fact that they did have a reasonable win at one point that was lost in the desire for a huge win.

The third approach to having a big win is to play any other system not discussed that you employ and forget about saving your winnings. Your only goal is to make 10 times your original table stake. You might try doubling after a win and then adding 25% to each subsequent win on outside numbers and doubling or tripling every wager on winning inside bets. This allows you to replenish some of your table stakes after most winning spins.

It takes a lot of nerve and fortune to make a big score at roulette, and most sessions will see you with an early win that is subsequently wiped-out with a streak of losing spins. If you don’t use a specific system but like to wager on inside numbers, the best avenue to a big score is to raise all of your bets in proportion to your table stakes.

Increase Your Wagers

If you start with 100 units, double your wager amount on individual bets as soon as you are over that 100. When you get to 200 units, double your wager amount on individual bets again and continue to double your wager amount on individual bets with each subsequent 100 units. You’ll have the option of dropping your wagers if you fall to lower levels, or keeping them at the present level and hope to hit a streak again quickly.

More mathematically-inclined players may also approach their wagers from a percentage of their table stakes. On any given spin they may decide to wager 5% of their stack (1/20th of their chips). This approach is less likely to reach high levels unless most wagers are straight-up or split bets, which can have huge returns when a good streak comes along. In addition, this particular approach will result in smaller and smaller bets as the table stakes fall – which may keep the player in action longer.

Regardless of which system you use, roulette is a fun and exciting game enjoyed by millions of players. If you want to have a night to remember, you’ll have to risk more in your attempt. Most of your efforts will fail, so they should be attempted when your bankroll can withstand a little rough water.

When you do have that big win, head home and enjoy the fruits of your labors! And remember to start your next session of play back at your previous table stakes before tapping into the big money.