Roulette Strategy
Roulette is a very popular game in casinos all over the world, as well as in online casinos. It may not seem like a game where a lot of strategy is necessary; after all, you can’t control the spin of the ball, so the outcomes of the game are almost entirely determined by luck. In fact, it usually doesn’t even matter (in the long run) where you place your bets!
But despite all of that, there’s still a place for roulette strategy. Many people have attempted to create strategies to beat roulette in the long run. However, unless you can find a biased wheel or manipulate the results, it’s impossible to overcome the house edge over a long period of time. That said, you can pick a roulette strategy that determines what kind of game you’re playing. Different roulette strategies can lead to very different outcomes, at least in the short term.
Some players like to employ a roulette strategy that will usually build their bankroll slowly but steadily. They do this by making bets that cover large portions of the wheel at any one time, meaning they’ll usually win on most spins. You can do this by making lots of different bets on individual numbers, or betting on two of the three “dozens” bets, or in any other way you like. The key to this strategy is that you want to make sure you’ll win the majority of your spins. Of course, since you’ll be making a lot of losing bets, you’ll only come out slightly ahead most of the time – and when you don’t hit anything, you can lose big on just one spin. Essentially, you’ll be trading a lot of small wins for occasional big losses.
You can also approach roulette strategy in the opposite direction, and only play one (or a few) individual numbers, hoping for a big win. In this case, you’ll usually be losing, but when you do win, you’ll hit a jackpot! You can increase this effect by betting heavily on one number, as well as possible combinations that include that number. When your key number is hit, you’ll win on all of your bets, and if a nearby number hits, you’ll probably make a profit too.
Of course, there are plenty of roulette strategies that fall in between these two extremes. One of the nice things about roulette is that it offers so many different wagers at different odds, allowing everyone to play it the way that feels best to them. And what you might not have known is that virtually every bet in roulette has exactly the same house edge, so you don’t have to worry about making a sucker bet!
There are two pieces of roulette strategy you should keep in mind, however. First, if you have the choice, choose European (single zero) roulette over American (double zero) roulette. The additional zero on the American wheel may not seem like a big deal, but since both games pay out at the same odds, the European game has a much lower house edge – 2.7% instead of 5.26%.
There’s also one bet on the roulette table that does carry a higher house edge, and definitely does qualify as a sucker bet if you make it. On an American roulette table, you can bet on the intersection of 0-00-1-2-3. It’s the only place on the table where you can bet on five numbers in a group, and it pays 6-1. This bet carries a very high house edge of 7.89%, so avoid it!
Other than that, what roulette strategy you play with is completely a matter of choice. Find a strategy that feels fun or comfortable to you, and you’ll feel like a roulette expert in no time.
