Roulette Strategy - The hard truths!

In roulette, players place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colours black or red, whether a number is odd or even or if the number is high or low. To determine whether a player has won, the casino croupier spins the wheel in one direction and the little ball in the other direction. Sounds like a game or chance! With our roulette strategy, it needn't be.

Roulette strategy - The basics

A child could play roulette - but not everyone can play roulette with strategy. A roulette strategy entails that a player makes a careful bet selection and manages his funds efficiently. The web is full of roulette strategy advice. Often the advice is poor, untrue or described in a complicated fashion. Whenever you see roulette strategy online, you should ask yourself: is there any maths behind the roulette strategy touted?

Mathematical probability is key. Consider the fund's management aspect of your roulette strategy: if you have just won double your stake, how likely is it you will lose your winnings if you continue playing for one round, two rounds or three rounds? It is quite likely, given that the odds in roulette are - regardless of whether you are playing French or American roulette - always slightly against you. With that in mind, the most basic roulette strategy is to only place a bet if you can also risk losing the money you bet.

Red, black, number, odd - what's my best bet?

Depending on the type of roulette you play (beware online roulette can be quite different to classic casino roulette), your roulette strategy should vary. However, on a standard roulette wheel, there are 18 black slots, 18 red slots and two green slots. This means your chances of hitting black are just as high as your chances of hitting red. To be precise, your chances are 47.4% and the house probability is 52.6%. This makes betting on colours are relatively safe and sound roulette strategy.

Yet, betting on numbers can be much more profitable. The odds of hitting a single number in roulette stand at 35 to 1. This means players have a small chance (2.63%) or winning. Yet, the payout when you hit a single number in roulette is quite high.

Here is how payout typically works in roulette

To implement a good roulette strategy, knowing how much your bet could pay is important. Let's assume you bet £1 on number five. Ta-da! You hit number five. Since your bet came with odds of 35 to 1, you will receive a return of £1 and an additional £35 for the win.

When you bet on one of three numbers, the odds stand at 11 to 1. Again, the very same principle applies: if one of the numbers comes up, your roulette strategy has paid off. If you placed a bet of £10, you win £110.

Remember: roulette is as much about good luck as it is about strategy!

Check out our other article on Roulette for Beginners now!