How Does Roulette Work?
Much of the appeal of playing roulette online comes from the game's simplicity. All you need to do is place your bets, watch the ball and wheel spin around, and collect your winnings if the ball lands where you bet.
In terms of gameplay, it really doesn’t get much simpler than that. But dig a little deeper and we find a few more subtleties to the game which you might not notice at first glance.
For example, did you know that there are different versions of roulette? If you play in American casinos, the grid will show 38 numbers: 1 to 38, then 0 and 00. However, when you play European roulette, there aren't any 00 spaces, which leaves only 37 numbers to bet on. If you want to try leaving the game with more money than you started, playing the European variant of roulette will give you much better odds of winning.
There is also a French version of roulette, which is identical to the European version but with two added rules: La Partage and En Prison. These rules could be considered a form of insurance, and apply when the ball lands on 0 on an even-money wager (Red/Black, High/Low, or Even/Odd). The La Partage rule returns half of your initial wager, while the En Prison rule holds your bet en prison (“in prison”) and gives you the chance to win it all back on the next spin.
Now, which version are you most likely to encounter when you play on a live roulette site? If you play online, then that’s no problem; the ever-growing number of great online casinos means you won’t have trouble finding the exact game you want to play. Playing in a land-based is a slightly different matter, but you can reasonably expect to see either the American or European formats on offer, or in the case of the Casino de Montréal, both.
What Bets Can You Place in Roulette?
Similar to craps, roulette is known for its wide range of betting options. These are all laid out on the table in a dizzying grid of words, colours, and numbers. So if you want to take advantage of any roulette betting strategy, you must first be familiar with all of the choices you have at your disposal.
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Red / Black
Bets on all red or black numbers, and places chips on the corresponding color square. Pays out even money (1-to-1).
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High / Low Number
Bets on numbers 1-18 (Low) or 19-36 (High), and places chips on the corresponding space. Pays out even money.
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Even / Odd Number
Bets on all even or odd numbers, respectively, and places chips on the corresponding space. Pays out even money.
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Dozen
Bets on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd group of 12 numbers on the table (except zero), and places the chips on the corresponding space. Pays out 2-to-1.
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Column
Bets on 12 numbers in a straight column, and places the chips on the corresponding space at the edge of each column. Pays out 2-to-1.
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Line
Bets on 6 numbers in a 2-row cluster, and places the chips between the edges of two rows on the board. Pays out 5-to-1.
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Basket
Bets on 1, 2, 3, 0, and 00 (if available), and places chips between the edges of the zeroes row and the first row. Pays out 6-to-1.
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Corners
Bets on 4 adjacent numbers in a square formation, and places chips in the middle of said numbers. Pays out 8-to-1.
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Street
Bets on 3 numbers in a row, and places chips on the outside edge of the row. Pays out 11-to-1.
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Split
Bets on 2 adjacent numbers, and places the chips between the two numbers. Pays out 17-to-1.
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Straight Up
Bets on a single number, and places chips in the numbered space. Pays out 35-to-1.
What are the Best Roulette Strategies?
Roulette strategies fall into two broad categories, betting strategies that adjust wager size after each spin and table strategies that pick specific number combinations to cover the wheel.
Because people have come up with so many strategies over the years, trying to include all of them here would make this guide dizzyingly confusing. To keep things simple, we've condensed the most popular strategies to play live dealer roulette into two basic categories: betting strategies and table strategies.
Progressive betting systems like Martingale and the Cannon System can drain a bankroll quickly during a losing streak, so play responsibly and use our responsible gambling guide if you need support.
Roulette Betting Strategies
As the name implies, this type of roulette strategy involves changing your bet amounts based on certain outcomes. Unlike the table strategies we will cover later, betting strategies aren't particular about what numbers you bet on. However, these strategies tend to produce the best results when played on bets that pay even money, such as High/Low, Even/Odd, and Red/Black.
Martingale Strategy
The Martingale strategy is the most widely used betting system in casino games including roulette. Players double their bet after every loss and return to the starting bet after a win. An example scenario using this strategy is as follows:
| Bet | Outcome | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | Loss | $-1 |
| $2 | Loss | $-3 |
| $4 | Loss | $-7 |
| $8 | Win | $1 |
The logic behind this negative progressive betting system is that doubling your bets when you lose allows you to recoup your losses when you win. However, this betting system falls apart when you encounter an especially long losing streak. At this point, you run the risk of going over the table's maximum betting limit, leaving you unable to recover your bankroll.
Paroli Strategy
The Paroli strategy is a positive progressive betting system in which players double their bet after every win instead of after every loss. The sequence resets after a loss or after three consecutive wins. The doublings continue until you lose or get three wins in a row, by which point you go back to your first wager. The following is an example scenario using this strategy:
| Bet | Outcome | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | Win | $1 |
| $2 | Win | $3 |
| $4 | Win | $7 |
| $1 | Loss | $6 |
The Paroli method has the potential to make substantial profits with winning streaks of three at a time. However, the strategy is vulnerable to major losses if one loses on the second doubling. Using our example scenario, a loss on the second doubling means we lose $4, putting our bankroll at $-1.
1-3-2-6 Strategy
The 1-3-2-6 strategy is a betting system in which players wager one, three, two, then six units in sequence, moving to the next number after a win and restarting after a loss. Like the Paroli method, one progresses through the sequence with consecutive wins, only returning to the first step on a loss or after completing the sequence.
The logic behind this particular sequence is that your losses are minimized if you lose further down the sequence. To illustrate this, we've put down two example scenarios using the strategy:
| Bet | Outcome | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | Win | $1 |
| $3 | Win | $4 |
| $2 | Loss | $2 |
| Bet | Outcome | Winnings |
|---|---|---|
| $1 | Win | $1 |
| $3 | Win | $4 |
| $2 | Win | $6 |
| $6 | Loss | $0 |
Roulette Table Strategies
So far, the roulette strategies we've covered were all focused on the bet amounts. Table strategies flip this script, being very particular about where we place our bets instead.
Cover the Table Strategy
The Cover the Table strategy places multiple bets at once to cover as many numbers on the wheel as possible, reducing the chance of a total loss on any single spin. These combinations were devised based on the known payouts of each type of bet, maximizing the odds of winning while minimizing losses. Some of these bets include:
- 35 straight up bets, covering 35 numbers out of the 38 on the grid (37 if playing on the European variant).
- 17 split bets, covering 34 numbers.
- 11 street bets, covering 33 numbers.
- 5 line bets, covering 30 numbers
Cannon Strategy
The Cannon (also called Canon) System is a relatively advanced table strategy that requires you to play different combinations of 9 straight up bets in 12 different stages. The idea is to play each stage of bets until one wins or loses 5 times in a row. Afterwards, one moves to the next stage and repeats the process until one hits their point limits. The stages, as well as their respective numbers, are as follows:
| Stage | European / Single Zero |
|---|---|
| 123456789101112 |
1 2 3 20 21 25 26 33 35 4 5 6 10 19 21 24 27 34 7 8 9 22 23 28 29 30 31 5 10 11 12 23 28 30 35 36 13 14 15 19 20 27 31 32 36 16 17 18 22 24 25 29 33 34 0 1 2 4 14 15 19 20 21 5 8 9 10 16 18 22 23 24 0 2 3 6 13 17 25 26 27 0 7 8 11 12 18 28 29 30 0 1 9 14 16 26 31 32 33 3 6 11 12 13 17 34 35 36 |
| Stage | American / Double Zero |
|---|---|
| 123456789101112 |
0 00 1 2 3 13 14 15 24 4 5 6 16 17 18 21 22 23 7 8 9 11 12 19 20 26 28 7 8 10 11 12 25 27 29 30 1 2 3 13 14 15 34 35 36 4 5 6 16 17 18 31 32 33 6 7 8 19 20 21 31 32 33 3 4 5 22 23 24 34 35 36 0 00 9 10 25 26 27 29 30 0 9 11 12 25 26 28 29 30 16 17 18 19 20 21 31 32 33 13 14 15 22 23 24 34 35 36 |
The point limits are part of a separate system that tracks one's progress through the cannon system. Points are added on a win and removed on a loss. If one reaches the win limit of +70 or the loss limit of -100, the player must end the session and quit for the day or find another table to start over.
James Bond Strategy
The James Bond strategy is a table spread that divides a bet in multiples of 20 units across the 0, the 13 to 18 range, and the 19 to 36 range. Depicted in the original Casino Royale novel written by Ian Fleming, the James Bond strategy involves divvying up a bet with a multiple of 20 as follows:
- 1 unit on 0
- 5 units on 13-18
- 14 units on 19-36
This table spread covers 25 of the 38 numbers on the grid and provides pretty substantial payouts when the ball lands on your spread. However, your odds of winning are lower than with the Cover the Table method (but better than the Cannon method), with 12 numbers that could result in a loss.
Take Your Roulette Game to the Next Level with Good Strategy
Easy to learn but hard to master, roulette is satisfying and one of the most rewarding games in the entire casino. Whether through betting systems, table coverage plans, or a combination of the two, understanding good gambling strategies could boost your chances of winning big in roulette. And we hope that this guide has set you on the path to doing just that.
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Roulette Strategy FAQs
What is the most successful roulette strategy?
The short answer is: it depends on what's worked best for you. The longer answer, unfortunately, is that the "most successful" roulette strategy doesn't exist.
This is because all casino games, roulette included, are designed to favour the house in most circumstances. How much advantage the casino has in a game is measured by the house edge, which indicates how much of one's wager is statistically lost to the dealer in every bet. This house edge means that all roulette strategies eventually lose out to the casino in the long term.
So if you have a strategy that has given you significant profits, then by all means, call it your best strategy for roulette. But remember that just because it works for you doesn't mean it will work for anybody else.
Is there a strategy to win roulette?
Knowing what we know now about the house edge, it's safe to say that there is no single best roulette strategy. As the saying goes, "the house always wins in the end," and the same saying applies in roulette.
But before you get discouraged, it's important to remember that the house edge applies over the long term. Implementing European roulette strategy techniques like the Paroli method could result in substantial profits in a single session, but the house edge will eventually catch up and tip the scales over to the house's favour before long.
What is the 666 roulette strategy?
The 666 roulette strategy is a table strategy that attempts to cover as much of the table as possible with a fixed betting arrangement that maximizes the payout from each bet. This strategy distributes bets to one of the outside bets, 12 split bets, and 3 straight up bets.
Whether this strategy is actually effective or not is a different story. A particular concern with this strategy is its relatively low profit per win, which can all be wiped away with a single loss.
What number comes up most in roulette?
Statistics and understanding the mechanics of roulette tell us that the ball generally has an equal chance of landing on any of the numbers on the wheel. However, subtle (and often subconscious) biases in the croupier can very slightly change these statistical probabilities and make the ball land on some numbers more often.
What is the safest roulette betting strategy?
Flat betting, where a player wagers the same fixed amount on every spin, carries the lowest risk of the common roulette strategies because it removes the chance of a rapid bankroll loss from a doubling system like Martingale. Flat betting does not reduce the house edge. It only controls how quickly a losing streak drains a bankroll.
Does the Martingale strategy work in roulette?
The Martingale strategy can produce short-term wins by recovering losses on the next winning spin, but it does not overcome the house edge over the long run and requires a large bankroll and a high table betting limit to survive a long losing streak.
Can I use a betting strategy and a table strategy together?
Yes, a player can combine a betting strategy such as Paroli with a table strategy such as Cover the Table, since betting strategies control wager size and table strategies control which numbers are covered. Combining the two does not change the underlying house edge of the game.
