Roulette is a game of chance, but, just like with many other online casino games, that hasn’t stopped many passionate players from looking for any fair (and permitted) advantage that they can use to create a good roulette strategy to increase their chances of winning.
If you’re looking for any advice to develop the best strategy for roulette, read on to learn more about roulette odds and popular roulette betting strategies.
Understanding Roulette Odds
If you’re learning how to play roulette at a casino — whether physical or digital — it’s important to understand the odds of the two most popular versions of roulette: American and European roulette. American roulette has the standard pockets numbered zero to 36 but also has a double zero pocket for a total of 38 pockets. On the other hand, European roulette has only the standard pockets numbered zero to 36 for a total of 37 pockets.
So, when you wager on the American version of roulette, your odds of winning are lower than with the European version. American roulette has been calculated as having an overall house edge of 5.26%, while European roulette has an overall house edge of 2.70%.
However, the difference for specific wagers is much smaller. Here are the odds (rounded to the nearest 0.50%) of landing some of the most popular bets in each of these different versions of roulette:
| Roulette Bet | Payout | American Odds of Winning | European Odds of Winning |
| Red or Black | 1:1 | +111 | +106 |
| Evens or Odds | 1:1 | +111 | +106 |
| Lows or Highs | 1:1 | +111 | +106 |
| Dozens | 2:1 | +216 | +208 |
| Columns | 2:1 | +216 | +208 |
| 6 Numbers | 5:1 | +533 | +517 |
| 5 Numbers | 6:1 | +660 | +641 |
| 4 Numbers | 8:1 | +852 | +826 |
| 3 Numbers | 11:1 | +1166 | +1135 |
| 2 Numbers | 17:1 | +1805 | +1752 |
| 1 Number | 35:1 | +3746 | +3604 |
Popular Roulette Betting Strategies
Now that you know the odds you can expect, you might wonder what online roulette tips you can use to improve your chances of success. While it’s important to remember that each time you play a casino game, luck will decide the outcome. One of the strategies that roulette players use to try and improve their chances of winning is betting systems. These betting methods could help you shift luck in your favor in the long run.
Here are five of the most popular betting systems and how each system works.
1. Martingale Betting System
The Martingale betting system should be used only by those with deep pockets. The basic concept behind this system is that each time you lose in roulette, you double your wager on the next spin of the wheel. Eventually, you’ll get lucky, make back your losses, and have a bit of profit to show for your efforts.
This is considered a low-risk, low-reward betting system when you start off. However, if you get a bad run of luck, you’ll end up having to place very large bets to stand a chance of winning your money back. As a result, this betting system can be deceptively devastating.
2. Paroli Betting System
The Paroli betting system is almost the reverse of the Martingale betting system. This means that each time you lose, you keep your wager the same, but when you win, you double your wager. However, unlike the Martingale betting system, the idea is to go until you have three wins in a row. Once you’ve landed three wins, you reset the system and start from your minimum betting value.
3. D’Alembert Betting System
The D’Alembert betting system is only applicable to even bets or bets that offer you as close to a 50% chance of winning. This system requires you to decrease your bets when you win and increase your bets when you lose. In the long run, your profits versus losses will likely even out, and if a little bit of luck is on your side, you’ll have a small portion of your winnings. This is another betting system that appears to be low-risk, but your losses could snowball beyond your ability to bet if you hit a bad run of luck.
4. Fibonacci Betting System
The Fibonacci betting system is also only recommended for even bets, as higher-risk bets will become expensive for most gamblers. This system is named after the Italian mathematician Leonardo Bonacci, also known as Fibonacci, who developed the Fibonacci sequence — a specific series of numbers in which the following number in a list is the sum of the two preceding numbers.
So, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 13, are the first eight values in the sequence. The sequence starts off with 0 and 1. When you add 0 + 1 together, you get 1. You then add 1 + 1 together to get 2. You then add 1 + 2 together to get 3, and so on.
The Fibonacci betting system uses the Fibonacci sequence to determine how much you should bet, starting from a wager of $1. If you lose the bet, you progress to the next value in the Fibonacci sequence. However, if you win, you go back two numbers in the sequence. As with several other betting systems, the increasing scaling of bets as you lose could backfire once you hit your betting limit.
5. Andrucci Betting System
The Andrucci betting system is based on the idea that if you wager on even bets over a long enough period, you’ll be able to notice patterns of results that you can then use to base your betting on. When you play enough roulette and record the results of your spins, you can use this information to recoup any losses you’ve made due to losing streaks.
Do Betting Systems Work?
While betting systems sound like a great concept in theory, roulette is a game of luck. This means that each spin of the roulette wheel has no connection to a previous spin, and every result is completely random.
This is why you should focus on just having fun when you play roulette, as there’s no way to predict the outcome of any wager.
Use a Betting System or Just Try Your Luck at BetMGM
If you’re looking for an excellent online roulette experience where you can test your betting systems or just spin the roulette wheel to see what happens, BetMGM has you covered. BetMGM’s online casino has dozens of roulette titles for you to try out, with American and European roulette available for you to play online. These classic versions of roulette are available in digital and cutting-edge live dealer format, allowing you to have the best time playing on your own or with a real roulette dealer.
You can also find other thrilling casino games, table games, slots, variety games, and more to enjoy when you sign up at BetMGM.
Register at BetMGM to place your favorite roulette bet or other exciting casino game wager.