How to Win at Roulette – Strategies & Tips

Author
Article by Simon Young
How to win at roulette
Last Updated: Apr 2nd, 2024 Share On Your Network:

Roulette is a classic table game popular at casinos for generations. It’s now a mainstay of online casinos in Australia, and there are many variations to play, such as European, French, and American roulette. Settling on a roulette strategy is a great way to focus and potentially increase your winning chances at the table. From the Martingale to the Fibonacci, we run through the best roulette strategies and explain how to win roulette at your chosen online casino.

Finding the Best Roulette Strategy

When learning how to play roulette, settling on a winning strategy can be the difference between winning and losing. From the Martingale to the James Bond, here are the best roulette strategies to consider before taking your seat at the roulette table: 

The Martingale Roulette Strategy

Considered by many as the best roulette strategy, the Martingale is also one of the simplest. The premise is to double the size of your stake immediately after a loss. Then, when you win, you reset your stake to the initial amount. 

Here’s an example of how it could work in practice.

Let’s say that you set your minimum bet at $1. With your first bet, you might place $1 on red at the roulette table. A win pays out $2, which consists of your initial stake plus a profit of $1. You can continue betting $1 until you lose. Should you lose, the Martingale strategy instructs you to double the size of your bet. So, the next bet would be a $2 wager on red. Should this bet lose, you need to increase your next bet to $4, then to $8, and then to $16, and so on. The idea is that when you finally end a losing streak, the increased win will usually cover your losses. Then, you can reset your bet amount to the initial stake of $1 and repeat the process.

For the Martingale roulette strategy to work, you need to have a substantial bankroll available to double up each time you lose. As a ballpark figure, it’s recommended that you use no more than 3-5% of your bankroll for the initial bet so you can increase the wager each time you lose. Keep in mind that nine straight wins mean your tenth bet will cost you over $1,000 – doubling each bet soon mounts up. The danger is you run out of money before getting the much-needed win to recoup your losses.

D’Alembert Roulette Strategy

As with the Martingale strategy, the D’Alembert approach is a solid option for bets that pay out even money (red/black, odd/even, etc.). Again, you need to decide how much you’re willing to place as your minimum stake to get started with this roulette strategy. Using 1% of your available bankroll in the D’Alembert strategy is a good idea, so if you have $100 available, your initial bet should be $1.

Now, the D’Alembert strategy deals with units, so it’s slightly more complicated than the Martingale approach. Taking your $1 as a minimum, your first bet needs to be equal to five units, or $5. If you win, you subtract one unit, and your next bet would be $4. If you lose, you add one unit to your next bet, to make $6. The D’Alembert strategy is a more attractive option to lower-budget players, as you only need to increase your stake by $1 each time you’re on a losing streak. 

The Fibonacci Sequence in Roulette Betting

From the outset, the Fibonacci sequence seems a little confusing, but it’s relatively straightforward when you get the hang of it. Referred to as a sequence rather than a strategy, Fibonacci is about calculating the next bet based on the numbers in the sequence. It’s best to begin the Fibonacci sequence on one, with the first ten numbers as follows: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55.

The idea with Fibonacci is that it is a progression. So, 1+1 = 2, 1+2 = 3, 2+3 = 5, and so on. Remember, the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence relate to the value of your stake, and you should progress through the sequence each time you lose, increasing your stake each time.

Parlay Roulette Strategy

Sports betting fans may know a parlay as betting on multiple outcomes in the same betting slip (some countries refer to it as an accumulator), but it’s also a term that means something to roulette players. The parlay strategy requires you to double the amount you bet when you win and reset the stake when you lose. As such, it’s the opposite of the Martingale strategy. Some players add a target when using the parlay system to ensure that they stop doubling the bet when a specific win value is reached (perhaps three or four times in a row).

Double Street Quad

Instead of informing you of how much to bet, the double street quad roulette strategy tells you which segments to bet on at the roulette table. To follow this roulette strategy, you must bet on two double street bets, one corner bet, and one straight-up bet. As a result, you should cover seventeen numbers. With practically half of the table covered, the double street quad bet has the potential to deliver regular wins, though the value of each win is likely to be relatively small. Still, including the straight bet means that there is a chance of landing a big payout each time you bet.

Additional Strategies to Win at Roulette

While the above roulette strategies can help you get started, you can also check out the Andrucci and James Bond approaches, as we introduce below: 

Andrucci Strategy

The Andrucci strategy is about using statistics to help inform your next bets. It’s best to use the Andrucci strategy as a long-term approach, and it’s not necessarily viable if you’re only planning a handful of bets at the roulette table. For success, you should aim for 30-50 repeat bets on an even money option like red/black or odd/even. You should make a note of each result, but you can also use the in-game statistics provided by the online casino to make your life easier. The key element of the Andrucci strategy is to reflect on the previous outcomes and adjust your bet amount accordingly after identifying patterns throughout the past 30-50 bets.

Some people refer to the Andrucci strategy as the “chaos theory”, and it’s not based on progression like the other popular strategies introduced here. Still, it can be effective for some people, and it’s worth trying out if you’re taking a longer-term betting approach at the roulette table.

James Bond Strategy

You might be willing to try out the James Bond strategy because you’re a massive fan of 007’s casino exploits. But you should also give it a chance because it can be a great way to systematically work your way through a viable roulette strategy. Place a $14 wager on red/black, odd/even, or high/low to try this strategy. At the same time, you need to bet $5 on a double street bet and a $1 bet on zero. As a result, the minimum stake for the James Bond strategy is $20. Crucially – we only recommend the James Bond strategy while playing European roulette. The inclusion of double zero in American roulette makes it less favourable.

Choosing the Right Roulette Game

If you have spent any time at an online casino, you will be aware that many different types of roulette games are available. So, how do you choose the right game to play? Here are some important things to think about that will help you select a roulette game at an online casino, as well as an overview of the most popular roulette games you will find at Aussie betting sites:

Roulette House Edge

House edge indicates how much money the casino makes from every bet at the roulette table. Naturally, the lower the house edge, the better it is for players. It’s fairly typical to see the house edge for roulette games as anywhere between 1% and 6%, depending on the type of game that you’re playing. Generally, live casino games tend to have higher house edges than RNG roulette titles. American roulette has a higher house edge than European roulette at online casinos. The table below is a rough guide that indicates the average RTP for popular roulette variations: 

Roulette Variation Average House Edge 
European Roulette 1.35% – 2.70%
French Roulette 1.35% – 2.70%
American Roulette  5.26%
Live Dealer Roulette 1% – 6%

It’s important to check the house edge before playing roulette, as games with a lower house edge pay more money. At some online casinos, you might see the house edge given as a return to player percentage (RTP). As the name implies, it indicates how much, on average, is paid out to players rather than how much is retained by the house.

European Roulette

European roulette is the most popular version of this classic casino game. There are 37 pockets in total: 18 red, 18 black, and one green. There is only one green pocket on the European roulette wheel, so the game has a house edge of just 2.70%. Therefore, we recommend playing European roulette with the abovementioned strategies for your best chance of winning.

American Roulette

American roulette is practically the same as European roulette but has one crucial difference – one extra pocket. A standard American roulette wheel has 38 pockets: 18 black, 18 red, one single green zero plus a green double zero. The addition of a second green pocket increases the house edge of American roulette to 5.26% since there are now two green pockets that win over all other bets.

French Roulette

In French, the word roulette means “little wheel,” and the game originated in France sometime in the eighteenth century. So, if you want to play a traditional version of this game with some slightly different rules, French roulette is a good option. Including the “en-prison” rule in French roulette is a safety net should the ball land on zero. Your stake will be returned if you have placed a straight-up number bet and the ball lands on zero. Some French roulette games include “la partage,” which sees a losing odd/even bet return half the stake when zero lands. As a result of these favourable rules, some French roulette games have a house edge of just 1.35%, but 2.70% is also common for this variation.

Live Dealer Roulette

Live casino games are extremely popular thanks to fine games from developers like Evolution, Pragmatic Play, and Ezugi. Roulette is one of the most widely available live casino games, hosted by a real-life dealer and live-streamed from purpose-built studios. Random number generators do not power these games, as the host spins the wheel and announces the winning bets at a real-life table. When you join a live dealer roulette lobby at an online casino, you can interact with the dealer and enjoy a truly engaging casino experience from the comfort of your home. Though not always the case, several live roulette variations have higher house edges than popular RNG table games, which is something to consider. 

Some of the most popular live dealer roulette variations in Australia include: 

1

Live American and European Roulette

2

Immersive Live Roulette

3

Double Ball Live Roulette

4

Speed Roulette Live

Make sure you check the betting limits and house edge of each game before playing.

Factors that Affect Roulette Strategies

Learning how to win at roulette is a great strategy before placing your bets. But you need to recognise that roulette is a game of luck, and though strategy can help, it will only take you so far. You also need to consider other factors that can affect your roulette strategy before playing a game. Here are some things to consider when deciding on the best roulette strategy for you:

Betting Limits

Every online roulette game has unique betting limits. Some games let you bet with as little as $0.10, while others command a minimum bet of at least $1. As for upward betting limits, you can find roulette games that invite bets in excess of $1,000 per round. Picking a game with appropriate betting limits is key for several reasons. Firstly, it helps you bet within your means, ensuring that you don’t spend more than you can reasonably afford to while playing at online casinos. Secondly, checking betting limits helps you to pick an appropriate strategy. The Martingale strategy requires a high bankroll to work well, given that you need to double your stake each time you lose. Therefore, it’s not a suitable strategy to employ while playing low-stakes games. The same is true of the James Bond strategy that calls for a $20 minimum bet. Helpfully, you can check the betting limits of each roulette game before playing so you can employ a suitable strategy while playing roulette online.

Bet Choice

Another important consideration is the type of bet that you place. Most roulette strategies are only suitable for even money bets. So, if you plan to bet on a number, most strategies won’t work. Even-money bets include red/black, odd/even, and high/low. They payout 1:1 if your bet is successful, hence the name. So, you should only use the Fibonacci, D’Alembert, and Martingale strategies if you want to place even money bets at the roulette table. The double street quad or James Bond strategies could work for all other bets. 

Game Type

You also need to think carefully about the type of roulette game to play before deciding on your strategy. We highly recommend playing European or French roulette because the house edge is significantly lower than it is in American roulette. This gives you a much better chance of winning and means that your game pays more money than the American counterpart. You should also check the house edge of each live casino roulette game that you play, as the house edge in these games tends to be higher than it is in RNG titles.

How to Win at Roulette

Learning how to play roulette and discovering how to win at roulette are two different things. But now that you understand which strategies can be potentially profitable, it’s time to look at the actionable things you can do to boost your winning chances. Let’s start with joining the best Aussie casinos to ensure that you have a fair chance of winning when you place real money bets.

Joining the Best Roulette Casino

The online casino that you join has a big impact on the quality of roulette games that you can take advantage of. At Betsquare, we only recommend licensed, regulated, and fair casinos available to Australians. We also consider a site’s variety of online casino games and make sure there are multiple roulette variations to enjoy, including European, French, and live dealer roulette. Equally important is the value of the promotions and offers, so you can access bonus funds for your favourite roulette titles. Right now, the best sites to play roulette in Australia include Golden Crown Casino, National Casino, Playamo, and Fastpay Casino. We have reviewed and played for hours at each online casino and are happy to recommend them if you’re looking for sites on which to play multiple roulette variations for real money.

Know how to play roulette

Once you have created an account at an online casino, you need to know how to play roulette before implementing an appropriate strategy. Roulette is an extremely simple game to understand. There are two elements to the game – the wheel and the table. The wheel has 37 or 38 numbered pockets, split between red and black, and one or two green pockets. The table indicates the different types of bets that you can place, which correspond to where the ball can land when the wheel stops spinning: 

Inside bets

 

  • Straight – a bet on a specific number.
  • Split – a bet on two adjacent numbers. 
  • Corner – a bet on four adjacent numbers. 
  • Street – a bet on three horizontal numbers. 

 

Outside bets

 

  • Red/black – a bet on a red or black number. 
  • Even/odd – a bet on an even or odd number. 
  • High/low – a bet on low (1-18) or high numbers (19-36).
  • Dozen – a bet on 12 consecutive numbers. 
  • Column – a bet on an entire column of 12 numbers.

Bear in mind that for most roulette strategies, outside bets like red/black, even/odd, and high/low are your best options. 

After deciding which bets to place and which strategy to employ, you can then place your bets. On most online roulette games, you can select the size of the chips that you want to bet and add them to the respective segments on the roulette table. 

Do your Research Beforehand

We also recommend researching beforehand to improve your enjoyment at the roulette table. Specifically, learn as much as you can about each of the strategies that we have introduced and see how they work in practice. A great way to do this is to play free roulette online, enabling you to try out each strategy without risking your own money. Playing free roulette also helps you to fully understand the game and how each bet works without risking your money. What’s more, before placing a bet at the roulette table, you can research which numbers have come up in previous games. This is a great way to plan your bets accordingly, particularly if you’re using a strategy like the Andrucci. Overall, roulette is one of the most popular online casino games, and although it’s primarily a game of luck, you can use several strategies to increase your enjoyment of the game and potentially boost your winning chances.

Roulette Strategy FAQs

What is the safest strategy in roulette?

It’s important to remember that roulette is a game of chance, so there’s no such thing as a “safe” strategy – your money will always be at risk. However, the D’Alembert is a good strategy to begin with as it doesn’t require big steps forward in terms of stakes, as is the case with the Martingale.

What is the most successful roulette strategy?

Successful roulette players can make a case for the success of all of the above strategies. That being said, the Martingale is perhaps the most popular strategy, and it’s normally the first one that people try when looking to strategically approach the game.

What are the most often winning numbers in roulette?

As every segment on the roulette wheel is the same size, one number is not more likely to land than another. If you’re looking for patterns, as is required in the Andrucci strategy, you can look at the game’s statistics to help you.

What are the best roulette tips for winning?

Playing European or French roulette will increase your chances of winning, as the house edge in each game is lower than it is in American roulette. Employing a strategy and methodical approach at the roulette table can also boost your winning chances.

Recommended for you