Roulette Guide – The 6 Best Roulette Strategies
Winning a roulette game is down to pure chance, yet players are always looking for tips, tricks, and strategies to help them ace the game and turn the odds in their favour. If you’re looking to improve your chances of winning roulette at online casino UK, you’ve come to the right place. Our roulette betting strategy guide will teach you how to play roulette strategy and explain the top six strategies you can use on the roulette wheel. Before we get into all the details, the most important thing to remember whilst reading this guide is that roulette is all about luck. None of the strategies discussed here are roulette systems that work every time, and they’re not a foolproof method of winning or reducing the house edge either. Roulette strategy systems are there to help you avoid common mistakes or to help you manage your bankroll better by following a betting structure. With that said, keep reading to get our expert roulette tips for beginners and learn about the most popular roulette strategies.
The Best Roulette Systems
Roulette is a game with vast betting opportunities, but it can also be quite repetitive because all you do is place your bet and wait for the result of the ball. Unlike blackjack or poker, where you must use your skills to make decisions with your cards, roulette isn’t a game of skill. This is why using a roulette strategy that works can make the game more fun to play because you can experiment with different ways of managing your bankroll. In this casino roulette strategy guide, you’ll learn about the following top six online roulette betting strategies for European roulette or American roulette:
- The Martingale Strategy
- The Reverse Martingale Strategy
- The Fibonacci Sequence Strategy
- The D’Alembert System
- The James Bond Strategy
- The Labouchère System
The Martingale Strategy
Out of all the betting strategies, this is often considered the best roulette strategy, partly because it’s the one most players know about or have heard of. The Martingale strategy is also one of the riskiest betting systems because it involves doubling your stake after a loss. The theory behind this strategy is that if you keep doubling your bet after a loss, you’ll recoup those losses when you eventually hit a win. When you win, you go back to your original stake. There are a couple of things to remember before using the Martingale strategy to play roulette. First, this roulette strategy works on even money bets only, so you can't wager on a straight up bet, for example. You can choose from the following bet options:
- Red or Black
- Odd or Even
- Low or High Numbers
Second, be aware that it’s very easy to run out of money sometimes or reach the table limits if you start with a high stake, so it’s definitely not the safest roulette strategy to use. Sticking to your budget and starting with a small initial stake is very important to minimise the risk of big losses. Below, we’ve included a Martingale roulette strategy chart to illustrate the system in practice:
| Round | Bet | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1 | Lose |
| 2 | £2 | Lose |
| 3 | £4 | Win |
| £1 profit | ||
The Fibonacci Strategy
As you might have guessed from the name, this roulette strategy is based on a series of numbers where every number is the sum of the two numbers before it. The sequence can be continued by adding the last two numbers to get the next. Here’s how the sequence starts: 0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34, etc. Like the Martingale method, the Fibonacci roulette strategy is a negative progression method which means you increase your bet on a loss and decrease it on a win. Like most roulette strategies, which involve increasing your stake, the Fibonacci roulette system is still risky. Following it can’t guarantee you’ll win or regain your losses, but it’s considered a safer option. Another benefit of the Fibonacci system is that it’s also very easy to follow. If you start with a bet of £1, you can follow the number sequence to determine your next bet depending on the result. If you lose, you move to the next number in the sequence, but if you win, you go back to numbers in the sequence. For example, if you win with a bet of £5, your next stake will be £2. If you’re not starting with a base unit of £1, all you need to do is create your own sequence by following the same rule explained above. Below is an example scenario of a roulette game using the Fibonacci strategy:
| Round | Bet | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £1 | Lose |
| 2 | £1 | Lose |
| 3 | £2 | Lose |
| 4 | £3 | Lose |
| 5 | £5 | Win |
| 6 | £2 | Lose |
| 7 | £3 | Lose |
| 8 | £5 | Lose |
| 9 | £8 | Win |
| 10 | £3 | Win |
| 11 | £1 | Win |
| £0 profit | ||
The Paroli Strategy
The Paroli roulette strategy is a positive progression betting system that's sometimes used at online casinos, and it involves increasing your bet on a win rather than a loss. The idea of the Paroli strategy is very simple; if you lose, you keep your bet the same, while if you win, you double your bet. This process should be repeated until three consecutive wins are achieved, after which you return to your original wager, as illustrated in the example below:
Bet
| Round | Outcome | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £2 | Win |
| 2 | £4 | Win |
| 3 | £8 | Win |
| 4 | £2 | Repeat |
The D’Alembert Strategy
The D’Alembert strategy is also a progressive betting system but a negative one like the Martingale system. This roulette strategy states that you should increase your bet when you lose, but you only need to increase it by one unit instead of doubling it. If your last bet was £5 and you lose, your next stake will be £6, rather than £10. As you can see, the D’Alembert roulette strategy is safer than the Martingale or Fibonacci systems because you’re not doubling your stake every time. Instead, you increase it slowly by just one. If you win, you also decrease your stake by one. This is often considered the most successful roulette strategy for managing your bankroll and lasting as long as possible because it’s less risky. However, you never know how long it will take to get three consecutive wins, so you might quickly start depleting your bankroll if you start with a losing streak. The advantage of this method is that, in practice, it’s very easy to understand and apply to any online or live roulette game, which is why it’s the best roulette betting strategy for beginners or players who don’t want the risk level that comes with the Martingale system. Below, we’ve illustrated an example of using the D’Alembert method in roulette:
| Round | Bet | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £10 | Lose |
| 2 | £11 | Lose |
| 3 | £12 | Win |
| 4 | £11 | Win |
| 5 | £10 | Win |
| £12 Profit | ||
The Labouchere Strategy
The Labouchere is, in our opinion, the most complex strategy, especially compared to the methods we’ve discussed above. This is because it doesn’t have specific rules or a sequence of numbers you can follow. Instead, the Labouchere roulette strategy states that you should start with a winning goal. We suggest choosing an even number to simplify calculating the next steps. More importantly, keep this number realistic. If you go for a huge amount, like £1000, your chances of winning won’t be in your favour. Let’s take a £10 winning goal as an example. This number must now be divided into a sequence of numbers that make up £20 when added. The sequence should be made up of different numbers, but ideally, they should be even to make it easier to follow. For example, the £10 goal can be split into a sequence as follows: 1-2-4-1-2 Keep this sequence in front of you as you start playing because you’ll need to see it to determine how much your stake will be on each round. To start, you add the first and last number in the sequence together. In this case, your first bet will be £3 (2+2). If you win, cross off the numbers you’ve just added and repeat the same process. This means your next bet will be £3 again. If you lose, you add the last bet amount to the end of the sequence and repeat the process of adding the first and last numbers together. So, assuming you lost your previous £3 bet, add the number three to the sequence and get a bet of £5 (2+3). Following this strategy can be complicated initially, but it’s easy to pick up with a little practice. Another drawback is that it also requires a large bankroll to follow, so it’s important to have a strict budget if you use this strategy. When you add your losing bets to the sequence, you’ll quickly start using up your bankroll, so keep this in mind if you want to try out the Labouchere method. Like the other betting strategies discussed, the idea of the Labouchere system is to use it on even money bets. An example is illustrated below:
| Round | Bet | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £3 | |
| 2 | £4 | |
| 3 | £5 | |
| 4 | £5 | |
| 5 | £7 | |
| £0 Profit | ||
Non-Progressive Roulette Strategies
Most online or live roulette betting systems are positive or negative progression systems, but there are some non-progressive systems. Unlike the best winning roulette systems reviews so far, this is the only strategy that isn’t limited to even money bets on the live roulette (or online) table.
The James Bond Strategy
The James Bond roulette strategy is designed for the European roulette wheel, so keep this in mind if you're playing American roulette. This method requires a bankroll of at least £20. Some guides recommend a starting bet of £200, but we don’t recommend starting with such a big bet because the risks are too high. What’s important is to keep the proportions the same. Next, your bet should be split across three different types of bets: one even money bet, one bet on the zero, and a double street bet. The idea is to cover most of the wheel, although your bet will lose if the ball lands on numbers one to 12 on the roulette table. Here’s what your bets would look like with a bankroll of £20.
| Bet Amount | What to Bet On |
|---|---|
| £1 | 0 |
| £5 | Double Street (13-18) |
| £14 | High Numbers (19-36) |
How to Choose the Best Roulette Strategy for You?
With so many roulette strategies and betting systems available, you might be wondering what the best roulette betting strategy is. Rather than questioning which strategy is better, it’s more about which is most suitable for you. If you’re not sure which strategy is right for you, here’s what you should consider:
What Bankroll Does the Strategy Require?
The first question you should ask yourself when choosing a strategy is the bankroll you need to keep up with it. Many roulette strategies require heavy betting before you can see a return, making them very risky. For example, the usual recommended bet size for the James Bond strategy is £200, which is extremely risky because there’s no guarantee you’ll win. Similarly, if you were to follow the Martingale method, you would need a sizeable bankroll because doubling your bet consecutively will quickly add up. Your budget should always be respected; stop playing if you’ve used up your bankroll.
Is the Strategy Easy to Use?
The strategies discussed in this guide have different difficulty levels, so assessing your knowledge of the game and experience is important before selecting a strategy. Ensure you understand the rules of the system before trying it out on real money roulette. More importantly, it’s always worth reviewing the basic roulette rules and bets to be sure you know what you’re doing.
Is it Suitable for Online Roulette or Live Roulette?
Not every roulette strategy is suitable to try out on both types of online roulette, so you should always consider what kind of roulette you’ll be playing before picking your strategy. Remember, online roulette has a much slower pace than live roulette. In online roulette, you can take your time to decide what to bet on next and how much you want to bet too because betting time isn’t usually limited. You only get a few seconds with live roulette, usually between 10 to 15 seconds. Your strategy should be as straightforward as possible because you don’t have time to make complex calculations. For example, one of the strategies that wouldn’t be ideal for live roulette is the Labouchere system. In those few seconds, you’ll need to add numbers together and remember to add your last digit to the sequence if you lose, so it’s easier to make mistakes if you’re rushing. Easier strategies like the Martingale or Reverse Martingale and the D’Alembert strategy are more suitable to live roulette simply because it’s easier to calculate your next bet. Many live roulette tables also have a ‘double and deal’ button, perfect for using the Martingale or Reverse Martingale strategy roulette systems. When you need to double your stake, you can do it automatically by clicking this button.
What is Your Experience Level in Roulette?
Much like live roulette is more suitable for more experienced players due to the faster pace, you should choose an online roulette strategy that’s suited to your experience level. If you’re not familiar with the roulette wheel and the roulette table layout, we suggest starting with a simple strategy that’s easy to follow. These include the Martingale, Reverse Martingale, and D’Alembert strategies. The Paroli system is also fairly easy to follow for those relatively new to roulette betting systems. The Fibonacci, the Labouchere, and the James Bond roulette betting systems are much more advanced and complex.
Roulette Strategy Tips
The key to using a strategy and getting the best possible odds with that system is to follow it accurately. If you make deviations from the system, you’re much less likely to reap any benefits that the strategy is designed to offer. However, there are other general roulette tips and strategy we recommend using when playing roulette, such as the following:
Don’t Place Conflicting Bets
A typical beginner mistake is betting on red and black on the same round to cover both possibilities. The problem with betting like this is that you can never win – you’ll only break even or lose your bet if the ball lands on zero, which is a green pocket.
Consider Choosing Outside Bets
Remember, most roulette betting systems are designed to work on even money bets only. Although it limits your betting options significantly, you can still choose any roulette wheel because these bets are the same whether you’re playing European roulette, American roulette, or French roulette. However, always remember that European roulette has a lower house edge than the American variant. French roulette also has a low house edge which means the odds are further in your favour.
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What is the Most Winning Roulette Strategy?
It’s difficult to say which is the most profitable roulette strategy because none of them is foolproof. There’s no roulette strategy to win every time because roulette is 100% random, and it’s impossible to eliminate the element of chance in the game. The best roulette winning strategy is to choose a betting system that fits your bankroll and is easy to implement, and to keep your expectations realistic. Don’t expect to win every round, and remember that losing is always part of any casino game – the ultimate goal of playing roulette is to have fun! Finally, don’t forget to check out Britain Play’s welcome offer before you jump into your next roulette game. New players only, £10 min fund, £50 max bonus, 65x Bonus wagering requirements, max bonus conversion to real funds equal to lifetime deposits (up to £250). Full T&Cs apply.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Best Roulette Strategies
Below, you will find the answers to the most common questions about roulette strategies!
What is the Most Winning Roulette Strategy?
None of the roulette strategies is proven to be more successful than others; roulette is all about luck, so it’s a matter of finding the strategy that suits your experience level and bankroll.
What is the Safest Strategy in Roulette?
One of the safest roulette strategies is the D’Alembert method because instead of increasing your bet by two times or more, you only increase it by one unit, which should help you last longer in the game. However, remember that no strategy can reduce the house edge further.
What is the Smartest Strategy to Win Roulette?
The best way to play roulette is to allocate a budget and play with small stakes. We also recommend choosing outside bets because they offer much better odds of winning than inside bets, albeit offering lower payouts too.
Is There a Secret to Winning Roulette?
Unfortunately, there’s no secret to winning roulette and no such thing as an unbeatable roulette strategy. With 36 possibilities in European roulette, it’s impossible to predict where the ball will land every time.