Roulette is one of the most exciting and well known casino games, so much so that each country has taken it and made it its own and there are a number of variations of the game throughout the globe. It is therefore advisable to learn the rules of the particular variant of the game to be played before entertaining the idea of employing Roulette Strategy in any shape or form.

Roulette Strategy and Systems Overview

There is a plethora of literature available on Roulette betting strategies and systems, some are free and others are not. Most of these are based on betting patterns one should employ throughout the game, the most common of which is to bet on group of numbers that are featured side by side on the roulette wheel and thereby spreading the bet. You may also see players bet in two of three columns or change over to another colour once the wheel has hit either black or red three to five times consecutively. In short, there are a number of strategies that you may come across in this game, the question is...do any of these really work?

And the short answer is no. However there are a number of strategies that many sites will claim work and we will take a look at these below.

Progressive Betting Strategies

The most common Progressive Betting Strategy is the Martingale Technique which works on the theory of progression. This means that if a player places an initial bet of $10 and loses, he/she should then double the value of the bet to $20 and if he/she then loses again, the bet should be increased to $40. However, the system states that if you if you win the bet, you not only win back your lost $10, but also $10 more and so it continues. It is for this reason that some believe that the Martingale betting system is "sure to win your money back". Although if you look at it logically, losses can turn into big amounts pretty quickly that will then need a winning streak or two to counter them...sounds like throwing good money after bad doesn't it?

Double vs Single Zero Roulette Strategy

European and American Roulette games differ in that the European wheel contains a single zero whereas the American one features both a zero (0) and double zero (00), meaning that the latter has an additional number that increases your chance of losing the bet you place making the odds worse than that of the European game.

There are a number of strategies based on the American version of the game, however, the house edge on most bets in this variation is 5.26%, which translates into you keeping $94.74 of every $100 you bet and no strategy has proven to lower the edge below a 5% edge.

So the best "strategy" here is to stick to European versions of the game as far as possible in order to take advantage of the more favourable odds.

There are no magic formulas or systems that can assure you of winning at Roulette, no matter what the promises; the best thing to do is stick to our recommended best play tips and to enjoy the game as a form of entertainment that may just surprise you with a few wins along the way.

We found this free roulette game online so you can practice the different Bet Types you learned earlier and the Strategies we outlined in this section.

Ready to Play for Real? Spin Palace is the best resource for online Roulette.

Or you can continue reading up on Game Strategies.