Roulette is, at its heart, a game of chance. Players can do nothing to change the odds of any particular outcome. The house advantage will always stand the same on every bet. What players can do is understand betting strategies and the odds. By understanding the odds, players can make the best out of their time a the roulette table. The best advice, however, is to simply quit when you’re ahead.

Odds in Roulette

Before anything else, it is important to understand what type of roulette is being played. American style roulette features two slots for the house (the 0 and 00) whereas European roulette features only a single 0. In American roulette, this makes the house advantage at any one time 5.5%, whereas European roulette is the relatively more reasonable 3%.

Statistically, placing a bet on any of the “dozen” bets. They pay 2:1 with odds of hitting them sitting at about 31%. This is two times the payout of the 1-1 bets while featuring a statistically smaller drop off in odds versus the payout. No matter what, the house advantage dominates. Medium sized bets which payout big in streaks but leaves the player safe from going broke are your best bet using this strategy.

Short term players or high roller will probably be better off playing the 1:1 bets, such as betting on red versus black. High rollers can make an exceptionally large amount of money on this virtual coinflip of a bet.

Betting Strategies in Roulette

Some players are firm believers in roulette betting strategies and have experienced mixed levels of success. Be sure to only bet what you’re comfortable with losing and don’t spend more money than you can afford to try and come back from a losing streak.

One of the most famous betting strategies is the Martingale method. In this method, players start by betting the minimum and doubling the bet after every loss. Given the odds of winning in roulette (45% on red/black bets) a player has a decent chance of breaking even. However, this method can lead to HUGE losses if a player hits a losing streak. The player’s cash flow is limited while the casino can go on forever.

Players might also want to make multiple bets to try and cover all their bases. For instance, if a player is betting one of the streets, they could also bet on red or black so they have a better chance of making at least some money on a spin. If they both hit, the player could make a tidy profit.

To practice these techniques, we suggest going online to get into fighting shape. Websites such as Bodogs and Ladbrokes offer both free and real money tables to test your new strategies and theories.