Five of the best roulette betting systems | Coral News

An ever-popular game both online and in casinos, roulette has stood the test of time. Perhaps it’s the simplicity that makes it appeal to so many people: with no bluffing, card-counting or complex rules to worry about, it’s just you against the odds.

Using a roulette betting system offers a different way to play the game, and can make things more exciting. Most systems alter the amount you stake on each spin depending on whether you won or lost on the previous one, aiming to cancel out losses with bigger returns.

Here are five of the most popular systems, in order of complexity:

Before we start!

Roulette betting systems can make the game more fun, but it’s important to understand that there are no guaranteed strategies for success. You’re never “due” a win – the odds are the same on each and every spin.

Above all, keep your budget in mind and only gamble with amounts you can afford to lose, regardless of what any system says you should do next. If increasing your bet would exceed your budget, stop.

Double your fun with the Martingale system

The Martingale system is a simple and popular way to play roulette. It’s usually played on the “even money” bets – red or black, odd or even, highs or lows. These pay out 1:1 – for instance, if you stake £4 and win, you’ll get £4 plus your £4 stake, for a total of £8.

Start with the lowest amount you’re prepared to stake on a single spin: say, £1. Place that bet, and if you lose, double the stake and spin again. When you win, start again from the beginning. Put simply:

• When you lose, double your stake
• When you win, return to your original stake and start again

In this scenario, you staked a total of £31, and won £32 for a profit of £1. The Martingale system always works this way: assuming you get a win before your pot runs out, you end up with a total return of your minimum stake.

Of course, one problem is that doubling up on every spin can quickly get expensive –and the longer you go without a win, the bigger the losses you have to recover.

Seek three in a row with the Paroli System

The Paroli system is also called the Reverse Martingale, because instead of doubling up on a loss, you’re doubling up on a win. Again, you’re placing even money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low).

Here’s how it works:

• When you win, double your stake
• When you lose, return to your original stake and start again
• Start again after you win three times in a row

A game might go like this:

The Paroli system is based on the idea that luck, both good and bad, comes in streaks. When your luck is bad, you keep your stakes low, and when it turns good, you start increasing them.

But it’s not all superstition. It’s also a clever way to keep your total losses low, since when you increase your bet, you’re only staking the money you won from the previous spin. This is called a “sacrificial bet”.

A three-win streak yields seven times your original stake, so as long as you achieve your goal before your total profit dips below -£7, you’ll profit or at least break even. But do be aware that three wins in a row is a fairly rare occurrence, and it’s completely possible to lose out in the long run.

Safety in numbers with the D’Alembert System

The D’Alembert System also involves placing even money bets, but it’s not as risky as the Martingale system.

Instead of doubling up, follow these simple rules:

• When you lose, increase your stake
• When you win, decrease and start again
• Go back to the beginning once you’ve won as many times as you’ve lost

Let’s see an example:

If you lose three times and win three times, you’ll be in profit by three times your minimum stake. Once this happens, go back to the beginning and start again.

D’Alembert is seen as a safer option than Martingale because you don’t need to risk doubling your stake until you win. Instead, you’re increasing and decreasing by a flat, fixed amount.

Even if you hit a losing streak, you’re not compounding your losses as badly as you would in the Martingale system. However, bear in mind that every loss increases the number of wins you need.

You also have more opportunities to quit while you’re ahead – for instance, in the example above, you could stop at the second win and still enjoy a £1 profit.

Get mathematical with the Fibonacci System

Fibonacci was a great mathematician who discovered a numerical sequence that’s found all throughout nature – so it’s not hard to see why he’s popular with roulette players, too!

Starting with zero and one, the Fibonacci Sequence is made by adding the previous two numbers together to get the next number in the sequence. It goes like this:

• 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, 233, 377, etc

To turn this into a roulette betting system, follow these rules:

• Start anywhere in the sequence. This is the initial amount you stake.
• When you lose, move one step forward in the sequence.
• When you win, move two steps back in the sequence.

Again, you’re using even-money bets. Starting from 5, here’s how it could go:

Despite appearances, the Fibonacci system’s not that hard to use. It goes back and forth in stakes, aiming to cancel out losses gradually.

Because you’re moving two back on a win and only one forward on a loss, it’s rare that your stake will climb very high – in this way, Fibonacci offers some built-in protection against runaway losses. But be aware that the stakes will jump up the more you lose and the further along the sequence you go.

Unlike other systems, there’s no real “start again” point – you simply stop when you’re happy with your profit, or when the stakes become too high to continue.

Control your fate with the Labouchère System

The Labouchère system is one of the more complex roulette betting strategies. Instead of following a premade number sequence, you make your own, based on how much money you want to win.

Let’s say you aim to win £20. Write down any sequence of numbers that adds up to 20, in any order – for example:

• 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 2

Now, place your bets – even money bets, as always. Add together the first and last numbers from the sequence and stake that amount. In the above example, that’s £3.

If you win, cross those two numbers off the list, giving you this:

• 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 2

If you lose, instead add the amount you staked to the end of the sequence, giving you this:

• 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 2, 3

Then repeat. In this example, if you won, you’d be betting 2 + 5 next, or £7. If you lost, you’d bet 1 + 3, or £4.

Confused? You’re aiming to keep going until you have enough wins to cross off every number on the list. If you cross off all the numbers, no matter what, you’ll end up with the profit you wanted at the beginning.

If not, well – you’ll have an ever-growing list of numbers, and you might have to call it quits before your losses get too big.

Labouchère is a peculiar system, but it’s one many advanced players enjoy. It does give you some degree of control over your bets and your winnings, and you don’t have to cross off all your numbers to turn a profit.

But as always, there are no guarantees – a long losing streak will ruin Labouchère just as surely as any other system!

Remember, even the best systems can’t increase your odds of winning. Betting strategies add fun and flavour to the game, but the best way to play in roulette is to stick to your limits and quit while you’re ahead.

With that said, now you know a bit more about roulette betting systems, are you going to try one of them out for yourself?