Roulette Strategy

If you have ever sat around a roulette table at a land based casino, you may have noticed several people just standing around and watching. These people are not just observing the game out of interest. There are actually gamblers out there who monitor which numbers the ball lands on in the hope of finding some sort of pattern or sequence. This may sound like a useful tip, but truth be told this is potentially the most wishful thinking any gambler could encounter.

Know the odds

Roulette is completely a game of chance when it comes to predicting where the ball will land. The ball has as much chance of landing on one number 30 times in a row as it does of not landing on that number the whole night.

There is a simple rule of thumb. If you take an evenly weighted coin and flip it, and the coin lands on heads 9 times out of ten, then the probability of the coin landing on heads again is still 50%. There is no way that the outcome of a roulette spin can be influenced by any player of croupier.

Do not be disheartened, however. Just because the game does boil down to luck does not mean that you can not learn how to play roulette smartly. Any game requires a strategy so that you can maximize your chances of winning.

The best way to play roulette is to see the game as an opportunity of loss and profit. This is how the wiser roulette players all play. The way that the odds swing in the favour of the house is with a house edge. For example, if you place $10 on each spin you will hypothetically be $10 after 37 spins. In other words, if you are betting $370, you will end up with $360. This again is just a hypothetical scenario of how the ball will land.

Don’t be greedy

The important thing to remember is to quit when you’re ahead. The odds can just as easily swing against you when they are working in your favour. Many gamblers, when they are “on a roll” will think that there is nothing that can touch them. A few lucky spins have the effect of sending certain people into a state of euphoria. This is a dangerous place to be in because this is where the big money is lost. You have to sometimes step away from the situation at hand so that you can keep things in perspective. At any stage if you see that you are ahead then you are in a better space than where you began. Most roulette experts play to a 5% winning margin. If the experts are doing this, then there must be something right about it.

Split the rows

A good roulette strategy is to split the table into 3 rows. This would be 1-34, 2-35 and 3-36. If you look at the last row 3-36 - you will see that it consists of 4 black numbers and 8 red. Your strategy would therefore be to place one chip on red, two chips on the first row (1-34) and two chips on the second row (2-35). This strategy can be adapted to the other rows.

Play safe in the beginning

When you are starting out, you should play it a bit safer. You should also play according to your bank roll. It would be a pity to throw away your whole bank roll on one spin just because you may be feeling lucky. You want to enjoy your roulette just as much as you want to win. The more you play, the more sense this will make. You may even see other betting patterns emerging from watching other players. This can be done with both online and land based casinos. Playing safe in the beginning will also teach you a degree of restraint and responsibility. This will only benefit you in the future because you will know when to bet bigger and when to back away.

Keep your eyes open

Unlike many other games, the roulette chips do not have any denominations printed on them. This means that you have to concentrate at all times. Also, if you leave your wins on the table then you are in effect instructing the dealer to let your bet ride.

Do your homework

Before even starting to play you should make sure that you are completely up to date with the rules of roulette. The rules are not as complicated as they may seem at first and in time the rules will become second nature. A good way to get comfortable with roulette is to play online for free. The rules are exactly the same as real roulette but you are not risking losing any money.