One of the most alluring games in the casino, roulette is often used as the symbol of gambling itself, perhaps due to its critical importance in the early Monte Carlo gambling scene. Everyone knows the familiar rules: Pockets numbered 1-36 – each colored either red or black – plus zero (and 00 in America) are arranged in non-sequential order around a large wooden wheel; once all bets are played on the familiar roulette table, the “dealer” spins the wheel one way and rolls a ball ‘round it in the opposite direction; the ball falls on a number, some win, some lose.
But how to bet? Basically it works like this:
• “The Straight Bet” is a bet on one number at a 35/1 payout.
• “The Split Bet” covers any two numbers arranged consecutively on the betting tables. Place a chip on the line between the desired two numbers. Odds are, naturally, 35/2.
• “The Corner Bet” covers any four numbers grouped on the betting tables. Place a chip on the corner between four numbers for a 35/4 payout.
• “The Five Bet” covers an outcome of 00, 0, 1, 2 or 3 by placing a wager on the line between 0 and 1 on the betting board.
• Straightforward bets are also available for the player who would like to bet on “Red/Black”; on whether the number will be 1-17 or 18-35; on “Even/Odd”; or on whether the number will be between 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36.
Considering strategies for roulette
Since roulette is all about riding the waves of pure chance, a strategy per se would seem fruitless to contemplate. However, that hasn’t stopped a number of theorists from attempting the impossible in making a way to beat the Devil’s Game. Among them are the following.
Martingale systems are absolutely guaranteed to work – in a mathematically perfect world. Basically, here’s the way it goes. Bet $100 on black. (Or red, for that matter.) If you win, great. Stash the $100 and bet the $100 on black again (or red again, or red for the first time – it’s always 50/50 more or less). If you lose, just double the bet. If you win then, you’ll come out $100 ahead.
It doesn’t take a rainman to see, however, that a few consecutive losses would rapidly put the player into home-mortgage territory. Six losses would the Martingale Method player $5500 in the hole and wondering where to get the $11,000 just to be able to win the $100 back. On the other hand, if you have infinite money, this is a great system.
The Andrucci System suggests keeping track of a certain number of spins – typically around 20-30 – and betting on the *more frequently winning numbers.* This bit of counterintuitive logic suggests that you can find short-term patterns on which to win.
The D’Alembert System doesn’t guarantee a win, but can increase your chances of walking away with money. Decide on an amount to bet; say, $10. If you win, add $1 to your next bet. If you lose, subtract $1. Such a system is usually touted to conservative players and, as Wikipedia notes that in using the D’Alembert System, “Whenever the number of wins equals the number of losses, the net gain is equal to the number of wins.”
The first-and-third-column strategy manages to cover much of the wheel, thereby increasing the player’s chances to at least break even on a given spin. Bet even amounts on the first column of numbers, the third column of numbers, and black. This way, only 0, 00, 5, 14, 23, and 32 are left completely uncovered by the player’s bets. Any black number in the first or third column turns a profit; any number in the first or third column breaks even; and any black number in the second column minimizes losses to one-third.
Finally, the best – if slightly boring – roulette tip was summarized in journalist Andres Martinez’ “Dopey Experiment.” Simply divvy up your budget into 35 equally-sized pieces and bet the same number every time (that’s 20 Black if you’re Lola, 22 Black if you need to get out of Casablanca). If your number hits just once within the 35 spins – and the odds of this occurrence are a bit better than 60% − you’re ahead.
Not much fun is the Dopey Experiment, but it’s better than the ultra-depressing Einsteinian Theory, namely, “You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.”