When playing roulette, most novices start placing chips aimlessly on the table with the idea that they may get lucky. While there is nothing wrong with luck alone, experienced punters prefer to rely on a certain betting system. Applying a betting system does not necessarily mean having a strategy about what bets to make. Most systems focus rather on the way you bet – how much to bet or when to double your stakes, for instance. With their help, you may be able to cut your losses and make a profit. When following a certain system, however, players need to determine several things – how much they are willing to lose, how much they wish to win, and what type of roulette game they plan to play.
- Up to $3000 welcome bonus upon first three deposits
- Well-established US-friendly brand
- Top quality casino games
- Extra bonuses for Bitcoin depositors
ACCEPTED
PLAYERS FROM UNITED STATES: OHIO ARE ACCEPTED AT THIS CASINO
- Well-established brand
- Prompt payments
- 24/7 customer support
- Wide range of casino games
ACCEPTED
PLAYERS FROM UNITED STATES: OHIO ARE ACCEPTED AT THIS CASINO
- Up to $300 bonus upon first three deposits
- Great loyalty program
- Superb loyalty program
- Great selection of table games
ACCEPTED
PLAYERS FROM UNITED STATES: OHIO ARE ACCEPTED AT THIS CASINO
- Accepts players from all over the world
- Great daily bonuses
- Fair bonus rules and requirements
- Award-winning customer care team
ACCEPTED
PLAYERS FROM UNITED STATES: OHIO ARE ACCEPTED AT THIS CASINO
It is always better to choose European or French roulette over the American-style game due to the reduced house edge in the first two types. You also need to have realistic expectations for the winnings you will be able to leave the table with. A good advice is to never chase losses – once you lose several bets in a row, it may be better to give up your session, especially if your losses are considerable. Of course, this will depend on your individual tolerance for risk. You also need to determine a fixed budget and to know to bet only what you are willing to lose and not a penny more. When you take these into account, you can proceed to apply the roulette betting system you prefer.
The Labouchere Roulette System
This is my personal favourite because I believe it offers the potential for a significant profit, without the risk of too much money. It works by dividing the amount of profit the player wants to make into a sum of smaller numbers. Then, you work your way through this sequence of numbers, adding to it one number each time you lose and crossing out two numbers each time you win. It sounds tricky at first, but you will quickly get the hang of it. Not only do I think it’s a great balance between risk and potential profit, but it’s also engaging and rather fun, and there are so many ways you can modify the strategy to work for you and suit your bankroll. I absolutely recommend you read more about this system if you don’t already know it.
How It Works
This system was developed in the 19th century by the English journalist, politician and avid roulette player Henry Labouchere. It is also known as the Labouchere Progression, the Cancellation System, the Split Martingale and American Progression. It is a negative progression system, which is based on raising stakes after losing a bet with the idea of recovering one’s losses with several low bets. It is intended for even-money outside bets such as red/black, even/odd, and high/low. And although it is not particularly difficult to understand, it requires certain numbers to be written down after each spin of the wheel.
You start by determining the profit you wish to make at the end of the round – £15, for example, which you divide into several numbers. Their sum needs to equal 15, so let us take a sequence of 1-2-3-4-5 – this is the value of your chips. To find out what your first bet should be, you add up the first and the last number of the sequel, or £6 (1+5). If you lose, add the lost amount at the end of the sequence and you will have the sequence 1-2-3-4-5-6. Your new bet will be £7 (1+6) and if you win this time, you cross off the first and last numbers off the list. The third bet will be £7.
| Sequence | Bet Placed | Bet Units | Spin Outcome | Result | Net Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2-3-4-5 | Red | 6 | Black | Lose 6 | -6 |
| 1-2-3-4-5-6 | Red | 7 | Red | Win 7 | +1 |
| 2-3-4-5 | Black | 7 | Red | Lose 7 | -6 |
| 2-3-4-5-7 | Black | 9 | 0 | Lose 9 | -15 |
| 2-3-4-5-7-9 | Black | 11 | Black | Win 11 | -4 |
| 3-4-5-7 | Red | 10 | Black | Lose 10 | -14 |
| 3-4-5-7-10 | Red | 13 | Black | Lose 13 | -27 |
| 3-4-5-7-10-13 | Red | 16 | Red | Win 16 | -11 |
| 4-5-7-10 | Black | 14 | Black | Win 14 | +3 |
| 5-7 | Red | 12 | Red | Win 12 | +15 |
Pros and Cons
What makes the Labouchere system so interesting and attractive to players is that you need to win in only a third of all spins in order to get a profit. To be exact, you need to win one third plus 2 spins. This sounds really good, especially when we compare this progression with other popular betting systems which come with considerably higher risk.
While this is the classic Labouchere system, it comes in different variations – some are incredibly safe and recommended for new players, while other versions include a high risk especially after many losing rounds when your bet increases significantly. If instead of a 1-2-3-4-5 sequence, you choose the numbers 10-20-30, the risk will be higher, as the bets will increase more rapidly when you are losing. At the same time, however, the profits will also be higher.
So, the system can be quite generous, but you should be prepared for big losses, as long losing streaks can always happen.
The Paroli Roulette System
This system is featured on the list because it is simple and accessible to almost any roulette player, even with a low bankroll. Considered to be the opposite of the Martingale, this system requires the player to double up every time they win, which, of course, begs the question “when do I stop?”. If played correctly, the Paroli strategy can make you a sizeable profit in a short time, and you only need to risk a small amount of money yourself –
instead, you are making use of the casino’s money to accumulate a profit.
How It Works
The Paroli system has been known since the 16th century as a moderately profitable strategy for a number of even-odds bets in games such as roulette and baccarat. Some players also use it in Sic Bo, craps, Pai Gow poker, and in addition, it may be modified to serve as a good blackjack strategy. It is a positive betting progression which, like many roulette systems, is designed for even-money bets such as red/black or high/low.
To start with the Paroli strategy, punters place a low bet of one unit (£1, for instance) on an even-money bet, doubling up the stakes each time they win. Usually, the aim is to achieve three wins in a row, so you do not reach the table limits, even if you play with higher stakes. If you lose, you bet the same amount, but if you win, you increase your bet to 2 units. In the classic version of the Paroli system, you keep doubling up until you win 3 times in a row – £1, £2, £4. For the fourth bet, you return to the first stake you placed. However, some players prefer to increase their bet many more times or, for instance, until they lose.
| Bet | Bet Placed | Bet Units | Spin Outcome | Result | Net Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Red | 1 | Red | Win 1 | +1 |
| #2 | Red | 2 | Black | Lose 2 | -1 |
| #3 | Black | 1 | Red | Lose 1 | -2 |
| #4 | Black | 1 | 0 | Lose 1 | -3 |
| #5 | Black | 1 | Black | Win 1 | -2 |
| #6 | Red | 2 | Red | Win 2 | 0 |
| #7 | Red | 3 | Black | Lose 3 | -3 |
| #8 | Red | 1 | Red | Win 1 | -2 |
| #9 | Black | 2 | Black | Win 2 | 0 |
| #10 | Red | 3 | red | Win 3 | +3 |
Pros and Cons
The idea behind this betting system is to bet the money of the casino, instead of your own. It may sound confusing, but the logic behind is rather simple. You only bet the amount you won during the previous round. For example, if you bet £1 on red and you lose, you bet another £1. If you win here, your win is £2 and your next wager is also £2. If it wins, you bet £4. The greatest thing about using this system is that you risk only small amounts of money if you stick to the 3-win rule and reset your bet to one unit quite frequently.
Theoretically, you can keep doubling up your bet for as long as you want. Even if you lose a larger amount at some point, it will be the sum you have won from the casino – i.e., you will lose the casino’s money, not yours. The risk with this system is lower and it can be used even by players with low bankrolls. Moreover, you can modify it to suit your budget and instead of doubling your bet on each win, you can raise it by 1 unit, for example, or use some other way to increase the stales more gradually. Another advantage of the Paroli system is that unlike more roulette strategies, it is extremely simple to use and does not require any complicated equations or keeping track of your bets for a long period of time.
It has its disadvantages, however. The biggest liability you can find with the Paroli system is that you need winning streaks to happen quite frequently if you want to make some decent profits. The truth is that in the long term, this strategy is a losing one if we consider the odds of winning three times in a row – approximately 11.5%, or once in 8.7 times. Of course, in roulette, the house has the advantage, so there are no long-term strategies that can guarantee you will make a profit.
The Fibonacci Roulette System
This is a clever system, using the famous Fibonacci sequence to determine your bets – 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. Each number represents a unit, and you use the sequence to determine your bet and reach the target of one unit. As you can imagine, it can be quite slow, and like any system, it has its flaws, but this sequence of numbers is an excellent way to manage money, and in fact can be used in other systems like the Labouchere, which is why I felt like it had to be included here.
How It Works
This betting system would be incredibly easy for all gambling fans who also have a keen interest in mathematics. Its name derives from the Fibonacci sequence – a sequence of numbers where every number is the sum of the two preceding numbers. The first two numbers in the sequence make an exception. This equation was described by the Italian mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, also known as Leonardo Fibonacci. He is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the Middle Ages because he introduced to Europe a unique number sequence which appears in natural settings.
However, when it comes to using Fibonacci numbers in roulette, there is hardly anything that special – punters start with 1-unit bets and continue, following the sequence. For instance, if you start with a £1 bet, your second bet will also be £1, while the third will be £2 and the fourth – £3, and so on. If you lose your first bet, you bet the next number of the sequence. But if you win, you move back two numbers in the string.
| Sequence | Bet Placed | Bet Units | Spin Outcome | Result | Net Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1-2-3-5 | Red | 5 | Red | Win 5 | +5 |
| 1-1-2 | Red | 2 | Black | Lose 2 | +3 |
| 1-1-2-3 | Black | 3 | Red | Lose 3 | 0 |
| 1-1-2-3-5 | Black | 5 | 0 | Lose 5 | -5 |
| 1-1-2-3-5-8 | Black | 8 | Black | Win 8 | +3 |
| 1-1-2-3 | Red | 3 | Black | Lose 3 | 0 |
| 1-1-2-3-5 | Red | 5 | Black | Lose 5 | -5 |
| 1-1-2-3-5-8 | Red | 8 | Red | Win 8 | +3 |
| 1-1-2-3 | Black | 3 | Black | Win 3 | +6 |
| 1-1 | Red | 1 | 0 | Lose 1 | +5 |
Pros and Cons
While Fibonacci numbers are of a huge importance in mathematics, biology, or physics as they are literally all around us, their connection to roulette is quite unclear. You should simply see the sequence as a betting progression and nothing else. On its own, it is certainly not the best roulette betting system you can use, but you can apply it in conjunction with other strategies such as the Labouchere system.
One of the benefits of using this system is that even if you lose more times than you win, you can still make a profit. Of course, it is all down to luck, but you also do not have to risk huge amounts of money. The system is recommended even for those with modest budgets – in this case, they should start with the lowest bets possible. For those who prefer riskier play, starting further don the string of numbers may be more effective. Of course, in the long term, this system will also bring you losses, so you need to apply it very carefully.
Conclusion
So, these are my top 3 roulette systems for various reasons, but I’d love to hear what you think. Is there a system which you think should be on this list? Let me know in the comments below.
Have you tried the Stearn system? if you have then a review would be nice. thanks
I haven’t but as far as I’m aware this type of system is a scam, I never trust the ones that ‘guarantee’ to make you money because they can’t.
Hi Ryan, I must say first how great your site is.Its so clear & to the point&you have a knack of being very engaging&informative at the same time-a balance ive not found elsewhere.Ironically, what I LOVE about your site is that you continually stress that no system can gaurantee a profit, unlike some others who promise the impossible! Youre an honest bloke-I like that.Can you just clarify for me that when using the Labouchere or Fibonacci, is it best to stick to betting just one colour all the time until the round concludes itself?
Hi Graham,
Thanks very much, I’m glad you like the site and the content.
Sticking to one colour for a round or changing it up doesn’t actually matter as the odds remain the same. It’s just a matter of preference. A lot of people after a series of red runs will probably start betting black thinking it’s ‘due’, but of course red is still just as likely to come up as black so it really doesn’t matter. In short, you can keep betting the same colour for one round and change it for the next, it’s entirely up to you.
Good luck!
Hi Ryan, could you answer the queries left on the labouchere system page asap please as grtting anxious to play for real!
35:1 is best because 1:1 should pay 35/18:1 to be equivalent.