by Tony R Frank
Millions are fascinated and dream of beating roulette wheels. Alas, in the long run the game makes money for the casinos. Why else would they offer it? For over 200 years players have been searching for ways to win at roulette.
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of roulette systems being marketed, all promising to make you a winner at the table. Ask yourself, if the author knows how to win consistently, why is he or she trying to sell that precious secret?
I am not saying beating roulette wheels is impossible. Play mainly for entertainment and hope that lucky streaks come along frequently. Don't bank on making a living playing a gambling game.
In your pursuit avoid "American" roulette where the wheel has two zero slots, 0 and 00. That double zero slot gives the casino a 5.26% advantage! The European (or French) wheel does not have a 00 spot and that reduces the casino's advantage to only 2.7%.
The American wheel has 38 compartments (numbered 1 to 36 plus 0 and 00) where the ball can land. The European wheel has only 37 compartments. Payouts are the same for both wheel types. Because there is one less spot for the ball to land on, the casino advantage in European roulette is significantly reduced. It is not easy to find European games in live casinos in North America, but I haven't seen an online casino yet that doesn't offer single-zero roulette.
Roulette systems are not a ticket to cashing in every time, but beating roulette wheels is important. You should adapt a system or strategy of some kind. I found the best way to do this is to place bets following a mechanical formula. Trusting your instincts is not enough. Occasionally you can win solely by blind luck, but by using systematic betting methods you're likely to get more favourable results.
There is no foolproof sytem for beating roulette wheels, but having a sensible betting method is better than playing haphazardly. The roulette strategy I outline here has brought me good results quite often. If you bet carefully and with alertness, it should work as well for you.
Two Dozen Roulette Strategy
When using this beating roulette wheels method on a single zero table, with every spin you have 24 chances to win, against 13 chances to lose. You are covering 24 numbers, leaving 0 and 12 other number fields open. All things being equal, you should win nearly twice as many spins than you lose.
I suggest you start with 10 betting units (chips) of a value you can easily afford. Your aim will be to win 5 units. If your chip value is $10 and you start with a $100 stake; win 5 units and you've made a profit of $50.
The roulette table is divided into three 12-number fields (1st. 2nd. and 3rd 12) and three columns with 12 numbers each. Pick any two of the dozen fields or any two of the columns and bet on those. It is very important that you do not "mix and match"; because if you make a dozen and a column bet at the same time, then four numbers will overlap and your winning chances are reduced to 20 to 17, instead of 24 to 13.
Start by picking two columns or two of the dozen fields and wager one chip on each. Dozen bets pay 2 to 1. If you bet one chip and win, you collect 3 chips, the win pays two chips plus you get back your original bet. You're wagering one chip on each of two dozen numbers. If the ball lands on one of the dozens, you collect 3 chips, giving you a profit of one chip.
Here is how you aim to win 5 units (chips):
If you win the first two rounds, you're ahead by 2 chips. In round 3 you bet 4 chips, two on each dozen.
Win again and you'll be ahead by 4 chips. Next round you bet 1 chip on each dozen and if you win you'll have made your profit of 5 chips.
Never risk more than two of your own chips per spin. Make a bigger bet only if you can do so with chips that you have won. Any time you have a losing round, start over by betting one chip per dozen and hope to get a 4-spin winning streak going. In roulette it is not uncommon to win or lose four consecutive spins, that's why you should aim for four straight wins, but quit if you lose two spins in a row.
If, with this beating roulette wheels strategy, on average, you win 5 units twice and lose 4 units once, you'll have a net profit of 6 units. Don't expect to get rich with this beating roulette wheels strategy, but you won't lose your shirt either. Good Luck!
Tony R Frank
About the Author
Tony R Frank got introduced to casino gambling in Las Vegas and has been playing roulette, slots and video poker for nearly 40 years; he shares his gambling know-how on three web sites: www.gambling-advisor.com, www.slotadvisor.com & www.amazingbonuscasinos.com