Roulette is one of those games that can turn on you in the blink of an eye. So how do you make a profit at roulette and more importantly, how do you leave with pockets full of cash and chips instead of just lint?
Best Ways to Come Out Ahead at Roulette
In this article, we will have a look at some of the tried and true methods, techniques or strategies you can use to help get ahead and ultimately profit while playing roulette.
Play European, not American Roulette
This should be a straight up no-brainer. European roulette on has one 0 on the wheel, whereas American roulette has a 0 and a 00 symbol on the wheel. Despite an extra symbol, American roulette still pays the traditional 35:1 for a straight up win.
This difference of a single symbol may not seem all that earth shattering, but it increases the house edge from 2.7% on European roulette to a whopping 5.26% on American or 00 roulette.
Basically, this means the casino greed-heads are rubbing their hands together with glee every time they see a rube like you playing American roulette because the game is engineered to have a greater return for the casino.
So the first rule to making money and walking away with a profit is play European or single 0 roulette.
Dozens and Columns
This is one of those painfully obvious little tricks. When you discover it you will be left wondering, “why didn’t I think of this earlier?” By covering two of the three possible dozen or column bets you are covering two thirds of the table and still make a profit.
For example, betting $15 on two dozens, or columns, at is a total $30 bet. Assume you win one dozen. You will lose $15 when the table is cleared but you will receive $30 on the winning $15 dozen bet, giving you a grand total of $45: a $15 profit for the spin.
Obviously the downside of this bet is not hitting one of the two dozens you are covering and losing or, like all outside bets, or 0 being spun and losing to the house numbers anyway.
Martingale Strategy
This roulette strategy only works on the even money bets: red/black, odd/even and 1-18/19-36. The Martingale also has one potentially bankrupting flaw: it works on the premise that you have an unlimited bank roll. It assures a win equal to your initial bet, but if the ball isn’t dropping your way on the day you could burn through thousands of dollars.
The concept behind this strategy is that in an even money, two option bet, eventually, the side you bet on will spin up.
This is how the Martingale strategy works: place a bet, say $50 on black. If black wins, you win $50 and have $100, no need for the strategy. However, if black loses then the next spin you would double your bet on black. So this time you would bet $100. That $100, if black wins, would cover the original $50 bet and give a $50 profit.
If black keeps losing you would keep doubling your last bet until you win. Even if the original bet, losing eight times, reaching a total of $6400 would cover every bet placed previously and still garner a $50 profit.
If you are going to implement this strategy come with a big fat wallet, just in case things don’t go exactly your way.
Set limits when playing roulette
This one works two ways. Everyone knows the old theory: set a limit of how much you are willing to lose and do not spend a cent more than that. Which is sound advice. But it also works the other way too. Have a set goal in mind of what you want to win. How much are you happy to win and walk away? Do you want to double your money? Maybe you want to quadruple your money.
It is pure lunacy to go into something like roulette without a game plan. If you don’t have a target in mind before you start playing, how will you ever leave? You cannot win infinity. So formulate a plan first.
Whatever your goal is, once you have reached that amount, stop. Leave with your pockets fat and a smile on your face.
Play roulette online for real money
Playing roulette online is a much better option for winning, too. Roulette table minimums and maximums are often much more relaxed allowing for a lot more freedom in your betting which can open you up to playing more confidently.
There are no other people crowding around you, placing any unnecessary pressure. When we are under pressure we can often do things and make bets we otherwise wouldn’t make.
Online casinos are great for bonuses, rewards programs, free spins on pokies and some casinos even offer a cash back percentage on what you spend. With most Internet roulette games, whether they be live dealer or RNG based games, you can clearly see how much money you have in your account during play instead of fiddling around with chips and trying to calculate how much you have.
Having your total in black and white in front of you while you play is a great way to recognise when you have reached your winnings total and can stop.
Online casinos these days also allow for quick and easy funds transfers from your casino account to your nominated bank account. Again, check each casino’s policies and rules regarding funds transfers to see which online casino suits your needs best.
Check each online casino to find out what deals they have and what suits you and your gaming style best – the ones we recommend on the site are safe, trusted and recommended based on our testing of their games and services.