ShareIs there a casino game more timeless than Roulette? Decades have passed, yet it remains a firm favourite, captivating players with its blend of luck and suspense. There’s nothing quite like that heart-racing moment as the wheel spins, the ball bounces, and anticipation crackles in the air. Some come for the thrill, others for the win.
Over the years, countless betting systems have promised players a way to beat the odds, turn a profit, and even make a living. But do these strategies actually work, or are they just another illusion designed to keep gamblers spinning? In an age where Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether gambling features are reshaping the casinos, can any system truly outsmart the house?
Understanding Roulette
Roulette is a game of chance, where winning is determined by how prominent the fortune gene in you is. It is played on a spinning wheel that contains number pockets. Most online casinos, for instance, offer both the American or European Roulette variants, although some have their own variants as well. The American variant has 38 pockets (including 0 and 00) while the European one has 37 (including a single zero, 0). The zero pockets are what gives the house its edge.
Popular Betting Systems
There are many betting systems used by many players all over the world. Let’s look at how the three most popular methods fare.
The Martingale System
One of the oldest and simplest methods is the Martingale. The general rule to follow is that you must double your bet after each loss. The probability of you winning at least once is there and by doubling your bet with each loss, you ensure that when you do win, you make back the money you’ve initially lost. So if, for example, you bet $10 on red and lose, you double your bet to $20. If you lose again, you bet $40, and so on, until you win.
The Martingale is a really easy system to follow. It is easy for any beginner to understand the system and try it. It is a very good system for the short term if you have enough capital. The downside is you do need a considerable amount of money, so that you can keep betting until you win. The system also falls prey to table limits, which can prevent you from doubling your bets. The system doesn’t change the house edge in any way, so even with it, the game still relies on chance.
The Fibonacci System
As the name suggests, this one uses the Fibonacci sequence which consists of the numbers 1,1,2,3,5,8,13, etc). So, players increase their bets following the sequence, first doubling by 1, then 1 again, before increasing to 2, 3, then 5, and upwards after a loss. If they win, then they will drop their betting amount by two digits. So, if you bet $10 and lose, your next bet is $10 again. If you lose again, you bet $20, then $30, then $50, and so on.
The method has a couple of merits compared to the Martingale. Firstly, it is less aggressive. It leaves room for a win and allows you to play again after a win by going a little lower. This means that you can win multiple times and recover your losses a few times over. Unfortunately, if you’re on a losing streak, you could end up having an exorbitantly large bet which still has chances of becoming a loss. The house edge remains unchanged using this method as well.
The D’Alembert System
The third method is based on the belief that wins and losses will eventually balance out. There is no set sequence with this one. Instead, players increase their bet by 1 unit after a loss and they decrease it by 1 unit after a win. If a player bets $10 and loses, the next bet is $11. If you lose again, bet $12. If you win, decrease your next bet to $11.
This is by far less risky than both the Fibonacci and Martingale systems. You don’t jump from a small number to a big one immediately. Instead, bets increase at a slower rate and they are more manageable. There is still a risk of loss and it can be a while before you recover the losses.
Do Betting Systems Really Work?
While these betting systems can be entertaining and provide short-term wins, they do not alter the fundamental house edge of roulette. The odds remain the same regardless of the betting system used, meaning that in the long run, the casino always has an advantage. Instead of relying on betting systems to “beat” roulette, players should focus on responsible gambling strategies like setting a budget and sticking to it, choosing European roulette over American, playing for fun over winning and setting goals for when to walk away, regardless of a win streak or losing streak.
