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Best Strategy For Roulette: The Ultimate Guide

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the gambling industry. Whether you’re playing at a land-based casino in Las Vegas, or on your mobile phone via an online casino, you can all-but guarantee that you’ll have access to a range of roulette games.

With that being said, the game of roulette can make or break a player. Ultimately, players that are able to make money playing roulette long-term will have a tailor-made roulette strategy in place.

What works for some players might not necessary work for others, not least because many of the roulette strategy systems in circulation are based on personal preference. Factors such as risk, as well as bankroll levels, also play a part.

Nevertheless, in order to help you along the way, we have created the ultimate guide to roulette strategy systems. Within it, we’ll start by exploring why you need to consider using a roulette strategy by explaining the underlying advantage that the casino has over you.

After that, we’ll then cover some of the most widely used UK roulette strategy systems in existence. This will include the James Bond roulette strategy, Fibonacci roulette system, and of course - the world famous Martingale strategy roulette system.

Why do I need to implement a roulette strategy?

In order to understand why you should consider implementing a roulette strategy into your long-term gambling endeavours, we at Fruit King think that you should first have an understanding of how the house-edge works.

Each and every casino game will always have a house-edge, with roulette being no exception. For those unaware, the house-edge refers to the statistical advantage that the casino has over its players. If casinos didn’t install a house-edge on its games, they would not be able to ensure that they make a profit long-term.

The house-edge will ultimately depend on the specific casino game that you are playing. In the case of roulette, the house-edge will also depend on the specific version you are playing, note that roulette live and virtual often have the same house-edge.

For example, the house-edge is actually lower, and thus, more in favor of the player, when playing European roulette. On the contrary, American roulette has the highest house-edge, and thus, players are at an even bigger disadvantage.

In a nutshell, the house-edge in European and American roulette is 2.70% and 5.26%, respectively. In effect, this means that over the course of time, for every £1 that you gamble, the casino will retain between 2.7p and 5.2p

Nobody plays roulette to lose money in the long-term. Therefore, this is why we at Fruit King believe it’s fundamental to adopt a winning roulette strategy.

So now that we’ve covered the basics of why you should implement a roulette strategy into your long-term gameplay, in the next section of our guide we are going to explore our first system - the Martingale roulette strategy.

Martingale Roulette Strategy

Even if you’ve never come across a roulette strategy before, there’s still a really good chance that you would have heard of the Martingale roulette strategy. Also known as the “roulette double up strategy”, the system is primarily focused on the theory of the “Law of Averages”.

In layman terms, by choosing a 50/50 bet such as red/black or even/odd, by doubling the bet after each subsequent loss, eventually the player has to land a winning bet. However, the Martingale roulette strategy is flawed. Before explaining why, let’s look at a quick example of how this particular roulette strategy works.

1. Your starting stake is £10

2. You bet £10 on Red

3. The ball lands on a black number, so you lose

4. You bet on Red again, only this time, you double your bet to £20

5. The ball lands on a black number again, so you lose

6. Once again, you double your bet on Red, this time for £40

7. The ball lands on Red, so you win £80

As you will see from the above example, the Martingale roulette strategy attempts to double the bet size each and every time a 50/50 bet is lost. The underlying theory is that eventually, the ball will land on the 50/50 bet that the player initially selected.

In this case, the player staked a total of £70 (£10, £20, £40), to return £80, illustrating a profit of £10. Regardless of whether the winning bet came on the 1st, 10th, or 100th attempt, the player would still have won just £10.

However, the Martingale system is extremely dangerous, because each and every spin in independent from the previous spin. In other words, in terms of the statistics, there is just as much chance of the roulette table landing 100 red numbers in a row, as there is 100 black numbers in a row.

Take a look at what would have happened if the player lost 9 times in a row.

1. £10 bet

2. £20 bet

3. £40 bet

4. £80 bet

5. £160 bet

6. £320 bet

7. £640 bet

8. £1,280 bet

9. £2,560 bet

As you will see, a harmless £10 bet very quickly turned into a whopping £2,560 bet. Had the 9th bet lost, that would equate to a total loss of £5,110. Moreover, even if the player had won on the 9th bet, they would have essentially gambled £5,110, just to win a profit of £10!

What if I had an unlimited bankroll?

When the Martingale system was originally introduced in the 18th century, it was done so with the theory that the beneficiaries would be those with an unlimited amount of wealth. However, what Martingale forgot to consider was two key things.

First and foremost, Martingale did not make any considerations for the house-edge. As noted above, depending on what version of the game you are playing, the house-edge in roulette will vary between 2.7% and 5.2%.

This is because of the green zero(s), insofar that a 50/50 bet like red/black or even/odd, is not actually 50/50. Instead, because you need to contend with the green zero(s), your odds of winning are less than 50%. However, as you are not rewarded on a like-for-like statistical basis, the odds are therefore in favor of the casino.

Secondly, the Martingale roulette system does not make any considerations for house limits. Unless you are playing at a special VIP table, it is all-but certain that the roulette table will have a limit. Imagine going through a bad losing streak via the Martingale system, only to realize that you can’t double up because you’ve reached the maximum table bet!

Ultimately, the Martingale roulette system is not fit for purpose in the modern world of gambing, and thus, should be avoided at all cost.

James Bond Roulette Strategy

Unlike the Martingale system - which utilizes a prograssive roulette betting strategy (progressive insofar that the bet stakes increase progressively after each losing bet), the James Bond roulette strategy utilizes fixed stakes. In other words, win, lose or draw, the stakes must always stay the same.

As you will see from the picture below, the James Bond roulette strategy uses three key areas of the roulette table.

In order to make things clearer for you, we've used a total bet size of £10 as an example. However, regardless of your chosen fixed stake amount, the proportions will always be the same.

1. £7 bet on 19-36

2. £2.50 on a line bet (covering numbers 13 through to 18)

3. £0.50 on the number 0

Now, the outcome of the game will depend on which of the above bets comes in, or of course, if none come in at all.

Here is what the player would win or lose for each outcome.

1. If the ball lands on a number between 19-36, then the player would make a total profit of £4

2. If the ball lands between the 13-18 line range, then the total profit would be £5

3. If the ball lands on the zero number, then the total profit would be £8

4. If the ball lands between 1 and 12, then the total loss would be £10

As you will see from the above example, the most favorable outcome in the James Bond roulette strategy is for the ball to land on zero. At the other end of the spectrum, if the balls lands anywhere between 1 and 12, then the player would lose their entire stake. In this example, that would be the fixed stake of £10.

What happens after a losing bet in the James Bond roulette strategy?

If the James Bond strategy results in a losing bet, then the player would simply place an identical bet - both in terms of numbers and stake size. Once again, the James Bond strategy is much different to the Martingale system in this respect, insofar that the latter would double the bet size.

Alternative system to the James Bond roulette strategy

While the native rules of the James Bond roulette strategy dictate that the stake sizes must always remain constant - regardless of whether the outcome was successful or not, some players make a slight alteration. They do so by combining a progressive betting stake system with that of the James Bond strategy.

For example, and continuing on from the above example, had the player lost their original £10 bet, then the player would stake a total of £20 on the next spin.

For the progressive system to work, the player must keep the stake sizes proportionate. If the player is simply “doubling up”, then this is much easier to calculate.

Ultimately, the progressive version of the James Bond roulette strategy is no different to that of the Martingale system, as stake sizes very quickly become large.

So now that we’ve covered both the Martingale and James Bond roulette strategies, in the next section of our Fruit King roulette strategy guide we are going to explore the Fibonacci system.

Fibonacci Roulette System

The Fibonacci roulette system is actually based on a well-known mathematical theory known as the Fibonacci sequence. In its most basic form, the Fibonacci sequence take the current number in the sequence and adds it to the previous number, to form the next number in the sequence.

For example, if the previous number was 0, and the current number is 1, then the next number will also be 1 (0+1). Next, as the current number is 1, and the previous number in the sequence is also 1, the next number would be 2.

So how does this relate to a roulette strategy?

Well, the theory behind the Fibonacci roulette system is that the player’s betting stakes should follow the Fibonacci sequence like-for-like. Still confused? Let’s take a look at a quick table so that we can visualize the betting system.

As you can see from the image above, if the player’s initial bet was £1, then the second bet would also be £1. After that, the next bet would be £2, £3, £5, £8, £13, and so on.

However, it is important to note that the bet size would only move up the table if the bet was a losing one.

What bets do I place in the Fibonacci roulette strategy?

In terms of the specific bets, the Fibonacci roulette strategy follows a similar course to that of the Martingale system. This is because each bet choice must be an Even money bet. This can be a choice from Red/Black, Even/Odd or 1-18/19-36.

However, and perhaps most importantly, the Fibonacci roulette strategy dictates that each bet choice must remain constant until a winning bet is achieved. For example, if you place your bet on Red and it loses, each of your subsequent bets must be Red, until it comes in.

Much like in the case of the Martingale roulette system, the Fibonacci strategy will only yield a profit equal to your original stake. For example, if your initial bet is £10, regardless of how many losing bets it takes for you to land a winner, you will only ever win £10.

As such, the Fibonacci roulette strategy is as high-risk as the Martingale roulette system. While on the one hand you are likely to experience a number of short-term wins, it will only be a matter of time before you go on an extremely long losing run. Either you will eventually run out of chips, or alternatively, you’ll reach the maximum table limit.

Paroli Roulette Strategy

If you've ever had the fortune of watching the movie The Gambler, then you might be familiar with the Paroli roulette strategy. Interestingly, the Paroli roulette strategy operates in reverse to that of the Martingale system. While the latter doubles the player’s stake size on a losing bet, the Paroli roulette strategy actually doubles stake sizes on a winning bet.

First and foremost, the Paroli system allows the player to determine any bet choice that they want - including both inside and outside bets. However, for the purpose of simplicity, it is far more effective to choose an outside Even money bet.

Let’s say for example you place £25 on the ball landing between 19-36. If your bet was successful, the Paroli roulette strategy states that you should then double your bet size. In other words, as the aforementioned winning bet would yield a total return of £50, all of those chips should remain on the same bet, which in this case, is 19-36.

The theory behind this roulette strategy is that you are essentially multiplying the available odds on your original bet, without needing to increase the stake.

For example, when you originally placed your £25 bet on 19-36, you would be given odds of Even money, as the potential return is £50. However, when you keep your £50 winnings on 19-36 in preparation of the next spin, the Paroli roulette strategy states that you are now getting odds of 3/1.

This is because should the second bet win, your original £25 stake has now turned into £100, and thus, you’ve increased the odds from Even money to 3/1 without increasing your risk levels. Moreover, if the second bet loses, you’ve still only lost £25, which is what you were prepared to lose in your original bet anyway.

How many times do I need to bet in the Paroli roulette strategy before cashing out?

The key question surrounding the Paroli roulette strategy is how many times you should double-up before taking your winnings. In a nutshell, there is no hard-and-fast-rule as to how many times you should keep the streak going, as this is for you as the player to decide.

We at Fruit King find that most players rarely exceed a streak of four wins before cashing-out. More conservative players will even cash-out after just three. Super high-rollers have been seen to utilize a Paroli roulette strategy that refuses to cash-out until a winning streak of six has been achieved!

Best roulette strategy - What to consider?

If you’ve read our Fruit King guide on roulette systems up to this point, you should now have a firm understanding of how various roulette strategies work. The key point to understand is that you should never ignore the statistics.

The laws of mathematics dictate that there is not a single roulette strategy to win long-term, not least because each spin of the wheel is independent from the last.

In layman terms, this means that just because the ball has landed on Even ten times in a row, there is just as much chance of it landing on Even again, as there is landing on Odd.

This is why you should always take caution when you find somebody in a roulette strategy forum that tells you that they have “the most successful roulette strategy” for sale. One such example of this is the Fisher roulette system, which in reality, makes wild claims such as being the “best roulette strategy to win big” or the “best roulette strategy ever”.

This is why it’s important to find a roulette strategy that works for you. Consider what your individual needs are, especially with respect to bankroll and risk levels.

When you do find a good roulette wheel strategy that works for you, it’s always a good idea to make use of a roulette strategy tester. The easiest way to do this is to start off with really small stakes. That way, if you find that the system is a roulette winning strategy that works for you, then you can begin to increase your bet sizes.

Online roulette strategy: Which table should I use?

As a final note, we at Fruit King suggest that it’s always best to utilize your online roulette strategy on a European table. As noted earlier, while an American table offers a house-edge of 5.2%, its European counterpart has a house-edge of just 2.7%.

As such, as most of the systems we have discussed in this guide requires the player to choose Even money bets, a European roulette strategy is going to give you the best chance of walking away a winner!