Is there really a winning formula for roulette?

Of all the games you might play at a casino, whether it’s a physical one on the strip in Las Vegas or a virtual one on your PC or smartphone, roulette is probably the best known. For one thing, it’s a game with a history dating back well over 300 years that can trace its origins to the research of French mathematician Blaise Pascal. For another, it is so stunning in its simplicity that anyone can play.

It is also a game in which everyone has an equal chance of winning. Like playing the Lotto, it’s a case of betting on a particular number coming up, in this case, using a wheel and a metal ball. Surely in a game that comes down to random chance, any strategy is pure superstition, and doesn’t change your chances of winning. Yet in this online age, where table games are just as popular as the Unibet slots among everyday gamers, everyone is looking for a winning edge. Let’s take a look at one of the most popular and enduring strategies.

Progressive betting

The idea behind progressive betting is that every time you win, you set aside your winnings and every time you lose, you increase each subsequent stake to cover your losses until you win. It’s easiest to explain by way of an example. Let’s suppose you are starting with a five dollar stake and you always bet on red.

If the ball lands on red, you put the $5 winnings in your pocket and use the $5 stake you got back to repeat the bet. If it’s black, you next bet $10 on red. If it’s red this time, you win $10 and get your $10 stake back. Having laid down $15 in total, you are once again $5 up, so put that in your pocket and start again with a new $5 stake on red.

Suppose you get four blacks in a row, and then the fifth bet is a red. That means you stake $5, $10, $20, $40 and $80. That adds up to $155. Winning the fifth time means you get your $80 stake back and your $80 prize. However many losses you sustain along the way, you always end up with that $5 win going into your pocket sooner or later.

So what’s the catch?

It’s easy to see why people are so taken with progressive betting, as the above strategy looks foolproof. The problem comes when you get a run of seven or eight blacks in a row. Every roulette wheel has an upper limit. Let’s suppose in our example it is $100. In this case, if that fifth spin had been another black, you would have been in big trouble, as you would not be permitted to double your stake to $160.

A progressive strategy like this is characterized by frequent small wins and occasional catastrophic losses. Play like this for an hour, and you might get lucky and walk away with $30. But in the long run, the house always wins.

The only true roulette strategy

Games like roulette are steeped in history and tradition, but ultimately, that phrase the house always wins is axiomatic. The only true strategy with any casino game is to play for fun and only wager what you can afford to lose. If luck is with you and you have a winning night, treat that as a bonus, but most important of all, enjoy the game.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.