Basic Roulette Strategy
What passes for strategy in roulette are really a few good tips. Follow the advice here for a better chance at winning.
Knowledge is the Best Roulette Strategy
Because roulette is a game of chance there is no surefire strategy that, if learned, can help you win. Roulette is not blackjack; no basic strategy will keep you in the money. Nonetheless, roulette is more exciting and dramatic than any other casino game, even if luck is the biggest factor. In lieu of a real strategy there are tips regarding roulette that can make a difference in how you do at the table. First of all, there are good bets and bad bets in roulette and knowing one from the other is a key in coming out ahead.
Smart Roulette Strategy Equals Smart Roulette Bets
The worst bets in casino roulette are all single-number bets and the 5-number bet (only found on American Roulette wheels) because these types of bets have the largest gap between true odds and actual payouts. Instead, if you want a winning "strategy," stick with the bets whose odds almost mirror their payouts. These even-money bets include betting on Even, Odd, Low (numbers 1 through 18), High (numbers 19 through 36), Red, or Black. All of these bets pay out at 1:1 and smart roulette players will opt for these.
Help Luck Along: Know Your Roulette Rules
Casino roulette is a game of chance and, like most games where luck rules, it's considered non-interactive, i.e., the player doesn't really influence the outcome. There is little you can do from a strategic point of view other than try to keep the house edge to a minimum, first of all by playing on a single-zero/European roulette table. In addition, some casinos have special rules which have a direct impact on the edge. One of these rules is the "surrender" rule (which is not the same as the surrender rule in blackjack). In roulette, this rule applies to outside bets which pay even money, such as odd/even, red/black, and high/low. If the balls lands on the 0 (or the double zero if you're stupidly playing an American game) you only lose half your bet, rather than the whole thing. Playing a game with this rule is a smart and worthwhile strategy.
Use Roulette Rules to Your Advantage
Another good strategy is to look for a game that used the "En Prison" rule. Similar to the "surrender" rule above, this rule also applies to even-money bets when the ball lands on zero. In this case, the player does not immediately lose his bet, but instead the bet remains on the board and is said to be "in prison." The bet is decided on the next spin - if it lands on a winning number the player receives his bet back; if it loses, the player loses his money. This bet cuts the house edge in half and so in always is good strategy to keep your eyes open for this rule.
A lot of people talk about mathematical systems in roulette but from a statistical point of view they don't really make any sense. Roulette is a game of chance; math has little to do with the outcome. If the number X comes up 5 times in a row, the chances of it coming up the next time are the same as any other number. So forget about systems and remember what this article pointed out - stay away from American roulette; look for the "surrender" rule; and play European Roulette with the "En Prison." That's a strategy you can take all the way to the bank.
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