Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the world. In addition to the easy-to-learn rules, experienced players have various strategic options. Every player swears by one of the many different strategies, which can often make it difficult for casino newbies to keep track of everything. That’s why we would like to introduce you to some of the most popular roulette strategies around.

 

Roulette strategies

Martingale

Martingale is one of the oldest and most popular roulette strategies. This is not without reason, because at first glance it seems like you cannot lose with it. However, this is not true.

In the Martingale system, you place bets on a specific simple odd – for example, on the color red. The probability of winning is always just under 50% in this case. By the way, you can find more information about the different types of bets on our roulette rules  page.

In the event of a loss, the bet is doubled and placed on the same square until a win occurs. In our example, in the second roulette round the player bets 2x, then 4x, then 8x the original bet on the color red, provided they have not won. Due to the constant doubling of the base bet, if the bet is correct, you are left with the base bet as profit.

Since this inevitably results in a profit over the long term, this seems to be the perfect strategy. But be careful! By constantly doubling up, you are risking significant amounts after only a few rounds. This betting behavior thus leads to very high bets extremely quickly, whereby the maximum bid is reached in short order. As soon as you cannot double your bid (either because you have too little money in your account or because you have reached the maximum bid limit) the Martingale strategy stops working and you lose money even if you win.

Therefore, we recommend that you be very careful with this casino roulette strategy. If you still want to try it out, we recommended that you start with a very small base bet, such as 10 centimes, so that you don’t suddenly have to risk very large amounts.

 

Labouchere / reverse Labouchere

The Labouchere roulette system was named after Henry Labouchere, its inventor and a passionate gambler. The tactic is considered to be one of the most promising roulette systems and therefore enjoys great popularity among ambitious players.

Unlike the Martingale rule, this strategy focuses on the desired profit. This amount is determined before the roulette game and divided into several parts, which are listed in order. In our example, the player wants to win CHF 10.- and writes down the number sequence 1-2-3-4.

Then add the first and the last number in the series. The sum of the two is the first bet on a simple odd. So our player adds the one and the four and bets CHF 5.- on the color black.

In the case of a win, the two numbers can be crossed off the list. However, if you lose, add the lost amount at the end of the row on your slip. So, in our example, the new number line would be either 2-3 (if the player won) or, in the case of a loss, 1-2-3-4-5.

Now repeat this process until you have crossed out all the numbers on your piece of paper. Once all the numbers are crossed out, your game round is over and you have definitely reached your winning goal.

Labouchere seems more complicated than Martingale at first sight. With a little practice, however, this strategy is also quick to learn. Also, if you play with lower stakes, you will reach your limits less quickly with this tactic than with the Martingale rule. However, be careful here as well: with high partial stakes, your bets increase quickly during a losing streak and the sequence of numbers on your slip gets longer and longer. So even with this strategy, start with a smaller profit target at first to keep your stakes, and thus your risk, smaller.

In reverse Labouchere, the system is reversed: you cross out the two numbers if you lose the bet, and if you win you add the number to the row. This way of playing is a bit more conservative and less aggressive than the Labouchere strategy. Reversal is especially popular with beginners, as it helps minimize losses. However, you should be aware that in this variant you need to win twice as many rounds as you lose.

 

Fibonacci and reverse Fibonacci

The Fibonacci roulette system, as well as the reverse Fibonacci, are based on the Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci’s infinite number sequence. It is a betting progression where the roulette bet is always determined by the sum of the two previous bets. So the Fibonacci sequence is 1-1-2-3-5-6-13-21, etc.

In the Fibonacci roulette strategy, you start with the first number of the Fibonacci sequence. So you put 1x your basic stake on a simple odd. If you lose the bet, you move one number further to the right in the number sequence and thus bet 1x your base stake again, then 2x, 3x, 5x and so on. So if you lose, your bet increases and so does your chance of profit. However, if you win your bet, your next bet will be one place to the left in the number sequence and you will bet less money. When you return to the Fibonacci sequence’s far left starting point, the series ends and you get a profit of one standard bet.

In the reverse Fibonacci roulette strategy, you reverse the bets. So if you win, you don’t move to the left and bet less, but you move one place to the right and thus increase your bid. However, if you lose a round, you move two places to the left, therefore betting less money. This not only minimizes your losses, but in the best case scenario, it also allows you to win significantly more than just a standard bet, as in the Fibonacci strategy.

A reverse Fibonacci round ends when you reach the rightmost point of the defined number line. Thus, you have made a profit, the amount of which depends on the length of the Fibonacci sequence you have chosen. If you arrive at the starting point on the far left, you will not have made a profit, but you will not have lost any money either. However, if you lose the first bet with this roulette strategy, you will have lost the entire run at the same time, as you will not be able to move further to the left in the number sequence. You thus lose a base stake.

The advantage of both Fibonacci strategies is that the relatively flat progression means you reach your limits less quickly than with the Martingale strategy, for example. However, make sure that you do not start with too high of a base bet, as you will have to increase it as the game progresses.

In the Fibonacci system, you only need to win half of your bets to walk away from the game with one unit of profit after a run. In the reverse Fibonacci roulette system, you have to win two thirds of your bets, but there are also bigger winnings than just a standard bet. The maximum loss per game run is reduced to one unit.

Paroli

The Paroli system, just like the Martingale strategy, is a progressive betting system. With Paroli, you try to exploit the weakness of Martingale and thus gain an advantage. With the Paroli strategy you do not double down in case of a loss, but in case of a win you always continue betting with the base stake and all winnings. As a result, the bet is constantly doubled for sustained wins.

With Paroli, you also place a basic bet on a simple odd at the beginning. If you win, you double your bet for the next simple odd bet. If you lose, you start again with a new base bet.

For example, if you bet CHF 5.- and win, you will have CHF 10.- from this bet. You do not take your bet and winnings from the table, but rather bet the CHF 10.- directly again on a simple odd.

You can repeat this process as long as you win. When you are satisfied with your earnings, leave the table and cash out your winnings. By re-betting your winnings in each round, your bets and your potential profit increase very quickly, while the possible loss always remains at one base unit.

What is difficult about this strategy is that you need to make a profit several rounds in a row for the system to really be productive. Another frequent difficulty is catching the right moment for a payout. The high winnings are very tempting, which causes many players to play too many rounds and thus lose their previously earned winnings.

 

Parlay

The parlay betting system can be used not only in roulette, but also in blackjack. This variant also belongs to the progressive systems, in which you increase your bet when you win. With the parlay roulette strategy, you determine your basic bet and your profit target in advance. For example, a player chooses a base bet of CHF 10.- and a win target of CHF 200. With the parlay roulette strategy, you are therefore betting on securing winnings in between in order to avoid losses.

An advantage of this game variant is that you can not only bet on simple chances, but also place other bets as you wish. Nevertheless, in our example we start with a simple bet on black. The player wins and has a total of CHF 20.- in his pocket. In the next round, the original bet plus the win forms the basis for the next bet. After another win on a simple chance, it is already CHF 40. The player gets bolder and bets this amount on a carré and wins again - a total of CHF 360.- is now on the table. This amount exceeds the set win target and the player ends the round.

After collecting the winnings or after a loss, in Parlay you always start again with the original base bet.

If you choose a moderate base bet and a realistic win target in the Parlay system, you can play with relatively low risk. The combination of different betting patterns makes this strategy very diversified, but also bears the risk of not being able to win for a longer period of time. Therefore, you should also start this game with a smaller base bet to keep your possible losses limited.

 

Red system or 3/2

The red system, also called 3/2, takes advantage of the fact that the red and black numbers are not evenly distributed among the three columns. The first column contains more black numbers, the third has more red numbers and the middle column is balanced.

Now, if you place bets on red and on the first column at the same time, you can cover many roulette numbers at once. Since the columns have a payout ratio of 2:1, but the colors only 1:1, a higher bet is placed on red. So you always place three units on red and two units on the first column. Alternatively, you can flip the bet by betting on black and the third column together.

In the Red System, there is also a 2/1 version, where instead of betting 3 units on Red and 2 on Column 1, you only bet 2 units on Red and one on the Column. The rest of the strategy remains unchanged.

This bet allows you to minimize the house advantage in roulette. However, you will not be able to completely erase the house advantage, and over infinite rounds, you will lose even with this strategy. However, since the numbers are not perfectly evenly distributed, in the short run this betting pattern may well give you profits.

 

Conclusion

There are many interesting roulette strategies, all of which try to minimize the house advantage and losses and maximize your winnings through different systems. Which one is right for you personally depends largely on your preferences. So give some thought as to whether you value higher risk or prefer to play a little more conservatively. Furthermore, some strategies are a bit more complicated and therefore better suited for experienced players.

With the right approach, you can make profits in roulette in the short term. However, in the long term, even the right approach cannot guarantee safe profits, because it cannot cancel out the house advantage. Also, avoiding losses does not work in every case. In any case, be careful and do not risk too stakes that are too high, because you can still suffer losses in roulette even with strategic play.

If you are not yet sure which strategy is best for you, we recommend that you simply try out the different variants. If you are not logged into your jackpots.ch player account, you can test many of our roulette games for free. This gives you the opportunity to test and learn the different strategies without any risk.

We hope you have lots of fun trying them out!