Roulette is one of the oldest casino games around. While it may seem that it’s entirely based on chance, there are certain tricks you can use to minimize your losses. While you can’t be absolutely certain that you’ll make a profit from playing roulette, you can maximize your chances of winning.
1. Take a Few Practice Spins or Watch Others Play
Before taking your real turn, spin the wheel a few times. You can do this even if you’re playing at a casino. This will help you decide if there are biases, like the wheel ending on odd numbers more often than even numbers. If you can’t spin the wheel yourself at a casino, observe the workers who run the game and watch a few people play before taking your turn. It’s possible that a worker who’s been working the game for a while spins with a certain force that creates a bias.
2. Practice at a Free Table Before Placing a Bet
Some casinos have free roulette tables where you can play a few practice games. This will help you get confident about playing the game and you’ll make decisions about what does and doesn’t work. You’ll also have a chance to think about what you want to wager before actually putting up your money.
3. Opt for European Roulette
If you have the choice, choose European Roulette over American Roulette. American Roulette has an additional slot – 00 – than European Roulette, which decreases your odds of winning. The house has a 2.63% edge on a European Roulette wheel, while the American Roulette wheel has double the edge.
4. Be Extra Careful Online
If you’re playing roulette in an online casino, be extra careful. You could very easily give your money to a scam and there’s really no way to tell. Only play casino games on a reputable website. Check that their payout guidelines are published, too. Additionally, you also want to verify that the online casino uses a random number generator. There are so many untrustworthy sites out there and you could easily lose your money if you’re not careful.
5. Don’t Over-Bet
If you truly want to know how to win at roulette, you need to minimize your losses. The first way to do this is to not bet more than you’re willing to lose. This is especially important during your first few spins when you’re just learning the wheel bias. Control the temptation to bet more than you’ve decided to by steering clear of alcohol while playing. You may also want to consider giving your money to a trusted friend who will only give you certain amounts that you work out ahead of time.
6. Withdraw Your Profits
Whenever you make a profit, withdraw it. For example, let’s say you start out by betting $100 and you make $50. Now you have $150, which means you have a $50 profit. Withdraw the $50 and keep it separate from the rest of the money that you’re betting with. By regularly withdrawing your winnings, you’ll minimize your losses. If you win enough and you consistently withdraw your winnings, you could end up breaking even or even coming out with a profit.
7. Make Uncomplicated Bets
If you simply want to play for fun and not lose your money in the process, stick to the outside. That means only betting on one of three options: red or black, high or low, or odd or even. The return is low, but you have a smaller chance of losing your money, too. Two outside bets are also okay, like red and odd. Start out making uncomplicated bets until you get a handle of the game.
8. Use the Martingale Strategy
The Martingale Strategy is good to apply if you’re losing. For example, if you’re betting on black and you lose, every time you lose you should bet twice the amount as the first time, on the same color. Continue doing this until you win. For example, if you bet $1 on red and you lose, bet $2 on red the next time. If you lose that time, bet $4 on red. Continue doing this until the wheel lands on red, which is will eventually do. You’ll win back your losses and gain a profit in the meantime. This is easiest to do without betting all your money if you start off by betting the table minimum. Also keep in mind that some tables have a max you can bet, so at some point you may have to stop doubling your bet.
9. Try the James Bond Strategy
This is a good strategy to play with if you have some money to burn. For example, if you won $200 or more and you don’t mind taking a chance, use this strategy. The James Bond Strategy requires you to bet a total of $200. Put $140 of that $200 on the high numbers, which are numbers 19 through 36. Put $50 on numbers 13 through 18 and then put $10 on zero. By spreading out your bets, you increase the likelihood of winning. If you land on a number between 19 and 36, you’ll make a profit of $80. If you land on a number between 13 and 18, you’ll make a $100 profit. If you land on zero, you’ll make a $160 profit. The only way you’ll lose is if you land on a number between 1 and 12.
10. Make Your Bankroll Last
In order to make your money last, take the total amount that you brought with you and divide it by a minimum of 20. This is how much you should make your standard bet size. You may want to do this a few times throughout the day as the amount of money you have changes. However, if you’re always going to keep your profits set aside, your standard bet amount won’t change because it will always be based on what you initially started with.
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