Money Crafter

Note, I will take about a ''§1'' chip here rather than using specific currencies (£1, £1, €4 etc) simply convert into your local currency)

There are many websites out there which offer to teach you how to ''beat the casinos'' at roulette. Many advise you to ''only play this strategy with on-line casinos, as you will be thrown out of a real casino if you try this strategy''.

As we''ve mentioned in a previous article, there are good ways and bad ways to gamble. A good way to gamble is to gamble against other users - Poker, for example, is a game played against the other players rather than the bank. Therefore people can make a living out of playing poker.

A bad way to gamble is to gamble against the bank/casino. In Roulette you are playing against the casino, and the casino is sure to weigh the odds in its favour.

The strategy sold on websites

Note:
You can place many types of bet on a roulette table. We are concerned with the colour options, betting on red or black. There are 18 red and 18 black numbers on a roulette wheel, along with 1 or 2 green. When you bet on red or black you receive evens whenever the ball lands on your colour.

The strategy you normally find on websites is called the ''doubling'' strategy, normally played on the colours. You choose one colour, and repeatedly bet on it following this formula:

1) Start by betting §1
2) If you lose double your bet on that colour
3) Repeat 2) until you win. Then return to 1).

It looks foolproof - which is probably why it has been around for hundreds of years. For each sequence you are guaranteed to make a profit of §1, as the doubling covers the bets you lost.

So where''s the catch?

The problem is that you don''t have an infinite bank account. Eventually you reach a point where your next bet is greater than you can afford to lose.

Sure the odds of going 10 games without a win are low, but the longer you play the more likely you are to see it. Statistically, you are going to see it within your first 100 sequences. That means you''ll need §1000 in the bank to return §1 profit. That''s not a good return. You are in effect, betting your entire bank for a §1 return every game.

Contrary to what the websites say, casinos actually like players playing this, and sometimes call them ''system players''. The casino likes them because with every sequence they play, they stand to win the smallest amount possible, and stand to lose their entire bank.

That said, this can win in the short term. Depending on how large a bank you go to the table with you should, on average, get a small profit before you lose your money.

Some strategies go on to give further advice, a common one is to wait until 5 of the same colour come out in a row, then start betting on the opposite colour. Unfortunately that doesn''t alter your statistical chances at all.

Simple Reasoning

A roulette wheel contains 38 squares, 18 of which are red (or black). For each bet you have a:
18/38*100=47.37%
chance of winning.

Roulette is a game of discrete data. If ''red 3'' comes up in the first game, it will have no bearing on the result of the second game.(Cards, in contrast, are not discreet data. If you hold the Ace of Hearts in your hand you know for certain that it is not in anybody else''s hand.)

Other strategies

There are other similar strategies, such as the ''grand doubling'' in which you double your bet, then add your initial bet every time you lose. You''re guaranteed a value 1 win every game, but you need an even bigger bank to cover it. There are also more intricate strategies, but so far we have seen none that will let you win in the long term. Mathematically, it should be impossible to beat a roulette table long term as each spin is independent of the other spins, and is rigged in the casinos favour.

Our verdict

Roulette isn''t a game that you can win long term, the strategies sold on the websites are useless. If you are reasonably lucky you may be able to take them to a casino and get your money back.

If you play Roulette only play it for fun, set the bank that you are happy to lose and get away from the table the second you cross it.

One piece of advice - there are two types of Roulette table. All tables have green ''0'' squares at the top, which are the casinos advantage. They pay back odds as if the square wasn''t there, so they make their profit on the fact that it is. European tables have a single green square makred ''0''. American tables have two, marked ''0'' and ''00''. Obviously your odds of not losing are better on a European table than an American one, so always try to find a European table to play on.

Want to learn the secret of ''The Man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo''? Read the article titled ''A roulette system which does work'' in the members area.