Online Casino Roulette Strategy That Actually Works

Online roulette strategy is a misunderstood concept that often leads people to make false claims and bad decisions. I’m here to clear up the confusion and give you honest, practical online roulette tips that work.

The Best Online Roulette Strategies

I’ve read a lot of online roulette strategy guides in my time. I’ve also played a lot of roulette. Rarely do the online roulette tips I’ve read translate to success at the virtual tables. 

I’m not saying people are being deliberately deceptive or misleading. It’s more the case that people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to roulette strategy.

That’s why I’ve divided my roulette strategy tips into three sections: work, work in theory, and don’t work. This structure will give you a better understanding of the game and, in turn, a better chance of finding an online roulette strategy that works.

Roulette Strategies that Work

No online roulette strategy works 100% of the time, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make smart decisions.

The house always has an edge (i.e., our long-term expected value is negative). Therefore, our job, as smart players, is to minimize that edge as much as possible.

This has the knock-on effect of maximizing our chances of success. Based on my time in the game, these three online roulette strategy tips work:

1. It’s All Fun (and Games)

Top US online casinos allow you to play roulette for free. You can’t win cash prizes, but demo games do allow you to master the basics and have fun. For me, demo games are the best way to learn online roulette strategy.

You don’t have to risk any money, which takes away the fear of trying new things. As I’ve said, finding an online roulette strategy that works isn’t easy. Therefore, if you can put theories to the test without any risk, you should do it.

2. Start As You Mean to Go On

The poker players among you will know what game selection means. If you’re not a poker player, game selection is based on the idea that you need to choose your targets carefully. Specifically, skilled poker players look for games with favorable conditions, such as tables filled with weak players.

We can apply this concept to roulette. Today, there are dozens of roulette variants online, but they all stem from two formats: European and American. European roulette tables have 37 numbers ranging from 0 to 36. American roulette tables have 38 numbers ranging from 00 to 36.

The maximum payout in both formats is 35:1 (35x), despite American tables having an extra number. This discrepancy nearly doubles the house edge for American roulette:

Based on this information, you can give yourself a better chance of success by simply selecting the right game. I’m not saying you can’t make a profit playing American roulette. However, if you want a better long-term win rate, European tables are the only option.

3. The Double Dozen Technique

The double dozen technique is a low-risk roulette strategy. It’s low risk because you cover almost 66% of the numbers in play with only two bets. You do this by placing bets of equal value on two columns or thirds.

Each column/third bet covers 12 numbers (hence the name, double dozen technique). These bets pay 2:1 (2x). Therefore, you can use this roulette strategy to win one unit for every two wagered.

For example, let’s say you bet $10 on the first and third columns. The number 36 hits. Because it’s in the third column, you win 2:1 on your $10 bet, i.e., 2 x 10 = $20. You also get back your $10 stake, giving you a total return of $30.

You’re not guaranteed to win every time, but the fact that you cover 24 numbers with two bets and still make a profit makes the approach a low-risk roulette strategy that works.

Roulette Strategies that Work in Theory

Every roulette strategy book, guide, and social media post refers to betting systems. I’m not against betting systems. Some of them have merit, while others are optimistic at best. The most common roulette betting systems are:

• Martingale

• Paroli

• D’Alembert

• Fibonacci

These systems are based on the concept of positive and negative progression:

• Positive progression roulette strategy: increase your bet if you win and reset it after a loss.

• Negative progression roulette strategy: increase your bet if you lose and reset it after a win.

From the betting systems I’ve listed, Martingale and Paroli are the most popular. Let’s take a look at them in more detail:

Martingale Strategy for Roulette

People love the Martingale roulette betting strategy because, in theory, it works. The premise is simple: you make an even-money bet and double it following a loss. For clarity, the even-money bets in roulette are Red/Black, Odd/Even, and Low (1-18)/High (19-36). 

Let’s say you decide to focus on Red/Black. Here’s how you’d implement a Martingale strategy in roulette:

• You bet $5 on red and lose.

• You bet $10 on red and lose.

• You bet $20 on black and lose.

• You bet $40 on red and win.

A win on red pays $80 ($40 profit + $40 stake). The total amount wagered before a win in this example was $75. This gives you a profit of $5.

Once you’ve hit a win, you go back to your original bet amount and start again. As you can see, this betting strategy works because you’re guaranteed a profit when you win. The problem, however, is getting to that point.

You run into two problems by doubling your bets after losses:

1. It becomes expensive quickly. Let’s say you start with a $5 bet. You’d only need to lose seven spins in a row before the required bet amount hits $640. Losing seven spins in a row isn’t as uncommon as you’d think.

2. You’ll be stopped by the table limit. Even if you can afford to double your bet indefinitely, you’ll be forced to stop at some point because all roulette tables have limits.

If you run out of money or hit the table limit before a winning spin, Martingale doesn’t work because you never get to recoup the money you’ve invested. That’s why Martingale is a roulette strategy that works in theory but not in practice.

Paroli Strategy for Roulette

Another roulette strategy that works in theory but not in practice is Paroli. It’s the reverse of Martingale, which means you double your bet after a win and reset after a loss.

The problem here is that you don’t have a natural stopping point. You also need a string of three wins in a row (following a loss) to make a profit.

Finally, because you’re more likely to lose than win in roulette (due to the house edge), it’s hard to hit the required number of consecutive wins. So, while the Paroli roulette betting system is appealing at first, it falls apart when you try to use it.

Roulette Strategies That Definitely Don’t Work

My final category contains online roulette strategies that don’t work. I’m not sure why people still use them, but at least you don’t have to make the same mistakes:

The Andrucci Roulette Strategy

Superstitious people will tell you that Andrucci is the best strategy for roulette. Unfortunately, they’re wrong. This strategy requires you to track the results of between 30 and 37 spins. 

From this sample size, you should (according to the theory) spot some patterns. These patterns are numbers that hit more often than others (hot) and those that haven’t hit in a while (cold).

The concept of hot and cold numbers is one that’s persisted in roulette for decades. The truth is that patterns don’t exist. Numbers aren’t more or less likely to hit based on previous results. The only way there could be biased patterns is if the roulette wheel were faulty.

It’s incredibly rare to have faulty roulette wheels in land-based casinos. Online, it’s basically impossible because a casino’s random number generators are audited by independent companies. This eliminates the risk of rigged games or, in this case, faulty wheels.

What I’m saying is that looking for patterns is a waste of time. Forget about hot and cold numbers. Just play sensibly and use roulette strategies that actually work.

James Bond Roulette Strategy

Any roulette strategy based on the betting preferences of a fictional character should be instantly thrown into the trash. Even though James Bond is cool, there’s no mathematical value to his betting pattern that some people like to use:

• Bet 70% of your stake on high numbers from 19 to 36.

• Bet 25% of your stake on the six-number (aka double street) bet 13-18.

• Bet 5% of your stake on 0.

It’s a low-risk strategy until you lose because you have to double your stake. This, along with the fact that there’s no real reason for choosing those numbers, makes it an online roulette strategy I’d avoid.

Online Roulette Tips and Tricks

In addition to the strategies I’ve already mentioned, these online roulette tips and tricks will add to your experience:

• Bonuses are guaranteed: The only surefire way to make money in the gambling world is bonuses. As long as you comply with a promotion’s terms and conditions, you’ll receive a casino bonus that can be used to play roulette for real money prizes.

• Bankroll management: Gambling responsibly is a simple tip that I put in all of my strategy guides, but it’s one you can’t ignore. Making small bets in relation to the amount of money you’ve got to spend is a skill all online roulette players have to master.

• Don’t listen to false prophets: My final roulette tip also applies to life in general. There are people out there who will tell you X or Y is the best roulette strategy and works every time. Regardless of their intentions, you should be skeptical of these people and question their claims.

How to Win at Roulette Every Time

You can’t win at roulette every time you play. I wish there were an online roulette strategy that guaranteed a positive return, but there isn’t. The best thing you can do, as I’ve said, is make sensible decisions.

Don’t risk too much money, ignore crazy theories, and choose the right games. Get these things right, and you’ll give yourself the best chance of success when you play roulette online.

Responsible Gambling

Before you go, I’ll remind you that gambling should be a source of entertainment. To keep things fun, you should always gamble responsibly. That means betting conservatively, stopping when you hit a predetermined limit or you're frustrated, and using these tools to manage your sessions:

• Personalized deposit and betting limits

• Session timers and reality checks

• Timeouts for when things get too much

Finally, you can refer to our responsible gambling hub for more insights. You can also get information and help from these resources:

• The National Council on Problem Gambling

• Gamblers Anonymous

• Gam-Anon.org

• GamTalk.org