The Worst Roulette Betting Strategies
Gambling is a big global industry and attracts several people worldwide whether it is betting with friends on small silly matters or playing games at a casino. Due to this increased attraction, so many different betting games have come into being, among which one of the most popular is roulette. It has a high payout, straightforward rules, and player-friendly RTP. Roulette is mostly luck-based, and there is not much that can be done to manipulate its outcomes. But there are some strategies that may increase the chances of winning, and they can be divided into good or bad ones. The chances of slipping away in roulette are high as the game is easy-to-play, adds a lot of excitement and lets players win big.
In roulette, players stand encircling a table where the roulette wheel is placed. The dealer opens the betting session, and all the players place their bets. When all the bets have been placed, the wheel is spun by the dealer who then throws a small, marble-sized ball into the wheel which spins in the opposite direction. Eventually, this ball will fall into one of the marked slots which determine which bets have won and deserve a payout. A player gets a payout if the placed bet corresponds to the color or number of the slot on which the ball lands.
Being a roulette fan it’s almost impossible not to hear about popular strategies used by gamblers whereas the reality is that there are strategies that may do more harm than benefit. However, these strategies have become so popular that they are perceived as techniques that must be tried. This is where the following article comes in to explain which strategies are the worst roulette strategies and why they should not be followed. It will also help players understand the game to increase winning probability.
The Experiment
There are so many books and articles about roulette betting strategies, but they do not say if and under which conditions those strategies work. Hence, this article goes through extensive research conducted in this matter which simulates a roulette game, 1 million times, using a random number generator with the computer.
The results showed that some strategies gain better results than others while others give abysmal results. These roulette betting strategies and tactics go beyond plain bad luck if the wrong decisions are made.
The first instance of the game simulation is for even bets. In this condition, the odds of losing or winning are roughly the same, the most common of which are Red or Black, Even or Odd, 1-18 or 19-36.
The calculations and conclusions explained are based on the best version of roulette which is the European Roulette. American Roulette comes second in popularity due to having two zeros.
As seen in the table below, some strategies are suitable for players who prefer a defensive or risk-averting stance as compared to risk-taking players. The strategies which are to be avoided in all situations are the Martingale, the D’Alembert, and the Red Bet Strategy.
Martingale Betting Strategy
It is possibly one of the most popular strategies in roulette playing groups. It is all about doubling the bet when one is on a losing streak. The tactic is that whenever a hand is lost, the next one is to be doubled. It is promoted as it increases the chances of making a lot of profit when and if a hand wins.
This strategy should be avoided as you can go over budget very easily and lose a lot of money as a win is not guaranteed after a few hands of double betting. If you are facing a losing streak, a lot of money can be lost even if the starting bet is very low. Even if you have an unlimited bankroll, casinos have limits, and the outcome that you expect might not be achieved.
D’ Alembert Betting Strategy
In this strategy, unlike the Martingale method, after losing a hand, instead of doubling the bet, one unit is added to the stake of the player and when a hand wins, the stake is decreased by a unit.
This strategy is not proven to be too risky and has very high stakes at some points. If a player loses more than they have won, the situation can quickly escalate against their favor.
Fibonacci Betting Strategy
The Fibonacci strategy was developed by a famous mathematician however this does not mean that it is necessarily a good one. According to this technique, gamblers increase their bet every time they lose, following the Fibonacci sequence, jumping from one stake to another.
Although it is less risky as compared to the Martingale or D’Alembert’s Strategy, it’s still riskier than needed as the return is limited and generally the profits do not compensate the risks taken. Gamblers can get into trouble if several hands lose consecutive times.
Red Bet Strategy
The simplicity of the Red Bet strategy is the reason for its fame. In this technique, the starting bet is the lowest and if the hand wins, the next bet is placed with the same value. Whereas, if a hand loses, the bet is doubled, and the same is continued until the winning hand. After winning, the bet returns to the lowest value.
In short, this strategy has been invented by casinos to increase their profits and is considered the worst strategy.
Constant Bet Strategy
As apparent from the name, the Constant Bet strategy is one in which the value of the bet remains the same. It works well if you are new in roulette playing.
This is one of the roulette betting strategies that work and is not as dangerous for players who are defensive and do not follow any particular goal. The risk is limited, and the stakes remain the same on each hand.
However, it is not suitable for a player who aims to win or gather a big amount of money.
Betting Patterns
A very common misunderstanding among roulette players is that a specific pattern can be adopted so players tend to record results and create statistics regarding where the ball might fall and guess who will win. The goal is to mark the cold and hot numbers and some online sites may even disclose these numbers automatically. While lucky numbers may work at some points and even if the outcome is predicted once, it will not be based on knowledge but luck as each digit has an equal probability of coming up.
When choosing online casinos, a site with a low house edge should be chosen which is transparent and safe. However, if someone still wants to try their luck with creating patterns, they may take their chances and it may work sometimes.
Following the Dealer
Following the dealer is also another tactic that players may stick to, but it can only take place in a physical casino whereas in online games the movement of the ball and placement of the system cannot be predicted.
In this method, a player should be well-focused and observe the actions of the dealer, i.e. the way the dealer throws the ball and the possible outcome. Apart from this, attention can also be paid towards the way of the landing of the ball, the motion of the dealer’s hands, and even the speed of the wheel. The risk in this tactic is that a lot of rounds can be wasted while following these movements and the player’s results can still be wrong.
Hedging
Hedging bets is a process similar to insurance against losses in which players cover different outcomes to keep losses at a minimum and increase chances of winning. It is used by players in roulette but prevails in sports betting and allows placement of low and high bets to cover more numbers.
However, on the other side, this strategy is worth thinking about, if the player is in the mood for action and fun and should be avoided by people who are in it to win it.
Calculating Results in Strategies
The calculations have been made regarding two groups of gamblers. One is the group that prefers to stay defensive and avoid the risk. These are usually the players just gambling for fun. The second group is the players who take more risks and look towards big wins. They understand the low odds of winning big and losing a substantial amount.
Results for Defensive Players: The following table shows the statistics and conclusions for defensive players.
In this group, if the Martingale Strategy is applied, the chance of loss of the entire bankroll is 33.3%. The chances are high in terms of losing everything as compared to other strategies and are not suitable for defensive players.
In this strategy, the expected payout percentage is 90.9% which is lower than other strategies apart from the D’Alembert Strategy which has a worse and lower percentage payout of 87.2%.
The Constant Bet Strategy, in this case, has the most percentage (97.4%) of expected payout but only profits a limited amount.
The Reverse Martingale Strategy delivers the best results in this scenario which will not return players empty-handed and with a good payout percentage.
Results for Offensive Players: The following table shows the statistics and conclusions for offensive players.
If the Martingale Strategy is used, the chances of losing everything is 72.9% which is higher than the other strategies. Hence, this strategy is not suitable for the stance and expectations of an offensive player.
The D’Alembert Strategy is still the worst strategy for risk-taking players as well in which the expected payout percentage is 74.9% which is still low.
The Constant Bet Strategy has the highest percentage (87.1%) of the expected payout rate but does not contain the chance of winning big.
Conclusion
As you have read in the article above, the use of sensible strategies is optimal in achieving a balance between several winning hands and the amount won which requires research. Practice in this subject also matters significantly in terms of the game and bankroll management. If the above-mentioned strategies still need to be used, then they should be done for fun.
The article has discussed the worst strategies to use, and it is up to you to find out what technique works better for you. These good strategies include using low-risk approaches like choosing a single number, hitting bets which present more odds, or placing outside bets which cover more of the board and give better winning probabilities but lesser returns. A slow and steady approach is also a good idea that can help stay active and have more fun. This can also be achieved through taking breaks instead of playing for longer times which makes you impulsive.