Roulette is an outstanding game inside and out. Although novices might describe roulette as no more than a guessing game that uncannily resembles a coin flip, any experienced player would know that it goes way deeper than that.
One of the most intriguing things about roulette is the diversity of bets you can place. On top of the standard betting options found on the roulette table, you have the freedom to wager however you like — which could make for some very interesting roulette bet combinations.
Combining bets in roulette requires a bit of know-how and practice, but it can help you better understand the game in the long term. For today’s lesson, we’ll teach you all about the best roulette bet combinations that can cast a wide enough net for you to increase your overall chance of winning. Without further ado, let’s dive into it.
WHAT IS THE BEST ROULETTE BET?
Before getting into that, let’s clarify which of the three main roulette games (American roulette, European roulette and French roulette) are worth playing to keep tabs on the house edge as much as possible. The American roulette odds of winning are lower, owing to the double zero on its roulette wheel. This significant difference means that the house edge of American roulette stands at a whopping 5.25%, which is why we suggest not to play American roulette unless you want to play roulette on hard mode.
Both European roulette and French roulette do not feature the double zero, which places their house edge at around 2.7% — a very important difference compared to American roulette. With this in mind, you should definitely choose to play European roulette or French roulette over American roulette whenever possible.
To answer the initial question, the best roulette bets are the ones that have the best roulette odds. Statistically speaking, the higher the roulette probability of a specific outcome, the more worthy of a bet it is.
Let’s get into the specifics. In roulette, the even-money bets offer the best chance of winning. Although they offer far from the best payout odds you’ll find in most casino games, their probability of paying (47.4% in European roulette and 44.8% in American roulette) is the highest among all the other roulette bets. In fact, players predominantly use an even-money bet to test out the best roulette strategies.
Here are the even-money bets available in roulette:
- Red or Black bet
- Odd or even
- High/Low bet (1-18/19-36)
Is that all that your roulette betting experience will sum up to? Not necessarily. You can toy around with as many combination bets as you like, but the bets we mentioned above offer the best chances of paying. Below, we’ll discuss what options you could pursue to spice up your betting system while still keeping tabs on your budget.
WHY COMBINE BETS?
As we all know, there can only be one winning number in roulette — which doesn’t make for very great odds, especially if you’re playing at an American table. But, by combining roulette bets you can hedge high-risk wagers with low-risk ones to act as a kind of safety net.
Bet combinations can cover multiple table positions at once with a slightly smaller chance of hitting diminishing returns, which can marginally improve your odds of making small profits in the long run. This approach can never guarantee a win and does not account for losing streaks, but in a game where your chances are already pretty slim, combining bets might make for some entertaining spins.
TOP 5 BEST ROULETTE BETS
When it comes to roulette betting, combining bets up isn’t just entertaining but it also casts a wider net with which you can scoop up some successful bets. Granted, every player has their own playing style, but switching things up can work better than one might think. Here are a few neat ideas that you could use to kick things up a notch in your roulette game.
1. STRAIGHT UP BET
Even-money, outside bets are all about offering the best odds of winning while sacrificing the potential payout. A straight up bet involves betting on a single number bet and hoping that you luck out. With so many numbers on the roulette wheel, the chances are that betting successfully on the winning number is a complete shot in the dark. The flip side is that, should it be successful a number bet will net you a hefty 35 : 1 payout ratio. This means that a successful €10 number bet will net you €350.
The roulette odds of this bet are blatantly high, but with good reason. The probability of the number bet paying stands at just 2.7%, which shows that big rewards are reserved for big risk-takers.
2. SPLIT BET
Betting on online roulette doesn’t get any simpler than the method we described above, but a similarly easy way to expand your options with a potentially high return is the split bet — placing a bet on two adjacent numbers.
The placement of your chip — be it virtual or physical — can be either horizontal or vertical, and it offers a payout of 17 : 1. Granted, it isn’t one of the best roulette payouts available, but it covers one more outcome than the conventional number bet does.
3. COLUMN BET
If you’re still hung up about the even-money bets we mentioned earlier, then the column bets come somewhat close in terms of their payout (2 : 1). It is important to keep in mind that column bets do not feature consecutive numbers.
For instance, the first column includes the numbers one, four, seven, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31 and 34. The zero or double zero are not included in this bet.
4. THE 3/2 SYSTEM
The 3/2 strategy combines the Red/Black bet with the Column bet. This system is a non-progressive strategy, which means that your bet does not increase as you play. The strategy combines two bets on each spin and works in two possible ways:
- Placing three units on red plus two units on the second, black-heavy column.
OR
- Placing three units on black plus two units on the third, red-heavy column.
This way, you can cover a total of 26 numbers, which is 68%-70%, depending on the table you play. If you like the sound of this strategy, look into the 2:1 Columns bet combination as well.
5. STANDARD COMBOS
If betting systems aren’t your cup of tea, you can always start off slow by placing one of the standard combination bets. Your choices are far more extensive than those listed below, but here are a few examples (bear in mind that these bets are for a single-zero roulette table):
- Voisins du Zero — Covers 17 numbers that lie between 22 and 25.
- Tiers du Cylindre — Covers 12 numbers on the opposite side of the wheel between 27 and 33.
- 1st Dozen/ 2nd Dozen/ 3rd Dozen — Allows you to cover the first, second or third set of 12 numbers.
While there are many other combinations, keep in mind that there is no strategy or method of betting that can ‘beat’ roulette. The best bet combinations are those that bring the most entertainment value to you while stretching your bankroll as much as possible. Please play responsibly and call the National Gambling Helpline if the need arises.
THE BEST ROULETTE BETS CHARTS
Roulette players are spoiled for choice when it comes to the selection of different bets — so much so that one can experience somewhat of a dilemma when first playing the game. This is where the importance of roulette bet charts comes in.
In the roulette payout chart below, you can find the exact odds of each bet in American and European roulette. Keep in mind that since European roulette features one less number, the house edge will be lower, whereas the probability of each bet landing will be higher.
View the chart below to find the different odds available in roulette thanks to the following bets: straight up bet, split bet, street bet, corner bet, five-number bet, six-number bet, column bet, Dozens bet, Odd or Even bet, Red or Black bet and the Low or High bet.
CHART
As you can see, roulette players have a wide range of betting options to toy around with, but if you are still in the process of learning what each of them entails, we strongly recommend playing roulette games through their demos.
Demos are the perfect way to learn about the game and maybe even try out a roulette strategy, all while spending no money whatsoever. Most online casinos offer several demo versions along with their games, and LV BET is one of them.
ROULETTE STRATEGIES YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PLACE THE BEST BETS
So far, we’ve covered the importance of choosing combo bets over a single bet, seeing as casting a wider net offers more chances of winning — be it to recoup losses or even make a profit. With that said, recycling the same combo bets can and will become a mundane process, which is why incorporating some sort of roulette strategy will help not only prolong the entertainment but also stretch your bankroll further.
Players have invented several roulette strategies over the years, all in an effort to get the most out of the roulette wheel. Not all strategies suit every player, so we recommend trying different betting systems and strategies until you discover one that is more in line with what you’re ready to bet.
Without further ado, here are the best roulette strategies that have been discovered so far.
MARTINGALE STRATEGY
Let’s start off with the negative progression systems. The Martingale system is one of the most versatile strategies out there since it can be used in other casino games apart from roulette, including blackjack and craps.
The Martingale system is one of the least complicated systems you could learn. All you have to do to incorporate it into your play is double your bet upon each loss and return to the original bet after each win.
For example, if you try a bet of €1 and it loses, according to the Martingale betting strategy, your next bet must be €2. If that loses as well, the following bet must be €4, and so on. If the bet wins, the Martingale betting strategy states that you should return to your baseline bet of €1.
FIBONACCI STRATEGY
As the name alludes, this strategy is based on the Fibonacci mathematical sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on). In order to implement this strategy, the first bet placed must be worth one unit, that is, the first number in the sequence. If it is unsuccessful, the second wager should be of the same amount, that is, one unit.
If still unsuccessful, the next number on the sequence must be factored into the bet (2), which means that the third wager must be worth two units. This must continue until the bet is won, in which case the player must move back two numbers in the sequence.
D’ALEMBERT STRATEGY
Similar in simplicity to the Martingale system is the D’Alembert strategy. This is another negative progression system that tries to make up for your losses by increasing the bet after each loss.
Here’s how it works: you must first choose your first bet. Every time your bet loses, you should increase it by one unit — only to revert it to your original bet once a win is struck. For example, if you opt for a baseline bet of €5, a loss would see you bump your bet to €6. This would continue until you win, after which your roulette bet must return to the original value of €5.
PAROLI STRATEGY
Also referred to as Reverse Martingale, the Paroli system is a positive progression system that isn’t very hard to understand. In fact, its main objective is to take advantage of winning streaks.
To implement the Reverse Martingale or Paroli system, all you have to do is determine a standard wager and double it after each win until three consecutive wins are obtained. If your bet is lost, return to the standard wager. If you win three times in a row, return to the standard bet as well.
For example, if we start with a predetermined wager of €5 and we win, our next wager would be €10, and if that is won, we would bet €20 in the subsequent round. Should we lose the bet at any point in time, we’d revert back to the standard €5 wager.
FAQ
What is the best bet to make on roulette?
The best roulette bets you can make are any of the even-money bets, such as the Red or Black wager or the Odd or Even wager. Those bets have the same odds, that is, 1 : 1. Going for the best roulette odds will mean that the likelihood of winning your wager is exceptionally low. Instead of looking for bets with better odds, we recommend going for wagers that offer the best chance of winning.
What hits the most in roulette?
There is no particular number that hits more than the rest in roulette, seeing as it is a game of pure chance. Your best bet is to incorporate a betting system which covers the most outcomes while offering relatively good odds.
How do you win big on roulette?
There is no secret way to win big in roulette. Most players looking to win a lot of money can opt for wagers with the best odds, such as the single bet (or single number bet), which offers the highest payout. If you want to minimise the house edge as much as possible, play European or French roulette.
How many numbers should I play in roulette?
This largely depends on your bankroll and how much you are ready to risk. We do not recommend going overboard with your bets in roulette, seeing as it is a game of chance. Instead, we suggest applying some sort of roulette strategy to help stretch your bankroll as much as possible. In this article, we have covered some strategies worth noting.