Can the 3/2 Roulette Betting System Help You Win?

The 3-2 Roulette Betting System with a Roulette Table

Roulette features dozens of pockets. The European wheel has 37 pockets, while the American wheel features 38. Even-money wagers give players a chance to cover 18 numbers. However, even these bets don’t cover more than half of the wheel.

Enter the 3/2 betting system, which covers roughly 70% of the wheel and, thus, delivers many wins. Aside from providing many wins, the 3/2 system doesn’t cost a tremendous amount of money like some betting strategies.

If you’re interested in using the 3/2 system, you can read about its basics below. You’ll also learn the pros and cons of this system and if it will ultimately be profitable for playing roulette.

What Is the 3/2 System?

This betting strategy’s name comes from how it requires you to risk three units on one bet and two units on another.

To begin using this system, you divide your bankroll into units.

Here’s an example of how to do this.

  • You have a bankroll worth $1,000.
  • You set a unit size of $10.
  • 1,000 / 10 = 100 units

The 3/2 system provides a couple of different options for how to wager units. You can stick with one of the following options or switch back and forth.

  • Bet three units on “red” (red/black) and two units on the second column.
  • Bet three units on “black” and two units on the third column.

Neither of these routes offers an inherent advantage over the other. They just provide alternatives to each other and ultimately accomplish the same goal—boosting how many ways you have to win.

The 3/2 covers roughly 70% of the wheel, no matter how you slice it. As a result, you’ll win one of your bets over two-thirds of the time.

Assuming you win the red/black wager, you’ll receive a 1:1 payout. The column bet, meanwhile, delivers a 2:1 payout.

Examples of How the 3/2 System Works

Here are a few scenarios on how this strategy could play out for you.

Example #1

  • Your red/black wager wins, and the column loses.
  • You’ll win three units on red/black and lose two units on the column.
  • Net result: +1 unit

Example #2

  • Your red/black wager loses, and the column loses.
  • Net result: -5 units

Example #3

  • Your red/black wager loses, and the column wins.
  • You’ll lose three units on red/black and win four units on the column.
  • Net profit: +1 unit

Example #4

  • Both your red/black and column bets win.
  • You’ll collect three units on red/black and four units on the column.
  • Net profit: +7 units

As can be seen, the 3/2 provides multiple paths to winning. You’ll win a minimum of one unit as long as one of your bets win. Meanwhile, you’ll collect a profit of seven units when successful on both wagers.

The drawback, though, is that you stand to lose five units when both bets lose. Luckily, this scenario only happens around 30% of the time.

Pros of the 3/2 System

The 3/2 betting strategy can definitely make roulette more exciting.

You can read about its many benefits below.

Big Potential Wins

You can earn serious money with this system in each round. As mentioned before, you stand to win seven units when both wagers come through.

Here’s an example on how much money you could win in these scenarios:

  • Your unit size is $10.
  • You win both the red/black and column bets.
  • 7 units = $70 profit

Under normal circumstances, you might only risk one to two units per round and win $10 to $20. By using the 3/2 strategy, you’ll increase potential profits to $70.

You will also cut down on the variance associated with chasing larger wins. After all, you have a strong chance to win at least one of the bets in each round.

Higher Win Frequency

Again, the 3/2 betting system covers over two-thirds of the wheel. You can look forward to winning at least one bet 70% of the time.

Even when you lose one wager, you’ll still earn +1 unit after winning the other bet. Here are examples to illustrate this aspect:

Example #1

  • You win red/black and lose the column.
  • 3 units – 2 units = +1 unit

Example #2

  • You lose red/black and win the column.
  • 4 units – 3 units = +1 unit

Long story short, you can look forward to many winning rounds. You’ll collect at least +1 unit on over two-thirds of the spins.

More Action on Each Spin

Roulette allows you to place multiple wagers in each round. The 3/2 betting system provides the opportunity to take advantage of this aspect.

First off, it sees you risk several units per round. Secondly, it covers most of the pockets. You’ll be cheering for any one of a large number of numbers to win.

Ideally, the ball will fall into a pocket that wins both your column and red/black bets. But you’ll also benefit by winning just one of the wagers as well.

Cons of the 3/2 System

The 3/2 betting strategy provides plenty of advantages. As you’ll see below, though, it also comes with some major downsides.

Losses Can Be Significant

Just as easily as you can win big with this system, you can lose big too.

Note:
Both wagers will lose 30% of the time. In turn, you’ll be losing five units from your bankroll.

Such losses may not hurt so bad in the early stages. However, they sting worse and worse as they continue happening. You’ll drop $50 in these instances with a $10 unit size.

This System Can Be Rough on Your Bankroll

If you’re like most roulette players, you probably only wager one to two units per round. You won’t be risking much in this case and can get by with a smaller bankroll.

The 3/2 strategy, though, requires you to risk much more than the average player. You’ll be putting out five units on every spin.

You’ll normally win most of this money back due to how many pockets you’re covering. For the times that you don’t, though, you’ll lose serious money. Losing five units per round is brutal on a bankroll.

Doesn’t Overcome the House Edge

No roulette betting system exists that can circumvent the house advantage. The 3/2 system is no different in this regard. You may feel like you’re using an infallible strategy at times. However, the 3/2 betting strategy has its faults as well.

While you might stand to win 70% of the bets, you’ll also lose both wagers 30% of the time. Even the occurrences where you win two bets (+7 units) don’t make up for when you lose both.

The end result? You’ll still be facing the following house advantages:

  • American Roulette = 5.26%
  • European Roulette = 2.70%
  • French Roulette = 1.35% (even-money bets only)

The 3/2 might provide some hot streaks in the form of many +1 and +7 unit wins. But the casino will still hold the long-term advantage.

Should You Use the 3/2 Roulette System?

You can see that the 3/2 isn’t perfect. The key problem is that you’ll suffer enough five-unit losses to counteract the +1 and +7 wins. The result is that you’ll have to overcome the house advantage just like everybody else.

Nevertheless, the 3/2 strategy is still worth using for something different. Perhaps, you’re bored with straight betting and want to shake things up.

In this case, you’ll find the 3/2 system worth trying. This strategy provides more action, wins, and big payouts. The seven-unit wins are what really make this betting strategy exciting. You’ll be in bliss after stringing a few of these payouts together.

The main thing to keep in mind, though, is that the 3/2 isn’t perfect. Provided you temper your expectations, then you should have fun using this system.

Conclusion

No roulette betting system guarantees profits. However, these strategies are fun to try once in a while and can result in major hot streaks.

The 3/2 system fits this description well. It gives you an opportunity to win both frequently and big.

The big payouts come when you win both a column and red/black wager in the same round. You’ll collect 7 units in these instances. Frequent payouts come due to the fact that you’re set to win around 70% of the time.

Be aware, though, that you’ll also lose both wagers 30% of the time. For this reason, you should have a fairly large bankroll when using the 3/2 betting system.

If you’d like to give it a try online, why not check out our recommended casino sites?

Petko Stoyanov
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About Petko Stoyanov
My name is Petko Stoyanov, and I've been a gambling writer for more than ten years. I guess that was the natural path for me since I've loved soccer and card games for as long as I can remember! I have a long and fairly successful history with English Premier League betting and online poker, but I follow many other sports. I watch all big European soccer leagues, basketball, football, and tennis regularly, and I keep an eye on snooker, volleyball, and major UFC events.