Ranking the Most Popular Roulette Strategies

A few iconic scenes in the James Bond movies show people playing roulette. In fact, the author of the novels, Ian Fleming, created this roulette betting system.

How does the James Bond roulette strategy work? You’ll need to place multiple wagers worth $200 on one spin. You’ll bet $140 on high numbers, $50 on numbers 13 through 18, and $10 on zero. Always use this strategy on European roulette, as there’s only one zero to cover.

The logic behind this system is that most outcomes are covered. Only numbers 1-12 can sink you. If a number from the 13-18 range comes up, you’ll win $100; if a number between 19 to 36 lands, you’ll win $80; and if the ball lands in the zero pocket, you’ll win $160.

WARNING:

I don’t recommend this strategy at all for one simple reason. Every number on the roulette wheel has the same probability of landing on any given spin. Covering most of your bases does not change that whatsoever. It’s just as likely that a number between 1-12 will land and wipe you out.

There’s no reason at all to use this strategy. It requires a large wager that leads you to believe you’re more likely to win because you’ve covered most of the potential outcomes, but that’s not true.

This is the worst roulette strategy because it involves a large risk, is psychologically deceptive, and won’t work in the long run. Give the James Bond system a miss. Honestly, it’s one of the worst roulette strategies anyone has ever dreamed up.

People who dream up new roulette strategies love to give them a sense of credibility by invoking the names of famous mathematicians. Fibonacci was the most talented mathematician of the middle ages, and this strategy is styled after his ‘Fibonacci sequence.’

In the Fibonacci sequence, the next number in the series is the sum total of the previous two. For example, 0-1-1-2-3-5-8-13, and so on. The Fibonacci roulette strategy involves following this sequence with even money bets until you get a win and then moving back two numbers and continuing.

TIP:

The benefits of this system are that it's easy to remember and follow. It's fun to play and experiment with. The downside is that the losses can stack up quickly and can be difficult to recover once you're deep in the hole.

I tried this roulette strategy once, and while you could do the same just to say you’ve tested it, I won’t be using it again. It’s only marginally better than the James Bond system, so I’m ranking it the second-worst roulette system on my list.

We’re right in the middle of my list of roulette strategies now, so we’re beginning to pivot from terrible systems to those with some merit. The D’Alembert system is right in the middle: it’s less exciting than some of the others, but it’s not very risky and keeps your bankroll ticking over.

NOTE:

The D’Alembert is widely considered the least risky roulette strategy. To use it, you simply increase and decrease your bets by one unit on wins and losses. For example, if you bet $1 and lose, you then bet $2, then $3, and so on. When you eventually win, you reduce your wager by one unit.

While this system is a lot less risky than the two I cover next, and that’s a good thing for some people, it also limits the size of your wins. As the old saying goes, risk and reward come hand in hand.

The D’alembert system is easy to understand and produces decent results. You’ll still lose in the end if you keep playing it, but it works better than the previous two. Finally, some roulette casinos will ban you for using aggressive betting systems, and this one will never raise red flags with them.

The Martingale roulette strategy was the first one I ever tried, and it’s probably the best-known of them all. Unlike some of the others, it works, but only in the short term and only with a little bit of assistance from Lady Luck.

How does the Martingale strategy work? It’s simple: you make even money bets, and when you lose, you double down. For example, if you bet $10 and lose, bet $20 on the next spin. If you lose again, bet $40, and so on. Eventually, you’ll win back everything you have bet, plus your original stake.

As I said above, the math of this system works in the sense that you really will win back what you’ve wagered plus your original stake when you win. That last bolded part is the problem with Martingale.

IMPORTANT:

The losses can stack up quickly, and it gets scary. I once lost 12 bets in a row before I won, and I almost didn’t make that final winning bet because the numbers were terrifying.

You might go bankrupt before winning if the negative streak continues for too long.

The other issue is that table limits can actually prevent you from surviving long enough to win.

I’d say use this system if you want but have a walkaway limit. If you lose five or six bets in a row, accept defeat and move on. Don’t make the mistake of cashing losses until you hit a table limit and wipe out. Then again, I have seen a few roulette tables with no limits, so that could work.

I like the Martingale system. When I use it, it gives me a tingle, and I have made it work plenty of times. It still requires some luck, but if you know when to walk away and manage your bankroll properly, you’ll be fine using this.

Just don’t think it’s foolproof – no roulette betting system is. The game is stacked against you, so don’t expect to become a millionaire from playing roulette.