How to win at roulette – Top 10 tips to improve your odds
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to roulette tips and strategies that you can use to improve the way you play roulette at online casinos in SA.
Before we dive into our top roulette tips on how to win, remember that this is a game of chance – you can win or lose every time you play. So, employing a how-to-win roulette strategy may help improve your enjoyment of the game and maximise your chances of success, but it can’t guarantee to deliver wins every time you bet.
Without further ado, here are some strategies and tips you can deploy at the online roulette table:
1. Choose variants with the best odds
Tip number one is to play a roulette game with the best odds. Variants like European (2.70%) and French roulette (1.35%) have lower house edges than American roulette (5.26%). This is because the former two only have one zero pocket, while the American roulette wheel features an additional double zero (00).
The lower the house edge, the better your chances of winning. No matter which variant you choose, you should always check the game's house edge to understand what your chances are and to make knowledgeable decisions when betting. Roulette variants with high house edges typically lead to more significant losses over time.
2. Practise roulette for free
Practising roulette for free is a great way to hone your strategy. You can play most roulette variants (excluding live casino titles) in demo mode before placing real money bets at online casinos in South Africa. We also offer over 200 free roulette titles right here at OnlineCasino.co.za.
Doing this allows you to test out placing various inside and outside bets without risking your bankroll. You can also try out specific roulette strategies (as discussed below) to see how they work.
3. Learn about roulette strategies
Roulette strategies are typically divided into progressive and non-progressive. Some of the most well-known progressive strategies include:
D’Alembert: Suitable for even-money bets in roulette, this low-risk strategy calls for you to increase your wager by one unit every time you lose and decrease it by one every time you win. It’s a great option if you’re a beginner or playing on a budget.
Martingale: In the Martingale strategy, you must double your wager every time you lose to recover your losses. When you win again, you return to your starting bet amount. The main issue with this strategy is that should you hit a losing streak, you can very quickly deplete your bankroll. For the best chances of success with this strategy, we recommend focusing on even-money outside bets, such as red/black and odd/even, which are among the safest as they have odds of nearly 50/50.
Labouchere: This cancellation system (or Split Martingale, as it’s also known) is slightly more complex than others, but it allows you to set a target of how much you’d like to win and then create a sequence of numbers that you use to determine how much to stake on each round. If you win, you cross out the numbers in the sequence, whereas if you lose, you add numbers to the sequence. This is a great strategy for managing your bankroll but can prove risky if you hit a losing streak.
Fibonacci: Using the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, this roulette strategy increases your stake with each number in the sequence, to potentially deliver sizeable payouts.
What these progressive strategies have in common is that they’re all based on increasing the size of your bet after each round, which means they’re not always best suited to beginner players or low rollers. The other option is to go for non-progressive strategies, which essentially involve staking the same amount on each round regardless of the outcome. An example of this would be an ‘all in’ wager.
Employing roulette strategies can help to formalise your betting approach, but they are by no means foolproof. We suggest trying them out for free before playing roulette for real money.
4. Study the roulette table
Before playing roulette, spend some time studying the table so you fully understand your betting options. In every variant, the roulette table corresponds to the wheel at the centre of the game, but there are slight differences in the layout of each game.
For instance, some roulette games also have side bets (La Partage, En Prison etc.), so it’s worth checking whether these offer good value for money.
5. Go for outside over inside bets
Outside bets – like odd/even, red/black or high/low – might offer lower payouts, but they are more likely to come in. Therefore, opting for outside over inside bets makes sense if you want to land smaller but more frequent payouts.
Like many roulette players, we love the idea of landing a payout of 35:1 via a straight-up bet at the table, but such bets with greater odds are much less likely to win. Weighing up risk and reward is key to informing your roulette betting strategy.
6. For bigger payouts, try combination bets
If you don’t want to play it safe with outside bets, consider combination bets that offer slightly higher payouts. Examples include split bets, corner bets and line bets.
For instance, if you bet on a column of numbers in European roulette, the potential payout is 2:1 with a 32.43% chance of winning. Corner bets increase the potential payout to 8:1 (although your odds of winning decrease dramatically to 10.81%).
7. Take advantage of casino bonuses
One of the best ways to boost your winning chances while playing roulette is to claim casino bonuses. Some of the most common and rewarding at South African online casinos include:
Welcome bonuses: Also known as a sign-up bonus, these are offered to new players when registering an account. They typically involve a deposit match bonus, whereby a casino gives you a specific amount of bonus money on top of your deposit. For instance, Yako Casino offers a 100% deposit match up to R999, so if you deposit the full amount, your bankroll will effectively be doubled.
Reload bonuses: SA casinos may offer existing players reload bonuses. These can involve further deposit matches, which can be used on games such as roulette.
Cashback: Sites such as 10bet and TuskCasino offer cashback bonuses that give you a percentage of your losses back as free bets, which you then can wager at the roulette table.
8. Play within your bankroll
It’s crucial to play within your bankroll. Every player is different, so set your own limits based on how much you can afford to lose. We recommend placing small wagers to make your bankroll go as far as possible.
Many casinos allow you to set deposit and betting limits to help you control your spending. This can also remove the temptation of adding more funds to chase your losses.
9. Gamble responsibly
Responsible gambling is all about staying in control. Self-control is key, but you can also use deposit limits, time-outs, and even self-exclusion tools if you feel like your gambling habits are getting out of hand.
We recommend reading up on your casino’s responsible gambling page before placing your bets, so you’re aware of all the responsible gambling tools and features available.
10. Play at legit SA online casinos
Finally, ensure you play roulette at a legitimate online casino. Licensed casinos provide roulette games powered by random number generators (RNG), ensuring that every outcome (or spin) is completely fair.
These sites also offer customer support and guidance if something goes wrong and deliver fast payouts without unnecessary delays. Check out our list of reviewed online casinos to find legit roulette sites in South Africa. We never recommend sites that operate without a licence, so you’re guaranteed a safe experience.
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How to win at roulette FAQs
No. Roulette is a game of chance, so you can win or lose every time you play. There‘s no way to guarantee a winning bet when playing roulette.
No, but remember to play roulette responsibly and always gamble within your means. Anyone who promises you a ‘secret’ to winning at roulette is likely to give you misleading or false information.
There’s no such thing as the best number in roulette. On every spin of the wheel, the likelihood of any number hitting is always the same.
The smartest bet in roulette is one that you can afford to make. You should adjust your bet amount to suit your bankroll and be careful not to chase losses.
Every number has an even chance of landing in roulette. However, if you want to see if any patterns have developed on recent spins, you can check the spin history of the game that you’re playing to see if there are any ‘hot’ numbers. However, it’s important to remember that casinos use RNG software to ensure random outcomes, so this is not an effective strategy to avoid falling victim to gambler’s fallacy.
There is no way to guarantee a win on every spin of the roulette wheel. Even if you employ a roulette strategy, you cannot guarantee yourself a winning payout, as roulette is ultimately a game of chance.
