Methods of play at roulette vary from individual to individual. We all have our favorite ways to wager at the game and that’s just fine. After all, we are wagering our hard-earned money and we can do it any way we choose. It is a way to have fun for many of us.
What follows are some interesting betting methods that some of our readers may be using right now as you read this article. These are relatively aggressive roulette betting methods that will appeal to those of you who have that aggressive nature.
The Polar Opposites
On the American double-zero wheel (0, 00) you can consider those zeroes to represent the north and south poles of our planet. You are going to bet each side of this polar landscape. You can decide how many chips and how much money to wager as long as you keep your wagering reasonable in terms of your total bankroll.
We are being aggressive here but we don’t want to be crazy.
At one end, you have the zero (0). That number is surrounded by 14, 2 and 28, 9. You are betting those four numbers plus the 0. That makes five numbers that favor you.
At the opposite end of the wheel, you have the double-zero (00). That is surrounded by 13, 1 and 27, 10. Betting those five numbers will now give you a total of ten favorable numbers at play in the game. Thus, you have ten chances to win and 28 chances to lose.
You will note that the numbers actually relate to each other. You are wagering on the 0, 00, / 1, 2, / 9, 10, / 13, 14, / 27, 28.
Can you bet more than five numbers? Yes, but that is putting a lot of money at risk. Give that a double-think before you do it.
[Please note: I am calling these numbers “polar” numbers but that doesn’t mean they are automatically cold. Whatever heat or cold exists at a roulette game has nothing to do with the actual temperature of the room. If it did, we’d all play in a sauna!]
The Monopole Method
On the single-zero European roulette wheel (0), we don’t have two distinct poles; instead let’s say we have a “monopole” to play which is, of course, that single zero.
Let us wager on nine numbers at this game. Then we go with 0 and on one side the numbers we have are 12, 35, 3, 26 and on the other side are the numbers 32, 15, 19, 4. You will have nine chances to win and 28 chances to lose because you are betting that zero.
The Red Sky at Morning Method
Sit at the head of the table, all the way down from the wheel. You will notice three columns of twelve numbers each going down the layout. The top of each column begins with these numbers: 1, 2, 3 and they go down to 34, 35, and 36.
[Please note: These proposition bets are called the “columns.” There are three of these columns, each containing 12 numbers. None has the 0 or 00. You can win two-to-one if a given column hits but those zeroes are losing bets. So, on the American game you have 12 ways to win one of these bets and 26 ways to lose it.]
The first column is headed by 1; the second column is headed by 2 and the third column is headed by 3.
The third column are the following numbers and their colors:
3 (red)
6 (black)
9 (red)
12 (red)
15 (black)
18 (red)
21 (red)
24 (black)
27 (red)
30 (red)
33 (black)
36 (red)
You will notice that there are eight red numbers and only four black numbers in this column. This is often called the “red sky” column from the phrase “red sky at morning, sailors take warning.” In literature, such an occurrence was usually not a good thing for sailors.
Now, many players like to jump on red here. They bet the column and they also bet the even-money “red” wager. The column gives them 12 chances to win at 2-to-1 and the red wager gives them 18 ways to win at 1-to-1.
Always Bet on Black
The second column is the reverse of the third one; the dominant color is black. There are eight black numbers and four red numbers in that middle column.
2 (black)
5 (red)
8 (black)
11 (black)
14 (red)
17 (black)
20 (black)
23 (red)
26 (black)
29 (black)
32 (red)
35 (black)
If you recall Wesley Snipes’ character in Passenger 57, he had a simple philosophy and that was “Always bet on black!” It seemed to work for him, at least in the movie.
The second column is therefore the “Always bet on black” column in honor of Wesley. As with the third column’s strategy with red, you can also bet the black on the even-money wager as well.
You will win 12 decisions if your column hits and lose 26 decisions. You will win 18 decisions of your black even-money bet and lose 20 decisions.
The single-zero European game is the better game as you only lose if that lone zero shows, so a win on the column is 12 and the loss is 25. The black even-money bet wins 18 and loses 19.
The Even Steven
The very first column has an even number of red and black numbers at six of each.
1 (red)
4 (black)
7 (red)
10 (black)
13 (black)
16 (red)
19 (red)
22 (black)
25 (red)
28 (black)
31 (black)
34 (red)
If you decide to bet the first column, you are playing a seemingly even game – at least it seems that way since you will lose as many as you will win in terms of the colors in that column. However, you will still lose the number of times needed to keep that house edge at 5.26 percent on the American game and at 2.7 percent on the European game.
Yes, you can still stretch out your betting style and add an even-money bet – you choose which one! Nothing changes the house edges. Sorry. This is a sad but true reality of the great game of roulette.
Four Corners of the Earth: The World Tour
We are now going to take a trip around the roulette world; that is, using the wheel as the Earth to see what we can see in terms of ways to wager it. Some roulette players probably see the roulette wheel as the world when they are playing. They are that focused.
[Please note: The American double-zero wheel and the European single-zero wheel are laid out differently so techniques on one might not be applicable to the other. We therefore must take each wheel separately. To repeat, the European wheel, all things considered, is the better wheel.]
The American Wheel
We have the North Pole (0) and the South Pole (00). We’ll put the (0) at the top and the (00) at the bottom. Now, here is what you are to do. Moving down the right side of the wheel, you will bet every number one-at-a-time until you get to 00. If you are ahead when you get to (00), you will go back to (0) and go down again. You keep doing this until you lose one effort or until you get tired.
Remember that you must be ahead at the end of the world tour of the numbers so that means a minimum of two hits out of 19 numbers.
Here are the numbers:
_____(0) The North Pole
_____28
_____9
_____26
_____30
_____11
_____7
_____20
_____32
_____17
_____5
_____22
_____34
_____15
_____3
_____24
_____36
_____13
_____1
__________Total won or lost
_____(00) The South Pole
_____21
_____10
_____25
_____29
_____12
_____8
_____19
_____31
_____18
_____6
_____21
_____33
_____16
_____4
_____23
_____35
_____14
_____2
__________Total won or lost
The European Wheel
Here we are going to split the numbers in half and dangle the zero (the monopole) at the end. You must go through the first 18 numbers and be ahead before going to the second 18 numbers. Once you finish those 18 numbers, you will bet the zero (0).
The First 18 Numbers
_____32
_____15
_____19
_____4
_____21
_____2
_____25
_____17
_____34
_____6
_____27
_____13
_____36
_____11
_____30
_____8
_____23
_____10
________________Total Won or Lost
The Second 18 Numbers plus (0)
_____5
_____24
_____16
_____33
_____1
_____20
_____14
_____31
_____9
_____22
_____18
_____29
_____7
_____28
_____12
_____35
_____3
_____26
_____(0) Monopole
________________Total Won or Lost
When Is It Time to Quit the World Tours?
Okay, a simple question for you: When should you quit playing the World Tour? You have to determine if you wish to continue playing once you get tired (many players do not take fatigue as a sign to take a break, I definitely do believe that fatigue is a bad thing for players), or if you lose “X” amount of money, or if you win “XX” amount of money. Placing a bet on each of the 37 or 38 numbers one-at-a-time will take time so you will get a full roulette playing experience going through the world once or a few times.
Please keep in mind that this playing method might see long streaks of losses. How could it not? You must get a hit in 37 or 38 numbers; the house wins almost all spins against you. So, you are going to take it on the chin on many occasions. But remember, one hit pays 35-to-one so you can come roaring back with just two such hits.
You must develop a slot-player mentality; get used to the losing streaks because better times are ahead. (Is this true? Maybe. Maybe not.) Most slot players seem very patient with long losing streaks in the hope a “big baby” is coming their way.
Playing Aggressive Even-Money Wagers
Those of you who have read my books or articles about roulette know that I favor betting the even-money bets of red/black, or high/low, or odd/even. I prefer to avoid long losing streaks even if those streaks can be broken (if not shattered) by some big hits on straight-up, inside wagers.
I just don’t have much of a taste for losses.
My play on the even-money bets is simple. I make one bet, often on the red or black, but I will occasionally make one bet on the other propositions of high/low or odd/even instead of on the red/black.
One bet. Period. That’s what my digestion can take. You can say that I am indeed not an “action player.”
But this article is looking at more aggressive measures of betting. The even-money bets just don’t seem all too aggressive for the aggressive type of players. Okay, so let’s stretch out those even money bets, shall we? Maybe we can make them somewhat more aggressive.
Bet all of them at once! Yes, bet all of them at once.
Correct. Bet a red or a black, and a high or a low, and an odd or an even. You have a decent chance to win one of those bets, maybe two and maybe, yes, all three.
You can keep a running list of how you are doing and this list can be used to give you a clue as to what propositions to wager on the next decision.
[Please note: Okay, okay, you caught me. I am saying maybe some kind of trend betting system can be used here. Will this change the house edge against you? No. Will this change the nature of the game? No. So what will it do? The answer is simple: it will engage you. Actually, I think that’s why we play; we want to be engaged.]
There you have it; my aggressive plays at roulette. I think they make a certain amount of sense for players looking for the thrill of a major pursuit.
All the best in and out of the casinos!
