Roulette strategies explained
A roulette strategy (betting system, progression) is a rule that changes your stake after each spin, depending on whether you won or lost. Below are the best-known systems, how each one works, and what it really does to your bank. Every system here can be tested for free, with no real money, in the RouletteLab simulator.
Martingale
Bet on an even-money chance (red/black, even/odd, 1-18/19-36). Double the stake after every loss, go back to the base stake after a win. One win recovers all losses of the series plus one unit. The catch: stakes grow very fast (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128…). Ten losses in a row need a bet of 1,024 units, and table limits or the bank stop the series long before that. Martingale wins often and loses rarely, but the rare loss is big.
Grand Martingale
Like Martingale, but after a loss you double and add one more unit (1, 3, 7, 15, 31…). A win gives a bigger profit, and the stakes grow even faster, so the bank runs out sooner.
Fibonacci
Stakes follow the Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21… After a loss move one step forward, after a win two steps back. It grows slower than Martingale, so the series lasts longer, but a win does not always recover everything lost. In the simulator you can choose the classic version (step after every loss) or a paced version that steps up only when one win can no longer recover the series.
D'Alembert
Add one unit after a loss, take one unit away after a win. A gentle, slow progression built on the idea that wins and losses "even out". They do not: the wheel has no memory. D'Alembert keeps stakes small, so losses come slowly, but the house edge still works on every unit you bet.
Labouchère (cancellation system)
Write a list, for example 1-2-3. Your stake is the first plus the last number. A win crosses both numbers out, a loss adds the stake to the end of the list. When the list is empty, the cycle is complete and you are up by the sum of the original list. Long losing runs make the list and the stakes grow quickly.
Paroli (Reverse Martingale)
Double the stake after a win, go back to the base stake after a loss. You only ever risk the base stake, and a winning streak multiplies it. You need a rule for when to take the profit (for example after three wins in a row), otherwise one loss gives it all back. The simulator has a profit lock for exactly this.
1-3-2-6
A short positive sequence: bet 1, then 3, then 2, then 6 units while you keep winning, and start again after a loss or after the fourth win. It locks in profit after two wins and limits each cycle's risk to two units.
Oscar's Grind
Aims for one unit of profit per cycle. The stake stays the same after a loss and goes up one unit after a win, but never more than needed to finish the cycle at +1. Slow and steady, with long cycles in bad runs.
Call bets: Voisins, Tiers, Orphelins, Jeu Zéro, James Bond
Call bets cover a section of the wheel with several chips at once. Voisins du Zéro covers the 17 numbers around zero, Tiers du Cylindre the 12 numbers opposite zero, Orphelins the remaining 8, and Jeu Zéro the 7 numbers closest to zero. James Bond spreads 20 units over 25 numbers. They change the shape of your results, not the house edge.
Comparing the systems
| System | Raises stake after | Typical result |
|---|---|---|
| Martingale / Grand Martingale | loss | many small wins, rare large loss |
| Fibonacci, D'Alembert, Labouchère | loss | slower growth, longer series |
| Paroli, 1-3-2-6 | win | small losses, rare large win |
| Oscar's Grind | win (capped) | slow +1 cycles, long bad runs |
| Flat betting | never | the plain house edge |
How to test a strategy properly
One lucky evening says nothing. Use the simulator's Monte Carlo button to play thousands of complete sessions: you will see how often the target is reached, how often the bank runs out, and that the average result sits right on the house-edge line. A seed lets you compare two systems on exactly the same spins, and the real-time estimate shows how many hours those spins would take at a real table.