Terri Ramsey Beavers There are very few more iconic sights than the roulette wheel in a casino, hypnotically spinning round and round while a silver ball slides across it.
Eventually the ball will drop into a pocket, but it is those moments of anticipation and the complete unknown before the fate of the ball – and your money – is confirmed, that is the true magic of the game at cozino.com. A delightful game of chance and luck, the roulette is a famous casino classic and deserves its acclaim as one of the most enjoyed gambling pastimes across the world.
However, despite being a foolproof game of chance, the mathematical geniuses among us have their methods and strategies when it comes to playing this game. Invented in France during the 17th century, the roulette or ‘little wheel’ as it translates to in English, was instantly a hit with mathematicians looking to experiment and rack their brains.
What is a roulette strategy?
Despite the majority of players putting the fate of their bets purely into the unpredictable nature of that gorgeous red and black spinning wheel, some like to take a more calculated approach.
The nature of the game, with it’s 37 or 38 outcomes depending on what game you are playing – American or European – means that there is room to work with for those trying to play the odds game. These outcomes are the result of having 36 numbered pockets, alternating between red and black, with the addition of one green zero pocket on the European roulette wheel and two green zeros on the American one.
A strategy in roulette is a method or technique to follow and repeat, that should, in theory at least, increase one’s chances of winnings. There are many examples of these strategies, ranging in effectiveness it should be added.
Among the odds offered by casinos is the evens bets, with odds or evens, reds or blacks being an option that gives gamblers a chance to double their money with a seemingly fifty-fifty chance. The reality is that with the addition of the zero or zeros on the board the casino always has a slight advantage, but the chance for the double or nothing bet allows for the Martingale strategy to exist within roulette.
Martingale method
The Martingale method is one of the most famous betting strategies ever conceived and no, it was not invented by a man called Martin Gale.
It’s origins are hard to trace as, it quickly became a method so well-known that people were inventing it themselves before even hearing the term Martingale. It is a strategy that is applicable to roulette and only possible when odds of evens are possible. Therefore, perhaps the best place to play this method would be with a simple coin toss bet with a friend.
Yet, it has of course been used on the casino, too, with the option of picking red or black, or odds or even being the bets where the Martingale method is applicable. The method involves doubling your bets when you lose, with the aim to cover your losses and add profit. For example, if you bet £20 on red and the outcome is black, bet £40 on red next time.
Should that pesky ball land on black again, then you have to bet £80 on red next time and so on and so on and so forth. The thought is that eventually the roulette will give you your desired colour and at that point, you would have made some money. The issue is, you need a big budget for this as very quickly, £20 can turn into £80 and more as just seen.
Also, casinos often have maximum and minimum bets which make this a tricky method to fit in within the betting range. It is likely that a player can only really manage about seven Martingale method bets before being out of the range. An anti-Martingale method exists, too, in which you increase your bets when you win. Neither is perfect and ultimately, more perfect for games with a genuine 50-50 chance of winning, unlike the roulette wheel which offers something closer to 48%.
Kessulgucken Strategy
However, one of the more successful strategies is the Kessulgucken strategy, named after the German who invented and carried out this method in casinos across Europe.
This is an all-encompassing roulette strategy as it does not rely on any maths or any formulas that you must follow blindly. Rather, the Kessulgucken method involves a careful observation of the wheel itself. Watching carefully without even betting if possible. Kessulgucken would watch and see if any patterns emerge.
Specifically, the Kessulgucken method would be looking for any irregularities in the wheel, such as wear and tear that may cause it to conjure up certain outcomes more than others. An uneven weight for example, could tilt the odds towards one section of the wheel or one specific colour even.
A good way to carry out this method is to pay especially close attention to the diamonds that are situated on the wheel, used to break up the motion of the ball spun in by the dealer. These diamonds are used to make the outcome more random, stopping the ball in its tracks. However, the Kessulgucken method has shown that there is often a “dominant” diamond that the ball hits more often.
As a result, this can lead to the ball landing on a certain section of numbers more than any other and this of course, can lead to some strategically placed bets. This strategy is one of very few that don’t involve pure maths and is of course, applicable differently to each and every roulette wheel.
It is a strategy that keeps casinos on their toes, underlining the importance for them in maintaining their tables and wheels to the best standard possible, helping to create the fairest betting experience possible. A penny for the thoughts and knowledge of the dealers at roulette wheels across the world, anyone?