Roulette Odds and Betting Systems
Visiting my share of casinos, and losing more than my share of money, I have learned one simple thing about roulette, you can’t win – at least not in the long run. Years ago, when I first timidly stepped up to a roulette table, I had no idea what the odds were and I didn’t know squat about the House Advantage. I walked up with my last $5 chip and walked away fifteen minutes later with $75 (though I should mention that my better half lost nearly twice that at blackjack the previous night). I cashed out and went home happy, thinking I’d found my new forte.
Young, and convinced there must be an easier way to make money, I became convinced that I had a knack for roulette. I read up, memorized segments of the wheel and worked on some “proven” betting systems- ha! I bought my own wheel and practiced these systems. I really thought I was onto something. Between my mathematical instincts and the advice of various roulette gurus, I couldn’t go wrong- right?
Well soon the dress rehearsal was over, it was time to take the show on the road. With a few dollars and a can-do attitude I was off. It wasn’t until the casino emptied my pockets that I thought, hmm. . . maybe I just got luck last time! But still, I wouldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe it, roulette was my destiny. So I decided I could perfect an earlier system (I’m a bit of a mathematics geek) and eventually strike it rich. If I could cut down the odds in my favor, then I could beat the house. Ultimately, I came to an analytic impasse, that god-foresaken house advantage (or the 0,00 factor).
I can now say scientifically, mathematically, and painfully that Roulette will never make me rich. The house advantage has made sure of that. We are so tempted by those incredible payoffs that we say, “Oh, if only I could hit a single number with a $100 chip, then I’d be happy, $3500 happy.” Yeah, well you won’t be too happy if it takes you 70 spins to hit your number, and it very well could. (By the way, that is $3500 in the hole!)
Casino roulette, like the rows upon rows of slot machines, is pure luck. There is no such thing as a proven betting system in roulette, only proven luck. Don’t get me wrong, you can still walk away from the Roulette wheel a big winner if Lady Luck smiles on you, just don’t expect to do it twice!
