Roulette Pattern Betting

Many Roulette players like to use betting patterns or combination bets in conjunction with their wagering strategies. Pattern betting is often based upon mathematics, although it can also be a function of the roulette wheel layout. Some of the advantages of wagering with patterns include a higher frequency of payouts than betting straight up and larger payouts whenever targeted numbers are successful.

One simple type of pattern betting is to cover more than half the numbers, creating a better than 50:50 chance of winning. Statistically, such wagering should deliver payouts on the majority of spins. It does not, however, require 19 chips to bet on more than half of the 37 numbers.

For example, the “double column” wager covers 24 numbers with just two chips. Bet one unit on each of two columns of twelve numbers for a payout of 2-to-1, resulting in a profit of one unit when the wager wins. Because the odds of a winner are 24:37, that’s a probability of winning of 64.86% or nearly two thirds. Double column betting is an inexpensive way to stake most of the numbers on the table. The same is true of betting on any two of the three sequential dozens.

Another inexpensive way to cover more than half the numbers is to wager two units on Low (1~18) and one unit on the middle dozen (13~24). This also covers 24 numbers for a 64.86% chance of success. It delivers a profit of one unit on the 1~12, three units on the 13~18, and breaks even on 19~24.

Other variations on this type of pattern betting involve Red and Black wagers. Betting two units on Red and one unit on the middle column or else two units on Black and one unit on the third column will cover 26 of 37 numbers, or 70.27% of the field. Among those 26 numbers, eight will break even, 14 will pay a profit of one unit, and four will earn a net return of four units.

Those who have a “lucky number” often make it a “target” with pattern betting. This involves betting on the number straight up and surrounding it with one unit bets on every side (spilt) and corner (block). For example, a targeted number 26 would costs nine units to create this pattern. It would cover all of the numbers 22~30, with one unit on the 26 straight up, one unit each on the splits 23-26, 25-26, 26-27 and 26-29, and one unit each on the four corners connecting the 8 to the 22, 24, 28, and 30.

Any winners among the even numbers other than the 26 will break even. Wins on any of the four odd numbers adjacent to the 26 will return a net profit of 27 units. But if the 26 wins as intended, it will pay 15:1 for a profit of 135 units. The same payout ratios apply to any number targeted in the middle column from 5 to 32.

With nine numbers covered, the likelihood of catching any one of them is 9:37 or 24.3%. The possibility of losing all nine units is 28:37 or 75.8%. Obviously, the key to a winning with a target is to pick it wisely.

Other approaches to pattern betting do not target a spot on the table but rather a certain section of the wheel. So-called “sector betting” is quite popular in France and the U.K., where names have been given to certain common wagers. The five-unit wager known as Voisins du Nombre (neighboring numbers), for example, is a pattern bet that requires one unit bet on a number straight up and one unit each on the two numbers flanking it on either side on the wheel. If a bet is placed on number 7, it would be matched by bets on 12, 18, 28, and 29 on the European wheel layout or by 11, 17, 30 and 32 on the American one.

Targeting the section of the wheel that contains the Zero is also very popular. There is a pattern called Voisins du Zero (neighbors of zero) that requires nine units to cover 17 numbers. Two units are bet on the 0-2-3 row; one unit goes on each of the pairs 4-7, 12-15, 18-21, 19-22 and 32-35; and two units are positioned on the corner of 25-26-28-29. This pattern covers every number on the European wheel from 22 to 25, with the Zero exactly in the center of them all. Winning on this wager pays double the amount bet on 14 of the numbers, and it yields a profit of 15 units if the 0, 2 or 3 come up. The odds winning on any given spin are 17:37, or 45.95%.

Published on: 08/04/2012

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