Most roulette players rely solely on their luck. This can work out well for some, but that’s not the optimal way of playing. A good betting strategy can give you an edge.
We believe that you have already tried some mainstream strategies like Martingale or Fibonacci, so we decided to explore some less popular, yet effective strategies for roulette.
All of these strategies promise to increase your chances of winning at roulette – and we guarantee they’ll make the playing experience more enjoyable. In this article, we’ll present you with five lesser-known roulette strategies that you can still use on top roulette sites. Check them out!
- Oscar’s Grind System
Oscar’s Grind is the most popular strategy on our list. Since it’s a ‘grind’, it focuses on building wins slowly and minimizing losses. It follows a very simple concept: you only increase your bet after a win, and the goal is to finish each session with a net gain of one unit.
If you lose a round, you stick with the same amount. This strategy is perfect for even-money bets like red/black or odd/even, where you’re almost breaking even over time. You just need to be careful and do calculations, because the winning amount should always be just 1 unit. The net profit is always 1 unit, regardless if you’ve lost or won the previous spin.
- We bet 1 unit. We lose the first spin. (-1)
- We bet 1 unit again and win (+1, total = 0)
- We bet 1 unit again because the goal is to win 1 unit in the end. We win. (Total = 1 unit in profit).
Oscar’s Grind works best if you prefer safer, slower gameplay. It helps you avoid reckless betting and only aims for small wins that add up. It’s a grind, after all – but an effective one.
2. The Four Pillar Strategy
The Four Pillar strategy is based on hot and cold numbers. So, it divides your bet across different bets that cover numbers with the highest historical performance. It’s an unusual strategy that’s based on gambler’s fallacy more than anything, and it actually has five pillars (five separate bets) rather than four.
It assumes that some numbers have better odds of appearing due to streaks or trends over time. You’ll need to keep track of spin results and adjust your bets accordingly. In reality, you need to wager 6 units on three corner bets and two line bets. This is how a a Four Pillar strategy bet would look like:
| Pillar | Selected Numbers | Bet Size | Type of bet |
| 1 | 14, 15, 17, 18 | $2 | Corner bet |
| 2 | 19, 20, 22, 23 | $1 | Corner bet |
| 3 | 31, 32, 34, 45 | $1 | Corner bet |
| 4 | 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | $1 | Line bet |
| 5 | 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 | $1 | Line bet |
Note that this strategy only works with online roulette sites with detailed spin histories.
3. The $150 System
This is a specific strategy that is designed for players who want structured betting with clear limits. The limit is $150 per spin (unless you lose).
The idea is to split a $150 bankroll into two portions: a $100 portion and a $50 portion. We wager the first portion into two Dozen bets of $50 each. So, we cover 24 numbers. We split the second, $50 portion into 10 straight up bets on the remaining numbers. So, if it’s a European roulette table, we cover 34 out of 37 pockets.
The odds of winning when betting this combination of bets is 91.89%. This means that the chances of losing all your $150 is just 8.11%. However, you only end up in profit if you win one of the straight-up bets. Winning one of the two Dozen bets will only set you even. Nevertheless, this is an interesting strategy that explores a different approach, so it’s worth considering.
4. The Shauna System
You probably haven’t heard about this strategy, but it can be an interesting system that’s worth exploring. It takes a different approach by focusing on the odds of winning, rather than a progression. So, it’s a flat-betting strategy where every bet is the same. The intent is to cover as much of the roulette table as possible. That’s why we suggest using it on European or French roulette.
You should start with 66 or 666 units (which is why some call it the Devil strategy), and you need to divide them like this:
- Wager 36 of the units on any even-money bet (Red/Black, Odds/Evens, Highs/Lows)
- Wager 4 split bets on 6 splits, equalling 24 units
- Wager 2 units each on any three numbers you like (straight-up bets) from the remaining numbers, equalling 6 units.
When we place the bet like this, we cover 33 out of 37 numbers on the roulette wheel. This gives us a chance of winning at 89.19% and a chance of losing at just 10.81%.
5. 2 Up 2 Down Strategy
This system is more of a pattern than a strategy. All you need to do is bet on even-money bets. Start low, and keep playing. If you lose two times in a row, you should increase the wager size by one unit. After each two consecutive losses, you increase the wager size.
If you win twice in a row, you start with the initial unit size again. It’s another slow strategy that can help you win in the long run.