Hedging bets is all about minimising risks and managing potential outcomes by wagering on multiple possibilities. While this concept is more familiar in sports betting or poker, it can also be applied to roulette, albeit with limitations. The house edge in roulette makes it impossible to completely overcome the casino’s advantage, but using a hedging strategy can help reduce risks and stretch your bankroll.
To start, it’s important to always choose American roulette. The key difference is that European roulette features a single zero, which lowers the house edge to 2.7%. In contrast, the double zero on the American wheel increases the house advantage to 5.26%, making it harder to maintain a steady bankroll. By sticking to European roulette, players improve their odds of staying in the game longer.
A common approach to hedging in roulette involves placing even-money bets, such as red or black, odd or even, or high or low, alongside wagers on Columns or Dozens, which pay out at 2:1. For instance, a player might place $10 on red and another $10 on the first dozen. This combination allows for broader coverage of the table and gives a higher probability of landing a win. In this scenario, most outcomes result in either breaking even or earning a modest profit, while the occasional loss remains manageable:
The example illustrated shows how such a strategy works in practice. While hedging doesn’t eliminate the house edge, it significantly lowers the risk of rapid losses. By balancing the potential outcomes, this method ensures that most spins result in either a minor win or no significant loss, helping players to sustain their bankroll over multiple rounds.