The Pattern betting system is a classic system to use when playing the game of roulette. It relies on the idea that patterns emerge when playing roulette for a prolonged period of time, with the ball landing in the same sector several times in a row. This may be down to a bias in the wheel, it might be that the croupier has become a bit slack and releases the ball at approximately the same speed with the wheel at the same position several times, or, as will most likely be the case, through sheer coincidence. Whatever the reason, a lot of experienced roulette players will latch on to this and tailor their bets accordingly, using a version of the Pattern betting system.
To use a Pattern betting system, it’s important that you understand the roulette wheel is split up into three different sectors when it comes to wagering. When using a betting system that involves patterns, you should be able to identify which sector the ball is landing in repeatedly, and what bet you should ask for.
The first section is the Voisins du Zero. This translates into English as ‘Neighbors of Zero’, which is essentially what the section is. It consists of a group of numbers on either side of the zero on the roulette wheel: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2 & 25. Asking the croupier for this bet involves 9 chips (or 18, 27, 36 etc, depending on how much you would like to wager), with 2 going on the 0, 2, 3 Street bet, 1 chip going on the Split bet between 4 & 7, 1 chip on the Split bet between 12 & 15, 1 chip on the Split bet between 18 & 21, 1 chip on the Split bet between 19 & 22, 2 chips on the Corner bet between 25, 26, 28 & 29, and 1 final chip on the Split bet between 32 & 35. Of course, if you are betting in multiples of 9, the amount of chips increases, but this is the bare minimum.
The second section is the Tiers du Cylindre, or the ‘Thirds of the Wheel’. As with the Voisins du Zero, the name is a giveaway of what the bet involves – one-third of the wheel, which in this instance is opposite the Voisins du Zero. It involves the following numbers: 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16 & 33. It involves an outlay of 6 chips (or 12, 18, 24 etc, depending on how much you would like to wager), with one chip going on each of the following Split bets – 5 & 8, 10 & 11, 13 & 16, 23 & 24, 27 & 30 and 33 & 36. Again, if you are betting in multiples of six, the amount of chips you place on each Split bet increases.
Finally, there are the Orphelins, or the Orphans. These are the numbers are that ‘orphaned’ by the Voisins du Zero and Tiers du Cylindre bets: 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31 & 34. The Orphelins bet is simply a 1 chip bet on each of these numbers, so an eight chip outlay. You can also do a Split bet on the Orphans, with a single chip going on 1, then one chip on the following splits: 6 & 9, 14 & 17, 17 & 20 and 31 & 34, for an outlay of 5 chips (again, you can bet in multiples of 5, and the amount on each bet increases with that).
Once you are familiar with these bets (or at least have them written down somewhere), you can start looking at a pattern betting system. Let’s say, the ball lands on the following numbers: 27, 8, 16 and finally 16. You would then start to see that the ball is landing in the Voisins du Zero section of the wheel. So, you would take your 9 chips (or 18, 27 etc), say, “Voisins,” or something that would imply what you wanted, and leave the chips for the croupier to distribute accordingly. You can do it yourself if you know what to bet and how much, but it’s easier to leave it to the croupier’s skills, as they should be familiar with the bet.
The same rules apply if the ball landed in the Tiers du Cylindre section a few times, or even in either of the much smaller Orphans sectors. Just announce your bet and make sure you give enough chips for the croupier to distribute.
If you see the ball landing in an even smaller section of the wheel, you may just want to bet on a specific number and the two numbers either side of it. In this case, let us say it is the number 5 you want to bet on, you would say, “Five and the neighbors,” which would mean 5, as well as 23, 10, 24 & 16, costing you five chips.
Historically, the Pattern betting system was easier to implement, as older roulette wheels tended to have a bias. New roulette wheels tend not to have a bias, or if they do they are quickly noticed and rectified. But a pattern may emerge for reasons listed at the start of the article.
What you have to remember is that the human brain starts to notice patterns even when patterns are not there. These systems, like all betting systems, should be used for fun – patterns are merely coincidence on the roulette wheel, and you will not win off them in long run, unless you really are playing on a biased roulette wheel.