What is the Fibonacci roulette strategy?

The Fibonacci betting sequence can be applied to many casino games, and roulette is no exception. As this strategy is less aggressive than some others, it’s a good starting point if you’re new to betting systems. Equally, it’s a great choice for more experienced bettors looking to up the stakes, but not risk too much at once.

How the Fibonacci roulette strategy works

The Fibonacci roulette strategy uses the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, named after the Italian mathematician who went by that name, to determine your next stake:

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc.

In line with the sequence, each stake is the sum of the two stakes before. With each loss, you would progress to the next number in the sequence, and for each win you would go back two places, or back to the start if you haven’t progressed that far. As you can’t start betting from 0, you’d start from a ratio of 1 and continue from there.

The only other thing to know here is that each wager must be placed on an even bet that pays out 1:1, such as red/black or odd/even. This is to ensure a more even chance of winning or losing and so losses don’t accumulate too quickly. Placing inside bets with this strategy is very risky and the system won’t be effective.

The Fibonacci roulette system in action

The example below shows how the Fibonacci system can be used to ensure that you have more chance of bigger wins in comparison to the amount you lose. Of course, there’s no predicting the outcome of every spin when playing roulette, and it is still possible to lose consecutively.

Sequence Stake Outcome Profit
1
1
Lose
-$1
1, 2
2
Lose
-$3
1, 2, 3
3
Lose
-$6
1, 2, 3, 5
5
Lose
-$11
1, 2, 3, 5, 8
8
Win
$5
1, 2, 3
3
Lose
$2
How to play Roulette | The Fibonacci strategy explained
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How to play Roulette | The Fibonacci strategy explained

What kind of betting system is Fibonacci?

As your stake is increased when you lose, the Fibonacci betting system is what’s known as a negative progression betting system. The idea is that although you bet more each time you lose, when you do win it’ll be with a higher stake, meaning higher winnings. This will help recover a good amount of those losses more quickly and hopefully allow you to win or at least break even. However, be aware that sometimes luck just isn’t in your favor, and it is still possible to lose your entire bankroll before a win - you can’t rely on a betting system for guaranteed success.

What are the pros of the Fibonacci roulette system?

Pros

  • Losses won’t be as drastic as with other strategies like Martingale - as the stake doesn’t drop as dramatically when you win, it’s easier to make up losses (provided you win a few bets!)
  • It’s quite a simple sequence to calculate and follow, with no complicated math
  • There is no natural end like with sequences like Paroli where you’d return to the start once the sequence is complete, so you can decide when to reset – just make sure you determine a budget

Cons

  • There is always a risk when playing roulette - no betting system is sure to bring success
  • The system doesn’t influence the odds in any way - no roulette strategy does
  • It’s not for long-term play – as with all casino games, the losses can start to stack up

How the reverse Fibonacci strategy works

The reverse Fibonacci strategy is essentially the same, but with the action you take when you either win or lose switched. This means that after each win, you increase your stake and after each loss, you drop back two places in the sequence.

Fibonacci vs reverse Fibonacci: Which is better?

We’d say that the standard Fibonacci strategy offers more benefits than the reverse version. To be successful with the reverse version, you’ll need considerably more wins than losses to make up for the smaller wins.  With the standard version, the losses are less drastic. This is because you reduce your stake when you win, rather than going in even bigger and potentially building up to a huge loss. Both still carry their risks, and we’d recommend always setting a limit where you call it quits.