Given his illustrious career, it’s no surprise that James Bond has spent some time at the roulette table.
This led to a strategy being named after the top secret spy – the James Bond roulette strategy. This playing style, often said to be inspired by Ian Fleming’s novels, has persisted for decades as a unique strategy enjoyed by Bond fans and non-fans alike.
Interested? Today you’ll learn:
- What the James Bond roulette strategy actually is
- How you can play it, step by step
- Why it works best at European roulette tables
Let’s carry on.
Origins of the James Bond Roulette Strategy
Before getting into the details of this strategy, it should be noted that its origins are murky.
In Casino Royale, Ian Fleming wrote that Bond uses “complicated progression systems” to build his pot before a baccarat showdown with the villain, Le Chiffre.
Later, in the Monte Carlo chapter of his Thrilling Cities travelog, Fleming tells a story of the time he finally revealed the system to a fan. He then describes an even-chance Labouchere cancellation system using an original 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 sequence. He also notes that “no system at roulette is infallible” and even in his anecdote, it doesn’t work for the fan he shared it with.
The issue is that today, the James Bond roulette strategy widely refers to a combination play that is used with either a progression system or a flat-playing system. That isn’t the one that Fleming described, but it’s good branding for one of the most unique approaches to roulette. With that in mind, we’ve covered the ins and outs of this combination strategy.
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How the James Bond Roulette Strategy Works
Now we know this strategy is a combination play, we can get into specifics. With a combination play, you’ll hit multiple spaces on the table. This is in contrast to a single-space play where you put all your chips in one place.
Like many strategies, you’ll need to decide on a unit that fits with your budget. For the sake of simplicity, our unit = 1. You then deploy 20 of these units onto the table – 70% on the 19-36 outside play, 25% on the 13-18 six line play, and then 5% on the single zero inside play. With a stack of 20, this would break down as 14 chips on the high numbers, 5 on the line, and 1 on the zero.
The goal here is to cover as many numbers as possible. This strategy assumes a European roulette wheel, with 37 pockets, and then it covers 25 of them in total – just over two-thirds of the wheel. It leaves 1-12 uncovered, so there’s still a very real chance of losing if the ball lands on any of those.
Below are the odds, probability, and expected profit from 20 split into a 14-5-1 combination play. Since plays don’t overlap, you can only win on one of them per spin.
| Play Type | Odds | Win Probability | Reward | Potential Profit |
| 19-36 | 18:19 | 48.6% | 1:1 | 14 |
| 13-18 | 6:31 | 16.2% | 5:1 | 25 |
| Single 0 | 1:36 | 2.7% | 35:1 | 35 |
As for what happens if you do win – some stick to a flat-playing strategy. This means you don’t increase or decrease how much you put down in total for each round. Flat playing makes it easier to manage your bankroll, as you can better anticipate how many chips you’ll play in future rounds.
Others prefer a progression system, like the Martingale or Fibonacci systems, where you increase or decrease depending on whether the last spin was a win or a loss. The choice between flat plays or progressive plays is up to you.
You can also tweak the size of your units. This strategy typically suggests splitting 20 or 200 across the three plays. However, nothing stops you from playing with less so long as you can get the split right.
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James Bond Strategy Roulette Advantages
The big advantage here is obvious – you get to cover a little more than two-thirds of the wheel. It’s similar to other roulette techniques like cover the table or the 666 strategy, but the James Bond roulette strategy offers the best win probability with a combined 67.5% chance of winning at least one of the three plays.
Other advantages include its simplicity – it’s easy to follow if you decide how much you’re playing and then keep it flat. This turns the James Bond roulette strategy into a rigid, methodical, and supportive play style that’s easy to follow.
If you use a more sophisticated, responsive strategy, then you’ll need to do some math. That’s another advantage for those who like number crunching – you can scale your plays to some limited extent by choosing to split 10, 20, 200, or 1,000.
James Bond Strategy Roulette Disadvantages
While this strategy’s wide coverage is an advantage, there’s an inherent disadvantage here – two of the three plays are always destined to lose. This kind of approach just won’t appeal to some players who want a simple, straightforward play that either wins or loses depending on blind luck. Blind luck is still at play here, but you can guarantee only one part of your play can win.
To that end, the James Bond roulette strategy isn’t seen as a way to win big. The zero is the most rewarding part of the play and for good reason, it’s a single-digit space with just a 2.7% win probability. Don’t bank on the zero showing up regularly and delivering big wins. Like many casino strategies, this one works best in short-term bursts to help curtail some losses.
You should also watch out for table limits, especially if you’re using a progressive playing strategy. If you increase your play every time you win or lose, the larger of the three plays could quickly run into table limits. Let’s say you do play with 200, the 40% play is 140, and you lose twice and double each time, that already takes this part of the play to over 500.
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Does the James Bond Roulette Strategy Work with American Wheels?
If you prefer American roulette to European roulette, then the James Bond roulette strategy comes with another disadvantage. This play works because you cover a lot of numbers with the high outside play and the double street, and then have a rewarding zero play should the ball land there. American roulette has two zeroes, so this skews the odds. With 38 numbers in total, there’s also a higher house edge to contend with if you play long sessions.
There is a modified strategy to play on an American roulette wheel. Instead of an inside play on the single zero, you could place a split play on both zero spaces. At physical tables, you do this by putting chips on the line dividing the two symbols. Using this method, you can play the James Bond strategy on a roulette wheel.
In Summary
That covers everything you need to know about this mysterious playing style, one that has become associated with literature’s most iconic spy. All that’s left now is for you to try this strategy for yourself and see where it takes you.
For more strategic insights, you can find more social casino game guides here at the McLuck Blog.
