Dozens & Columns Roulette Strategy

The majority of roulette betting systems involve even money betting, usually on red or black. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach if you fancy changing things up, then the dozens and columns roulette strategy is another method to consider.

In fact, there are a few different systems you can use when betting on dozens and columns. In this article, we’ll look at a basic roulette strategy which all players can apply. And, we’ll also touch upon some more advanced approaches you can tinker with to find your perfect system. So, is betting on dozens and columns a wise strategy? Let’s find out.

Those totally new to the roulette table may be wondering what dozens and columns are. The roulette wheel is numbered 1 - 36 (with a zero and double zero depending on the variant you are playing). Forgetting the zero(s) for a moment, the betting table is laid out in a 12-row, 3-column format. For example; the first row has the numbers 1, 2, and 3. The next row has 4, 5, and 6 and so on. Each group of one dozen numbers (1 - 12, 13 - 24 and 25 - 36) is labeled. The columns are sequences of numbers with gaps of three. I.e. 1, 4, 7, 10 down to 34. 

Therefore, you have six possible bets:

Each separate bet on one of these has a 2:1 payouts, so if you bet £1, you win £2 plus your £1 stake is returned. The dozens and columns roulette strategy odds and return to player (RTP) percentages are identical to betting on red/black. 

As mentioned, there are a few different approaches available to players. According to our dozens and columns roulette system review research, one of the most popular is betting on any twelve coupled with a negative progression bet system.

It works by picking one of the six dozens or columns bets listed above. Next, you must determine your minimum betting unit. For our example, we will use £1 but you can use any value you wish depending on your bankroll. However, be aware that this is a negative progression system so the bet sizes will increase and you are only covering 32.4% of the (European) table, thus you will lose more times than you win. 

A revised Martingale betting system is used with this method which ensures a small profit as soon as you hit a win. This is the commonly used betting sequence. If you want to add more numbers to the end of the sequence, simply divide your total losses by two then round the number up and that will be the amount you have to wager.

The obvious concern with dozens and columns roulette strategies combined with a negative progression is the table betting limit. You will lose more hands than you win. You will go on horrendous losing streaks. So, you must set your minimum betting unit at a sensible amount to allow yourself time.

A second strategy is to bet on two dozens or two columns. If you chose one of each, three numbers would overlap so the mathematics goes wrong. Now we are covering 64.9% of the table, so we will win more rounds than we lose in the long term.

However, if looking to utilise a form of Martingale, the progression is very steep indeed. You would be placing equal-sized bets on both dozens (or columns), yet as you will still lose one bet even when you win, the payout is actually 1:1. As you can see below, the sequence advances by adding one betting unit to your total loss, and that is how much you need to wager on each dozen for the next round.

Those are the two easiest systems to use but neither of them is perfect. As always with the Martingale negative progression, the risk is very high. You will have to bet big to return small profits - but one win is all it takes - so that’s the trade-off.

Aside from these, you can find dozens and columns roulette success stories with slightly different approaches. Ioannis Kavouras is a legendary roulette player who has studied the game for many years and developed many strategies, some of which involve dozens and columns. He cites that using the Law of Thirds rule is one potential way to profit when betting on dozens. 

Another method that has been talked about is looking at the previous numbers. If, for example, over the past 10 spins the ball has not dropped on any number between 1 and 12, perhaps it is due a hit? This, it must be said, is more of a gambler’s fallacy to be honest. The roulette wheel has no memory and each number has an equal chance every spin. However, probability says it will average out at some point which is why players ‘believe’ it will happen.

Ultimately, no roulette strategy comes without flaws and the casino will always maintain its advantage. But, it’s still good fun to try some of these methods and to tweak them to see if you can come up with something capable of beating the house. If you want to give it a go, check out our list of top roulette casinos and start today.