The Romanovsky Strategy: Does It Really Work?

Today we’re going to take an in-depth look at the Romanovsky Roulette System.

It was created and developed by Igor Romanovsky, a Russian gambler who worked through the math to give himself an 86.48% chance of winning on every spin.

Of course, along with the 86.48% chance of winning comes the 13.52% chance of losing on every spin, but Igor knew what he was doing as he created his system to give himself a very strong opportunity to win.

What Is the Romanovsky Roulette Strategy?

The Romanovsky Roulette Strategy involves placing six bets that cover 32 of the 37 numbers on a European roulette wheel. The player typically bets on two dozen (24 numbers) and four corner bets (covering 8 numbers). This strategy gives a high chance of winning but offers lower payouts, as only five numbers (including zero) are not covered.

The History of the Romanovsky System

The system he created gives him (and you!) a good opportunity to win a small amount on every spin, and over time, you may be able to run those small gains into enough of a big gain to get to your ‘and I’m willing to win this much before I quit’ quite easily.

The Romanovsky Roulette Strategy is simple to understand and it’s easy to set up the bets correctly.

And it doesn’t depend on any previous bets to make it worthwhile -  so it’s not dependent on previous bets like the Martingale or Paroli to make it work.

 It makes sense to make it worth your while to make your 1 unit at least $25, and possibly even more.

To test out the strategy, I would start with a pen and paper, and see how the system works.

Once I’ve had an opportunity to review how it works, then I would start playing for real money.

How the Romanovsky Strategy Works 

Start with a European wheel.  There are 37 numbers on the European wheel, and only a single zero.  On the American wheel, there are 38 numbers, and a higher House Advantage working against you.

The Romanovsky gives you coverage of 32 of the 37 numbers on the wheel, which means you have an 86.48% chance of winning every spin 

Detailed Description of Each Romanvosky Bet 

For each bet placed below, 1 unit equals $1.

Romanovsky Bet 1

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 2 and 3, 1 unit on corners 2-6 and 7-11 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 1, 4, 9, 12 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48% 

Romanovsky Bet 2

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 2 and 3, 1 unit on corners 1-5 and 8-12 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 3, 6, 7, 10 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48% 

Romanovsky Bet 3 

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 1 and 3, 1 unit on corners 14-18 and 19-23 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 13, 16, 21, 24 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48% 

Romanovsky Bet 4

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 1 and 3, 1 unit on corners 13-17 and 20-24 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 15, 18, 19, 22 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48% 

Romanovsky Bet 5

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 1 and 2, 1 unit on corners 26-30 and 31-35 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 25, 28, 33, 36 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48% 

Romanovsky Bet 6

1. Bet details: 3 units on dozens 1 and 2, 1 unit on corners 25-29 and 32-36 

2. Uncovered numbers: 0, 27, 30, 31, 34 

3. Cost: 8 chips, Profit: 1 chip, Probability: 86.48%

If you’re not that familiar with roulette, you may want to look at The Romanovsky system as a way to bet on the favorites, vs. the non-favorites.

If you were to bet on the EPL using the same principles as the Romanovsky System, your bets would be like betting on the top two teams in the EPL, such as Liverpool and Arsenal when they’re playing at home against one of the bottom five teams in the ELP – for example Ipswich Town and Southampton. Your bets are on the clear favorites, just like your bets would be on the favorites to hit with 32 numbers out of 37 on a roulette wheel.

Characteristics and Benefits of the Romanovsky Bets

The key behind it is pretty straightforward. First, you need to bet on two Dozens and two Corners. Then, make sure you always complede middle column coverage.

If you’re a novice player, it is a good way to get a feel for the game.  You will win frequently, and also you will see different ways to win. It is a good way to change your bets as you see different winning results, and yet still have the overall coverage giving you the same good opportunity to win.

You can also start to change your bets as an experienced player, switching your bets based on the previous wins and losses you’ve experienced.  You can start to experiment with additional systems like the Paroli or the Martingale to give you more exposure to negative and positive progressions.

Example of the Romanovsky System in Action

Let's say you are betting with units of $25 each.

Five Fictitious Rounds

Spin 1: Win 1 unit on 2nd Dozen, + $25

Spin 2: Win 1 unit on Corner, + $50 

Spin 3: Win 1 unit on 2nd Dozen, +$75 

Spin 4: Win 1 unit on 3rd Dozen, +$100 

Spin 5: Win 1 unit on Corner, + $125

Five More Fictitious Rounds

Spin 1: Loss ($200 loss) 

Spin 2: Win on Corner ($25 gain, $175 total loss) 

Spin 3: Win on 2nd Dozen ($25 gain, $150 total loss) 

Spin 4: Win on 3rd Dozen ($25 gain, $125 total loss) 

Spin 5: Win on Corner ($25 gain, $100 total loss)

Pitfalls of the Romanovsky Roulette Strategy

While it appears to be a viable strategy, there is no guaranteed profit, which is true of all roulette strategies, and the simulation we ran shows one player losing almost $1000, while the other two having some profit.

The system does require a substantial bankroll to be able to weather the volatility of the losing streaks, mostly because a winning bet means a win of one unit, but a losing bet means a loss of 8 units.

Bankroll and Stop Loss Strategies

Always make sure you add your winnings to your bankroll, rather than separate them to the side. The Romanovsky system works best if you keep your winnings in action and because there is a large differential between the 1-unit winning bet and the 8-unit losing bet totals, you need to start with a bankroll of at least 100 units.

It’s always a good idea when trying any new system to start with a notepad to track how you would do if you were to use the system. Once you understand how things may progress, then you can start playing for real money.

What this does is give you some confidence in the system, and that what you thought might happen actually happens.

My Take on the Romanovsky Strategy

When talking to players about the Romanovsky system, you may run into the ‘it just works’ statement, or something similar. Not backing up these claims with mathematical information is not uncommon, so be prepared to have that conversation.   

The Romanovsky, because of its high likelihood of short-term wins but long-term overall losses, is a good short-term system to play, with a high probability of small wins. The problem becomes evident as the losses of 8 units per spin start to mount up and overtake the winnings of only 1 unit per spin. 

The system results in overall losses which can be significant once you have played the system for a while.

Once you are familiar with the way the system works, you may want to increase the ‘per unit’ value to make it worthwhile to play.  Winning one unit per spin isn’t much fun if your unit value is $1.  You may want to consider using a $25 unit value, or at least a $10 unit value going forward.

You may also consider increasing the unit value as you win, combining the Romanovsky system with a Paroli-style bet increase as you progress.  The opposite of that is to combine the Romanovsky with a full or partial Martingale-type system as you lose, doubling the bet, or increasing it by at least 25%, or 50% as you continue to play.

As always, make sure you are betting within your financial limits, and do not over bet your bankroll