The Fitzroy betting system has been used to great effect in real life. Notably, a British roulette gang made millions in Nice in the 1950s and 1960s using the Fitzroy system, among others. The leader of the gang, Norman Leigh, later turned the story into a book. When playing online roulette, the way it works is simple: bets are increased after a loss and decreased after a win. The theory is that any big roulette loss will be canceled once a win comes. But does the Fitzroy work in practice?

Eventually, however, the Fitzroy was defeated when it was put into practice at the Monte Carlo casino. In fact, the Fitzroy works a bit like the d’Alembert progression system. In the betting plan, one unit is added to your bet after a loss and one unit is removed following a win. Think of it as a more conservative version of the Martingale.

The Fitzroy System In Practice: Placing Bets

In Fitzroy, all bets are made on a European roulette table that contains a single zero slot. Only even money outside bets are covered (red / black, even / odd, 1-18 / 19-36). Let’s start with a £ 1 base unit for this system. If our bet loses, we increase it to £ 2. If it wins, we reduce it by £ 1 or start over at £ 1, whichever is greater. In the table shown, we are aiming for £ 1 red bets at 1/1. After three lost spins, we get a win and our stake is reduced by one. After eight laps we are divided: four wins and four defeats. Our total winnings, however, are £ 5.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of The Fitzroy System

While nearly identical to the d’Alembert system, the Fitzroy plan can be used on a variety of numbers, not just outside areas. But the main advantage of the Fitzroy over other progression systems like the Martingale is the flatter betting plan. As the stake is increased by only one unit after a losing spin, players can manage their bankroll better. In our example, after three losses we only have three fewer units. Compare it to the four units we would have lost using the Martingale. The big problem with Fitzroy, however, is that roulette is always pitted against the player. The house advantage means that, in the long run, roulette players will always lose money at the casino. Sure, players can do long “hot” streaks, but the statistical house advantage (2.7% in European roulette, 5.26% in American roulette) makes it difficult to turn over those losers. It is useful to test other fake money systems and see which ones work best for you. With small stakes, the Fitzroy won’t cost you much, but it won’t win much either. Would you instead increase your bankroll to look for something like the Fibonacci system, which has a more interesting range of bets?

Try The Fitzroy System Today

All online roulette betting systems have their flaws, but all of them are fun to try with play money. Systems like Fitzroy can also help you practice sensible bankroll management.