The Five Number System: five straight-up bets in a single run.
You pick any five numbers and back them for 17 spins on a stepped progression of 1–6–11–16 units. Any hit closes the run in profit — but a run without one swallows a full 510 units. Here you can take the system apart step by step and test it on simulated spins.
Test the Five Number System on your own bankroll
Set the bankroll, the unit per number, the number of spins and the progression variant. The simulator shows how the bankroll develops, how many runs ended in a hit versus a full loss, and the moment the money runs out.
Bankroll and spins
Variant and wheel
The default five are 0, 7, 17, 23 and 32 — mathematically the particular numbers do not matter. Every run uses a fresh random sequence of spins.
Bankroll over time
The typical shape: short jumps upward after hits and longer declining stretches while the chosen five stay away.
What happened in the simulation: Click "Run the simulation" and you will get a short, plain-language explanation of the result here.
Four betting blocks and the budget for one run
The bet per number does not grow after every spin but in four blocks. The figure on each bar shows the units staked on one number for that spin — the whole spin always costs five times as much.
How the bet grows across a run
For the first 7 spins you bet 1 unit on each of the five numbers, for the next 5 spins 6 units, then 3 spins at 11 and the last 2 spins at 16 units. A hit at any point closes the run in profit — anywhere from +1 to +156 units depending on when it comes.
The budget for one run
The blocks cost 35, 150, 165 and 160 units in turn. A bankroll of 510 units is the minimum for a single completely unsuccessful run.
The chosen five on the layout
The default five — 0, 7, 17, 23 and 32 — cover the pockets highlighted in gold. The other 32 numbers mean losing all five bets on that spin.
The red and black pockets match the colours on the layout; the green zero stands apart. Any other five numbers have exactly the same odds — 5 of 37 numbers per spin.
What are the odds your five numbers land?
This calculator is not about whether you finish ahead. It is about how likely it is that any of your five numbers lands at all — and what the wait will cost you.
Enter a unit and a number of spins. The result shows the probability of at least one hit on your five numbers, the cost of one spin and of a whole 17-spin base run.
Is the Five Number System a good roulette system?
Excellent for understanding how probability and progressions work, poor as a route to long-term profit. Here is the whole picture, maths and practice, in one place.
The Five Number System is a roulette strategy in which the player picks five particular numbers and sticks with them for a whole run. It is not built on alternating colours, dozens or outside bets — everything rests on whether at least one of the chosen numbers hits within a limited run, on a straight-up bet paying 35:1.
What is the Five Number System in roulette?
You back few numbers, but with a rising stake. Every spin has only 5 winning numbers out of 37, so the chance of a hit on any one spin is roughly 13.51%. When a hit stays away for long, the total investment grows fast — the later spins of a run already cost 55 or 80 units at a time.
And hitting five numbers is not as certain as it first appears. Even across 17 spins there is a real chance of around 8.5% that your five never land once. The original test even mentions runs in which a particular set of five stayed away for a very long time — and it is exactly those stretches that decide the overall result.
The rules of the Five Number System
The basic run is 17 spins. For the first 7 spins you bet 1 unit on each of the five numbers, for the next 5 spins 6 units, then 3 spins at 11 units and the last 2 spins at 16 units per number. The total bankroll needed for one completely unsuccessful run is 510 units.
A win on any of the five numbers ends the run immediately and the next one starts again from 1 unit. If nothing lands, the run ends after the 17th spin in a full loss and the player starts again — possibly with an adjusted progression, depending on the variant chosen.
What did the long-run tests show?
In the original test the basic variant showed a downward trend. Short-term rises appeared, but overall the curve headed down. Changing the run length to a shorter or longer block brought no improvement in the test — only the distribution of the swings changed, not the direction.
You will see exactly that in the simulator above: over 1,000 spins a run can easily finish ahead, while over 100,000 the curve almost always settles onto the negative expectation. A short test simply may not meet enough runs without a hit to show the real cost of the system.
The progression variants, and why they do not help
A linear progression after a losing run — multiplying the whole schedule by two, three and so on after every fully lost run — could create an impression of growth in some stretches. The problem was the enormous local drawdowns: a second losing run in a row already costs 1,020 units, a third 1,530. The capital required grows faster than ordinary hits return.
Nor did adjusting the spin progression so that a win always yields a minimum return bring any practical improvement in the original test. Larger bets mean higher turnover — and higher turnover against a negative expectation means losing faster. You can switch between both variants in the simulator and compare the depth of the drawdowns.
The biggest risks of the Five Number System
The first risk is the long wait for a hit: five numbers out of 37 means a low chance on any one spin, so runs of ten or more spins without a win are entirely routine. The second is the rapidly rising stake — the later spins of a run demand 55 or 80 units at a time, precisely when the player is already down.
The third risk is the size of a single run’s loss: complete failure means −510 units, more than eleven average winning runs return. And the fourth is psychological — chosen numbers can feel personal or “strong”, but mathematically they are all identical. A false sense of control leads players to extend their session at exactly the moments it costs most. There is more about that trap in the psychology of the player.
Does it matter which numbers you choose?
No. Every number on a fair wheel has the same 1/37 probability, and no set of five is “hotter” than another. The default five from the original test — 0, 7, 17, 23 and 32 — are purely illustrative. You can back birthdays, neighbours on the wheel or five numbers in a row and the expectation will not change by a tenth of a percent.
The only thing the choice changes is your relationship with the numbers. And that is more of a drawback: players return to “their own” numbers even when they should stop. To work out the odds of particular combinations exactly, use the probability calculator.
The verdict: is the Five Number System worth playing?
The Five Number System suits demonstration of how probability and progressions work rather than practical play. It is easy to understand, has clear rules and closes every run in profit on a hit — which makes it excellent teaching material. But it has no positive expectation over time: roughly −2.9 units per run, which no choice of numbers or adjustment to the progression removes.
The original test concludes that in this form the system is not usable in the long run. If you want to explore it further, do it in the simulator above or in the roulette system tester — there a long run without a hit costs you nothing but curiosity.
The biggest misconceptions about the Five Number System
Betting directly on numbers attracts the most superstition. Here are the most common myths, explained so a beginner can follow them.
On a fair wheel every number has a probability of 1/37. Favourite, “hot” and personal numbers carry no advantage — choosing five is a purely aesthetic decision.
The chance of a hit is still 13.51% on every spin, whether your five have missed for five, ten or thirty spins. Previous results have no influence on a future spin.
Every hit does close a run in profit, but roughly 8.5% of runs end in a 510-unit loss. On average that outweighs all the smaller wins — the expectation stays at −2.9 u. per run.
Shorter and longer runs, raising linearly after a loss and a steeper spin progression all came out the same in the original test — negative. What changes is the depth of the drawdowns, not the direction of the curve.
The Five Number System vs. other roulette systems
Unlike the colour progressions, this system backs numbers directly — so it has higher volatility and less frequent but larger wins. Neither kind changes the house edge.
| System | Risk | Principle | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martingale | Very high | Doubling the bet after a loss | Understanding the risk of a progression |
| Fibonacci | High | A progression following the Fibonacci sequence | A slower progression after a loss |
| Labouchere | High | A cancellation line; the bet is first + last | More advanced players and experiments |
| Reverse Labouchere | High | The line grows on a win and is crossed off on a loss | Hunting streaks with a capped loss |
| Parlay | Medium | The win stays in play (let it ride) | Short runs after a win |
| Bally | Very high | 24 numbers with a 12–36–108–324 progression | Blanket bets with a harsh progression |
| Charlotte | High | A single-number progression over 88 spins | Hunting the 35:1 payout to a plan |
| Dominance | High | A double street following the dominant side of the table | Players who follow trends |
| Double 10 | High | One number, stepping up after 10 misses | Patient single-number hunters |
| FAST | High | 33 numbers, low and high units | Maximum table coverage |
| Havana | High | One dozen, two levels of units | Dozen players |
| Holy Grail | High | 18 distinct numbers with a progression | Covering half the wheel |
| John Wayne | High | A spread of 18 numbers for 10 units | Combined bets on numbers |
| Numeric Scanner | High | Repeating numbers with a progression | Players who love stats and tables |
| Seven Corners | Medium | Seven corner bets, 27–28 numbers flat | Blanket bets with no progression |
| System 300 | Very high | 34 of 37 numbers, a rare 300-unit loss | Understanding asymmetric risk |
| Five-number system | High | Five numbers, progression blocks of 1-6-11-16 | Hunting the 35:1 payout on a budget |
The name of a system takes you to its page with an interactive test — the current system is highlighted. Want to compare several systems on the exact same sequence of spins? Use the Roulette system tester.
Common questions about the Five Number System
Is the Five Number System profitable in the long run?
No. Both the original calculation and the tests show a negative expectation of roughly −2.9 units per run. The progression changes how the results unfold but does not remove the house edge.
Does it matter which 5 numbers I choose?
Mathematically no. Every set of five has the same chance of hitting on a fair wheel. The default 0, 7, 17, 23 and 32 are purely illustrative.
How many units do I need for one run?
A completely unsuccessful base run requires 510 units: the blocks cost 35, 150, 165 and 160 units in turn.
What is the chance of a hit on one spin?
5 numbers out of 37, so roughly 13.51% on European roulette. On American roulette with its double zero it is 5 of 38, roughly 13.16%.
How often does a run end with no hit at all?
The probability that your five never land across 17 spins is (32/37)17 ≈ 8.47% on European roulette. So roughly every twelfth run ends in a 510-unit loss.
How much do I win when one of the numbers lands?
A straight-up bet pays 35:1, so the number that hits returns 36× the unit staked on it. Thanks to the progression every hit closes the run in profit — from +1 unit for a hit on spin 7 to roughly +156 units for a hit on spin 13.
Does a linear progression after a loss help?
According to the original test, no. It can produce rising stretches but it also deepens the drawdowns and raises the capital required — a second losing run in a row already costs 1,020 units.
Is it better to play European or American roulette?
European. It has only one zero, so the chance of hitting your five is 5/37 rather than 5/38 and the house edge 2.70% rather than 5.26%. But better conditions do not change the system’s negative expectation.
Is the Five Number System better than Martingale?
It carries a different risk, not a better one. Martingale loses rarely and catastrophically; the Five Number System spreads the risk into more frequent, capped losses of 510 units. The long-term expectation of both is negative.
Can I change the numbers mid-run?
Mathematically it does no harm — the odds stay 5 in 37 whichever five you pick. In practice, though, it usually signals a loss of discipline: the player starts chasing “hot” numbers that carry no advantage.
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