Four-step positive progression
The Base Five Roulette System: How the 1-2-3-5 Ladder Works
The Base Five roulette system uses one even-money bet and a short stake ladder: 1, 2, 3 and 5 units. Move to the next stake after a win and reset to one unit after any loss.
Four consecutive wins produce an 11-unit cycle profit, but that exact run occurs on about 5.60% of standard European roulette cycles. The ladder changes the size of each bet, not the wheel odds or house edge.
Worked version: one fixed European even-money bet | 1-2-3-5 units | win moves forward | loss resets | every cycle starts again at 1u.
See the complete ladder before placing a bet
The four values are stake sizes. They are not roulette numbers. Pick one even-money selection, such as Red, and keep that selection unchanged while the ladder is active.
A useful detail: if the first three bets win and the 5-unit bet loses, the complete cycle still finishes 1 unit ahead: +1u +2u +3u -5u = +1u.
Check the outside-bet limits before choosing a unit
The largest planned stake is five times the base unit, so confirm that the full 1-2-3-5 ladder fits the table range.
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Base Five rules in plain English
This page calculates the commonly described 1-2-3-5 even-money version. It does not use the separate five-straight-up-number progression that appeared on the old page.
Use Red/Black, Odd/Even or High/Low. Keep the same selection throughout the cycle.
A unit is your chosen cash value. It might be 10p, 20p, 50p or £1.
The next stakes are 2 units, 3 units and then 5 units.
Any loss resets the next bet to 1 unit. After the 5-unit result, reset whether it wins or loses.
What happens on zero? On a standard European table, zero loses an even-money bet, so the current cycle ends and the next stake returns to 1 unit. See the even-money bet guide for the full payout rules.
Every possible way one cycle can finish
A cycle does not need four wins to avoid a loss. The result depends on which step loses first. The probabilities below use a standard European wheel, where one even-money selection wins on 18 of 37 pockets.
| Result path | Stakes placed | Cycle result | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | -1u | -1u | 51.35% |
| Win, Loss | +1u, -2u | -1u | 24.98% |
| Win, Win, Loss | +1u, +2u, -3u | 0u | 12.15% |
| Win, Win, Win, Loss | +1u, +2u, +3u, -5u | +1u | 5.91% |
| Win, Win, Win, Win | +1u, +2u, +3u, +5u | +11u | 5.60% |
Win the 1-unit bet and lose the 2-unit bet. The cycle finishes one unit down and restarts at 1u.
Win 1u, 2u and 3u, then lose 5u. The cycle still finishes one unit ahead before resetting.
Test the ladder one result at a time
Use the buttons to see the next stake, the completed cycle result and the total amount placed. The tester follows the exact European rules used throughout this guide.
Base Five Win/Loss tester
Try three wins followed by a loss. The completed cycle should finish at +1 unit and the next stake should reset to 1 unit.
Start with 1 unit. A win makes the next stake 2 units; a loss completes the cycle at -1 unit and resets the next stake to 1 unit.
Recent results: No results yet.
What the cycle probabilities mean
The large 11-unit finish is uncommon, while the first two cycle endings both lose one unit. A profitable cycle includes either three wins followed by a loss or four consecutive wins.
Base Five still produces the normal European roulette house edge. The ladder changes how the losses and wins are grouped, but every unit placed remains exposed to the same underlying payout.
With a £1 base unit: the average completed cycle turns over about £3.26 and has a theoretical expected loss of about £0.09. A real short run can finish above or below that figure.
European, French and American wheels
The tester uses a standard European wheel. A French table with La Partage can return half of a qualifying even-money stake when zero lands, but Base Five sources do not give one universal rule for whether that half-loss should reset or repeat the step.
| Wheel or rule | Win chance | Four-win chance | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| European | 18/37 48.65% | 5.60% | 2.70% |
| French La Partage | 18/37 48.65% | 5.60% | 1.35% on qualifying bets |
| American | 18/38 47.37% | 5.03% | 5.26% |
Turn the unit ladder into cash stakes
The name does not mean that the first bet must be £5. Choose the cash value of one unit first; every later stake is a multiple of that amount.
Swipe sideways to compare the full ladder.
| Base unit | 1u start | 2u step | 3u step | 5u top step | Four-win turnover |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £0.10 | £0.10 | £0.20 | £0.30 | £0.50 | £1.10 |
| £0.20 | £0.20 | £0.40 | £0.60 | £1.00 | £2.20 |
| £0.50 | £0.50 | £1.00 | £1.50 | £2.50 | £5.50 |
| £1.00 | £1.00 | £2.00 | £3.00 | £5.00 | £11.00 |
| £5.00 | £5.00 | £10.00 | £15.00 | £25.00 | £55.00 |
How Base Five differs from similar systems
These systems may use some of the same numbers, but their win and loss rules are different.
Swipe sideways to compare the systems.
| System | After a win | After a loss | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Five | Move 1u, 2u, 3u, 5u | Reset to 1u | Short fixed four-step ladder |
| Reverse Martingale | Usually double | Reset to base | Stake rises much faster after wins |
| Ascot | Move one step higher | Move one step lower | Starts in the middle of a chosen ladder |
| Fibonacci | Usually move back | Move forward | Commonly progresses after losses, not wins |
How the figures were calculated
Assumptions used
- One fixed 1:1 even-money selection.
- A European single-zero wheel with 37 pockets.
- Zero is a normal loss and resets the next stake.
- The sequence is 1u, 2u, 3u and 5u.
- Any loss ends the cycle. The 5u result also ends it.
What the numbers mean
- Stake is the amount placed on the current spin.
- Cycle result includes every win and loss since the last reset.
- Turnover is the total amount placed, including returned stakes.
- Expected result is a long-run mathematical average, not a session prediction.
Base Five roulette questions
What is the Base Five roulette system?
It is a four-step positive progression used on one even-money bet. Start with 1 unit, then move to 2, 3 and 5 units after consecutive wins. Any loss resets the next stake to 1 unit.
Does Base Five mean I must start with £5?
No. Five is the top step in the 1-2-3-5 sequence. One unit can be any cash value accepted by the table, such as 10p, 20p, 50p or £1.
What happens if the 5-unit bet loses?
You reached that bet after winning 1, 2 and 3 units. Losing 5 units leaves the complete cycle 1 unit ahead. The next stake then resets to 1 unit.
How likely are four consecutive wins?
On a standard European wheel, one even-money bet wins on 18 of 37 pockets. Four consecutive wins therefore occur on about 5.60% of cycles.
Can Base Five beat the roulette house edge?
No. The stake pattern changes the size and order of the bets, but it does not change the payouts or the probability of the selected result. Standard European roulette retains a 2.70% house edge.
Which roulette wheel is better for Base Five?
A European single-zero wheel is preferable to an American double-zero wheel. French La Partage can reduce the edge on qualifying even-money bets, although the usual Base Five rules do not define one universal treatment for a half-loss on zero.
Use the ladder to track stakes, not to chase a result
Choose the value of one unit before starting. Do not increase that base value because an earlier cycle lost. The sequence does not make a win more likely and a larger balance does not change the wheel odds.
Practise the movement on a free roulette game first. 18+. Roulette is a negative-expectation game. Play only with money you can afford to lose.