Kesselgucken System

Next, to a variety of mathematical roulette systems, there is also one physical version, the so-called Kesselgucken system. How does it work – and is there a way to learn it?

There is no real one roulette system that really seems to work. Not only, do they not guarantee any winnings in the long run, but in most cases, the player is condemned to failure sooner or later – and that again goes hand in hand with significant losses and lots of player frustration.

But what is the roulette strategy Kesselgucken (there’s no German to English translation) all about? Is there a way to make lots of money using this technique? And if so, how exactly does it work and most importantly, can it be taught?

How Does The Kesselgucken Work?

Unlike the other roulette systems the Kesselgucken method is not a mathematical one, but a physical one. Kesselgucken is German, and it means roughly ‘to observe the roulette wheel’. The goal is to get a good feeling for the fall of the ball once the croupier releases it, and to make a good guess on which number or sector it’s going to land. The bet is placed as quickly as possible, before the play refusal.

A lot of things have to be considered when using the Kesselgucken method – the exact speed of the roulette wheel and the ball, and also the accurate starting position of the ball. The small obstacles in rhombus shape that are placed on the wheel cause some extra difficulties, because they significantly influence the natural run of the ball.

Usually, when using this ‘wheel-observing’ method, the player is trying to place his bets as late as possible – shortly before the croupier announces “No more bets”. The reason for this is obvious: the later the player places his bet, the easier it is for him to estimate where the ball is going to land.

How to Place The Bets When Using The Kesselgucken Method

For players using the Kesselgucken strategy, it makes sense to play on the so-called ‘French bets’. Those are betting combinations that cover a series of numbers that are next to each other on a certain section of the roulette wheel.

One way is to announce the French bets to the croupier, in such a case they are called Call Bets. They can either be pre-defined combinations of numbers (for example the ‘voisins du zéro’ – neighbours of zero, the ‘tiers du cylindre’ – the thirds of the wheel, or the ‘orphelins’ – the orphans). Or it can be one certain number and its 2 neighbours on either side, so a total of five numbers.

Christian Kaisan: The Saxon

Christian Kaisan, whose nickname is the Saxon, has become a rather popular figure amongst (German) roulette players. He is a living example that the Kesselgucken method actually works and that there is a way to make constant winnings with it. He did exactly that professionally for over 20 years – and sure enough didn’t live too shabbily off it.

However, as time went by Kaisan got banned at more and more casinos, and also he found that the Kesselgucken technique became increasingly harder to implement. As a result of these frustrations he retired and his career as professional roulette player is officially over.

Is There a Way to Learn Kesselgucken?

Lots of websites create the impression that the Kesselgucken technique can be learnt by pretty much anybody. Theoretically that might even be true, however, it would be a pretty long and tough endeavour with lots and lots of arduous training. Practically it really doesn’t make all that much sense though – as even Christian Kaisan, former professional Kesselgucker, advises against it. The reason for this? The casinos are countering it by increasing the speed of their roulette wheels more and more.

Kesselgucken: Why Not?

It’s not only the technical changes in casinos that make the Kesselgucken harder with time. Another problem is that less and fewer casinos put up with roulette players trying to make a lot of money by using the Kesselgucken method. If they want to they can ban players as desired, and they don’t have to justify any of their decisions. So if they can expose somebody as being a (successful) Kesselgucker, they will most likely issue a ban.

A different measure that casinos are implementing to prevent players from using this method is set quite low table limits. Often the croupier’s announcement that no more bets can be placed, happens so early, that it’s nearly impossible to make any predictions on where the ball is going to land – or the croupier simply spins the wheel a lot faster. The casinos overall give Kesselgucker players a really hard time, so really there is no point in investing so much time and work into learning it.

Do Online Roulette and Kesselgucken Mix?

Since the Kesselgucken system is a physical one, it obviously can’t be used when playing online roulette. There it is a random generator that determines where the ball is going to land, and that doesn’t have anything to do with physical features like the speed of the ball or wheel or anything like that. So there is simply no way to predict the outcome.

But even though Kesselgucken doesn’t make that much sense today, there are still some good reasons to play roulette online instead of at a real casino. If you win, you don’t have to tip the croupier, and you can take whatever time you need to place your bets while you can keep an eye on statistics of the recent game and past coups at any time.