During my roulette "career" which spanned 6 or 7 years I came across maybe 3 or 4 other people who had "figured the game out" to some extent. I never talked with them about it. I became obsessed with beating the game during this time. And I will attest that it can be done to a certain extent at certain times and places. Casinos are wiser now though I believe. They sometimes reverse the wheel direction between spins. They often use different sized balls each spin. This doesn't mean patterns don't exist. It just means they are much more complex and difficult. The easiest to take advantage of are those casinos which employee dealers who are able to aim the ball where they want. This cheating can be used against them. Lazy dealers are good too. They sometimes develop consistency in their throw and quite often the ball will land in a predictable area if you watch careful the position of the wheel when it is released. These were hard to find and even more so now. Here were my informal rules in case anyone is curious:
1) You have to know the wheel and sectors by heart. If you don't, you can't determine patterns when they arise.
2) Don't sit down. You are never going to play for more than a couple of spins. If you don't win, move on. If you do win don't push it. Don't let the eye in the sky observe a repeatable pattern from you. Salt your real bets with some decoy bets.
3) Don't gamble. If you can't determine a probable pattern, don't play. You don't play most of the time.
4) Watch for sectors that seem to follow other sectors. With enough observation you will begin to learn these. When the dealer picks up the ball and throws it a rhythm often develops. The point from which they pick the ball up is the last number. If they remove the ball from the wheel between throws... that isn't a table to play unless you are confident they are good at "aiming" (which is rare). These "follow sectors" are often consistent between dealers, casinos and tables when the pattern forms. As and example, 32 often comes after number 23 if a certain pattern is being formed. If you find that pattern... you have found a dealer in a rut. Time to lay down a bet or two based on other "follows" you know to be in the pattern.
5) Don't drink. You are working. But appearing to drink is cool. Appearing a bit tipsy even better.
6) Don't sit and stare at the table while observing. Walk casually by and glance at the number board. Look curiously as if you are trying to figure out how the game works. If there are some penny or nickle slots with a good view of the action you are in luck. Take a seat and slowly spend some pennies while observing.
But my real advice? Don't waste your time. It's hard, Casinos are wiser now and opportunities less. If you do figure it out and push it they __will__ know who you are and you won't push it long before they take steps. When you go to the next casino surprise.... they will know who you are as well! Don't expect a sleepy dealer.
For whatever it is worth.