Take any straight up number, say, number 24. It could take up to around 500 spins maximum for that number to show!
However, bet that the next number will be the same as last, i.e. if 13 was last number then bet 13. If you lose and it's number 32 then bet number 32. Now, we only have to wait around a maximum of 250 spins to hit our number (position/distance 1) instead of 500!
Edit: I encountered 363 for position 1, so I guess this concept's reputation precedes it.