The American wheel has both a zero (0) and a double zero (00) on it, while the European wheel only has the single zero. This actually makes a major difference to players. European roulette odds are much better for players, because there is one less pocket on the wheel for the ball to fall into. Double Zero Roulette. This game must be loaded in a new window due to your browser's security policy. The game may take a few seconds to load, please do not be discouraged by a black screen. Double zero is a feature that contributes to online American roulette having the lowest odds comparing to its European analogs. It’s located in between two red numbers while the single-zero got its position between two black numbers.
Roulette offers a bewildering number of betting options, but the bets are actually straightforward enough. In order to make sure you get the correct payout, you’ll want to make sure that you put your chips in exactly the right place on the table. Missing a payout because your chip isn’t in the right spot is a drag.
Roulette payouts work like this. The odds are stated in the form of x to 1, which means you’ll win x dollars for every dollar you’ve bet. For example, the single number bet offers a payout of 35 to 1. If you win, you’ll get your dollar back plus the $35 for the win.
Payouts on the Outside Bets
On the edge of the table are a series of bets which are “outside” the 38 numbers on the table. Each of these bets refers to a specific set of numbers or colors. If the ball lands on 0 or 00, you’ll lose on any of the outside bets.
The outside bets include:
Red or Black – This bet pays out even odds (1 to 1) if the ball lands on the color you chose.
Odd or Even – This bet pays out even odds (1 to 1) if the ball lands on odd or even, depending on which you chose.
Low or High – This bet pays out even money (1 to 1) if the ball lands on 1-18 if you bet low, or if the ball lands on 19-36 if you bet high.
Columns – The numbers on the layout are organized into three columns of twelve numbers each. A “columns” bet wins if the ball lands on one of the numbers in the column you chose. This bet pays out 2 to 1 when you win.
Dozens – There are 36 numbers on the table, so you can bet on the first dozen (1-12), the second dozen (13-24), or the third dozen (25-36). This bet also pays out 2 to 1.
Payouts on the Inside Bets
You can also bet on specific numbers and sets of numbers on the inside of the layout. These bets win less often, but they pay out more when you do win. The house edge on the inside bets is the same as the house edge on the outside bets.
The inside bets include:
Straight-up – This is a bet on a single number. It pays off at 35 to 1.
Split bet – This is a bet on any two adjacent numbers. You place the chip on the line between the two numbers in order to make this wager. This bet pays out at 17 to 1.
Street bet – This bet covers three numbers. You place your bet on the line outside of the three numbers in the row where you want to win. This bet pays out at 11 to 1.
Corner bet – Some people call this a square bet or a quarter bet. It’s a bet on a corner that makes a square, and it’s a bet on four numbers. A win on this type of bet pays out at 8 to 1.
Five-number bet – You can only make one five-number bet, and it’s the only inside bet that offers different odds from all the others. The problem is that it has a higher house edge, making it the worst bet on the table. This bet is on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, and you place the chip on the outside corner line between the 1 and the 0. This bet pays out 6 to 1, but only masochists place this bet.
Six-number bet – Some people call this a line bet. It covers two adjoining rows of numbers. It pays out at 5 to 1.
How Roulette Payouts Give the Casino an Edge
These payouts all have one thing in common—they pay out less than the true odds of hitting a win. That’s why the casino enjoys a house edge of 5.26% on roulette. Your odds of winning are always less than the payout amounts.
For example, the odds of winning a straight-up bet are 37 to 1. There are 37 numbers on the wheel that lose, and 1 bet on the wheel that will win. But the bet only pays out 35 to 1, not 37 to 1, so the house wins more often than it loses.
A split bet offers you odds of winning of 18 to 1, but it pays off at 17 to 1.
I could list all of them, but you get the idea by now. The casino has an unassailable mathematical advantage on every bet. No betting system or strategy can overcome this advantage.
Of course, in the short run, anything can (and often will) happen. This is called “standard deviation”, and it explains why some people walk away from the roulette table as winners. The mathematically true results only come around the closer you get to an infinite number of spins.
So the best way to approach roulette is as a lark. It’s a fun game. You can relax and socialize while you play. But don’t expect to win, because the odds are against you. And if you do win, walk away and smile, because you beat the odds.
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On This Page
Introduction
Roulette is one of the easiest games to play and understand in the casino. As usual the easier a game is to understand the greater the house edge, and roulette is no exception. If you are looking for a easy to understand and slow paced table game, and are willing to sacrifice on the house edge, then you may like roulette. If you want something more stimulating or with a decent return I would suggest looking at other games.
One difference between roulette and all other table games is that roulette chips have no value denomination printed on them. This actually is the true definition of a chip, one which indicates its value is technically called a check. The roulette table comes with six to eight sets of different colored chips, each set consisting of 300 chips. When a player purchases chips he gets his own color and the value of each chip is the buy-in divided by the number of chips received. The dealer will place a token on top of the dealer's stack of that color of chips to indicate the value.
American Rules
A U.S. roulette wheel consists of 38 numbered slots: numbers 1 to 36, a zero, and a double zero. The betting layout consists of every individual number as well as a host of 'outside' bets on combinations of numbers. After the players make their bets, the dealer spins the wheel and a ball and after several seconds the ball will land in one of the numbered slots.
The following table displays the available bets, the win (on a 'to one' basis), and the probability of winning under U.S. rules. All casinos in the U.S. follow these rules except for in Atlantic City. The house edge on all bets is 1/19, or 5.26%, except for the 0-00-1-2-3 combination, which carries a house edge of 7.89%.
Double-Zero Roulette
| Bet | Pays | Probability Win | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| Black | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| Odd | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| Even | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| 1 to 18 | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| 19 to 36 | 1 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| 1 to 12 | 2 | 31.58% | 5.26% |
| 13 to 24 | 2 | 31.58% | 5.26% |
| 25 to 36 | 2 | 31.58% | 5.26% |
| Six line (6 numbers) | 5 | 15.79% | 5.26% |
| First five (5 numbers) | 6 | 13.16% | 7.89% |
| Corner (4 numbers) | 8 | 10.53% | 5.26% |
| Street (3 numbers) | 11 | 7.89% | 5.26% |
| Split (2 numbers) | 17 | 5.26% | 5.26% |
| Any one number | 35 | 2.63% | 5.26% |
European Rules
What most call 'European roulette' is roulette played on a 37-number wheel, with one zero only. The pays are the same as in American roulette. However, with one zero the house edge is cut to 1/37, or 2.70%, on all bets.
The term European roulette is somewhat of a misnomer because you can find single-zero roulette all over the world. In fact, it is the standard outside the United States. Even in the United States you can find single-zero roulette in some high-limit rooms.
Atlantic City Rules
In Atlantic City, any all even money bets (red, black,odd, even, 1-18, 19-36) follow a variation of the European half-back rule (see below). If the ball lands in 0 or 00, then the player will lose only half of any even money bet. This lowers the house edge to 2.63% on these bets. This rule does not apply on single zero wheels.
French Rules
French roulette is played on a single wheel and also features a favorable 'en prison' or half-back rule. Under the 'half-back' rule, if the player makes any even money bet (red, black, odd, even, 1-18, 19-36), and the ball lands in zero, then the player gets half the bet back, known as 'la partage' in French.
The term French roulette is also somewhat of a misnomer because the 'la partage' rule can sometimes be found in casinos outside of France, including some high-limit rooms in Las Vegas.
Rather than lose half, the player sometimes may also choose to imprison the bet. If an imprisoned bet wins on the next spin it is released and the player gets it back, without winnings. What is subject to casino rules is what happens to an imprisoned bet if the ball lands in zero again on the next spin. At some casinos the bet loses, and at others it would become double imprisoned. If a double-imprisoned bet bet won on the next spin, it would move up a level, and become single-imprisoned again. If it lost, then if would become triple-imprisoned if the casino allowed it, otherwise it would lose.
The following table shows the probability of a win, push, and loss under every imprisonment variation I'm aware of.
Imprisonment Odds
| Imprisonment | Win | Push | Loss | Expected Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 0.48648649 | 0.01314828 | 0.50036523 | -0.01387874 |
| Double | 0.48648649 | 0.01332346 | 0.50019005 | -0.01370356 |
| Triple | 0.48648649 | 0.01332583 | 0.50018768 | -0.01370120 |
| Infinite | 0.48648649 | 0.01332586 | 0.50018765 | -0.01370117 |
| French | 0.48648649 | 0.01351351 | 0.50000000 | -0.01351351 |
When given the choice to lose half or face imprisonment, the expected value is the same under French rules. Otherwise the expected loss is less losing half.
Triple-Zero Roulette
Triple-Zero Roulette is roulette played on a 39-number wheel. The wheel has the same numbers and colors as a double-zero wheel, plus a 39th place on the wheel. This 39th place will always be green and often the Logo of the casino where the game is located, for example an apple at the New York New York. The game premiered at the Venetian in Las Vegas in September, 2016.
Much like zero and double-zero, all even money bets lose if the ball lands in green. The order of the numbers 1 to 36 is the same as in single-zero roulette. The 0, 00, and Logo are all consecutive, with the Logo in the middle.
There is an added bet on any green, which pays 11 to 1. The house edge on every bet is 1/13 or 7.69%.
Short Pays
I've noticed some electronic roulette games don't pay the full 35 to 1 on single-numbers bets, and/or 17 to 1 on double-number bets. Invariably, any game that short pays the player like this is going to be on a double-zero wheel as well. The following two tables show the house edge on single- and double-number bets, according to the win, assuming a double-zero wheel, and based on 'to one' odds. Be careful that on electronic games wins are often given on a 'for one' basis, meaning the original wager is not returned on a win. To convert a 'for one' odds to 'to one' odds, subtract one.
Single-Number Bets
| Win | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 35 to 1 | 5.26% |
| 34 to 1 | 7.89% |
| 33 to 1 | 10.53% |
| 32 to 1 | 13.16% |
| 31 to 1 | 15.79% |
| 30 to 1 | 18.42% |
Double-Number Bets
| Win | House Edge |
|---|---|
| 17 to 1 | 5.26% |
| 16 to 1 | 10.53% |
| 15 to 1 | 15.79% |
Best Roulette in the West
Best in Nevada: The Bellegio, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Rio, and Wynn all have European roulette, with a house edge of 1.35%. Usually such wheels are in the high-limit rooms, but the MGM and Mirage also have a European wheel in the main casino at a $25 minimum.
Best in California: It is my understanding that the only single-zero roulette in California is at the Barona casino, with a house edge of 2.70%.
Las Vegas Rules Survey
I am proud to present my Las Vegas roulette survey at my companion site Wizard of Vegas.
Number Placement
To the casual observer, it would appear that the numbers on the wheel are not organized and seem to be distributed randomly. The only obvious patterns are that red and black numbers alternate and that usually two odd numbers alternate with two even numbers. However the distribution of numbers was carefully arranged so that the sum of the numbers for any given section of the wheel would be roughly equal to any other section of equal size. Most numbers are part of a pair, with one number between them. These pairs add to either 37 or 39.
For what it is worth, the sum of all the numbers in roulette is 666.
Double Zero Roulette Wheel Layout
Wheel Tracking
Some people and books claim that roulette wheels are biased, with a heavy side and a light side. Gravity causes the numbers in the heavy side to hit more often. This, I believe, used to be true when the quality of the equipment was poor. However, modern roulette wheels are much better and very rigorously tested. Only in a casino using a very dated wheel, may you be able to find a biased one by testing many thousands of spins. Based on stories I have heard, your odds of finding such wheels are probably best in Europe.
Betting Systems
Ugh. If you think you can beat roulette with a betting system please read my section debunking betting systems. If you don't believe what I say there, here is what the Encyclopedia Britannica says under the subject of roulette:
The oldest and most common betting system is the Martingale or 'doubling-up' system,in which bets are doubled progressively. This probably dates back to the invention of the Roulette wheel, but every day of the week some gambler somewhere reinvents it, or some variation of it, and believes he has something new. Over the years hundreds of 'sure-fire' winning systems have been dreamed up, but regardless of what system is used, in the long run it cannot overcome the house's advantage of the 0, or 0 and 00. This house advantage is the only system that consistently wins in the long run.
'No one can possibly win at roulette unless he steals money from the table while the croupier isn't looking.' — Albert Einstein
San Diego Area Roulette
The California Constitution prohibits a ball and wheel alone to determine the outcome in roulette. In the greater San Diego area the casinos have thought of some creative ways to offer roulette anyway. Visit my page onSan Diego County roulette to see how they do it, and who offers the best odds.Ball Steering
I get asked a lot about whether I believe dealers can influence the spin to a certain area of the wheel. I used to be very skeptical of it. However, after considering the articles How to Win at Roulette — Part I and Part II by Arnold Snyder as well as other evidence, I think it would be easy for a colluding dealer could do a late slow spin to benefit a wheel clocking player. An extremely skillful dealer may even be able to influence the ball to a certain sector of the wheel. So, for now, I'm still straddling the fence on this one (ow!).
Organic Roulette Experiment
In March 2017, I concluded an analysis of an electronic roulette game by Interblock for ball steering away from perceived wheel clockers. For more information please see my page on the Organic Roulette Experiment.
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