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The number 5, coloured yellow, plays in a similar way to the zero (0 or 00) in normal Roulette. You can bet on it like any other individual number, but if the number 5 is spun then only the bets on 5 win and all other bets lose. Because there are less numbers in Boule, the chances of spinning a 5 are greater than a zero being spun in normal. What is the percent probability of winning in American Roulette if you placed a bet on 0 00 1 2 3 combination with one single chip?
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Even-money bets placed at European tables with French rules are only subject to a 1.35% house edge. Inside Roulette Bets. These are the bet spaces located inside the table. Although the inside bets might have higher payouts, they are much less likely to win on any given spin. The basket bet is a wager on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. Since it relies. Blackjack is a popular roulette 0 00 1 2 3 casino table game due to its simplicity and excitement. Only customers 21 and over are permitted to play our games. 18+, T&C Apply. So if you are at step 2 (betting 2-6-4-8) and you lose three times, you return to 1-3-2-4. If you win on step 2 of the ladder, you move to step 3 (3-9-6-12) and keep going until you reach your profit target (always set yourself a profit target and stick to it). 1:1 payout means you receive 1 chip PLUS your original bet 5:1 payout means you receive 5 chips PLUS your original bet The house edge is the advantage the casino has over players. So if the house edge is 2.7% and you bet $1, you can expect to lose $0.027. At the Las Vegas roulette (with 38 numbers, 0,00,1,2,3, etc) you can do various bets (let’s say the bet size is $1). 1.Bet on red (or black) and a successful bet pays you $1. 2.Bet on a number and a successful bet pays you $35.
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.
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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Play roulette for free with this Flash game. I finally found a Flash game for my site which downloads quickly.
Written by: Michael Shackleford
The odds and payouts are slightly different for each wheel type, and are listed below. If you are looking for professional roulette systems that work, visit the www.roulettephysics.com home page.
Roulette Odds and Payouts
Bet | Payout | European Roulette Odds (Chance of Winning) | European Roulette House Edge | American Roulette Odds (Chance of Winning) | American Roulette House Edge |
Reds / Blacks (colour) | 1:1 | 48.65% | 2.7% | 47.37% | 5.26% |
Evens / Odds | 1:1 | 48.65% | 2.7% | 47.37% | 5.26% |
Lows / Highs (1-18 / 19-36) | 1:1 | 48.65% | 2.7% | 47.37% | 5.26% |
Dozens | 2:1 | 32.43% | 2.7% | 31.58% | 5.26% |
Columns | 2:1 | 32.43% | 2.7% | 31.58% | 5.26% |
6 Numbers (6 line) | 5:1 | 16.22% | 2.7% | 15.79% | 5.26% |
5 Numbers (top line) | 6:1 | – | – | 13.16% | 7.89% |
4 Numbers (square) | 8:1 | 10.81% | 2.7% | 10.53% | 5.26% |
3 Numbers (street) | 11:1 | 8.11% | 2.7% | 7.89% | 5.26% |
2 Numbers (split) | 17:1 | 5.41% | 2.7% | 5.26% | 5.26% |
1 Number (straight) | 35:1 | 2.70% | 2.7% | 2.63% | 5.26% |
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Types Of Roulette Bets:
The two main types of bets are “inside” and “outside”. There are different betting limits for each type of bet. Usually you can bet much higher on outside bets. This is for a few reasons, but mainly because the payouts are much higher on inside bets.
The Types of Roulette Bets, Roulette Odds and Chip Placement
(1) Straight (1 number): 35-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 35 units). The example covers number 2.
(2) Split (2 numbers): 17-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 17 units). The example covers numbers 2 & 6.
(3) Street (3 numbers): 11-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 11 units). The example covers 7, 8 & 9.
(4) Square (4 numbers): 8-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 8 units). The example covers 8, 9, 11 & 12.
(5) Six Line (6 numbers): 5-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 5 units). The example covers numbers 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 & 18.
(6) Colours (18 numbers): 1:1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 1 unit). The example covers all black numbers.
(7) Dozens (12 Numbers): 2-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 2 units). The example covers numbers 13 to 24 (the second dozen).
(8) Highs / Lows (1-18 or 19-36): 1-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 1 unit). The example covers numbers 19 to 36.
(9) Odds/Evens (18 numbers): 1-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 1 unit). The example covers all odd numbers.
(10) Columns (12 numbers): 2-1 payout (pays your original bet PLUS 2 units). The example covers numbers 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35.
Avoiding Common Misconceptions
One of the most common mistakes a roulette player will make is to increase bets after losses, without any consideration to predicting the winning number. It should be obvious that roulette is all about the winning number. And the idea is to bet on the winning number. But almost every roulette system does not even consider why the ball lands where it does. It sounds ridiculous but it’s true. The average roulette bet made by players don’t even consider variables that determine where the ball will land.
For example, a simple system may be to bet on red but increase your bet size after a loss. The theory is that increasing the bet size will allow you to win back any losses. But the reality is you are simply increasing the amount you wager on the next spin. Each spin has no correlation to the following spin, at least not in the way that such a betting system assumes.
Another example is consider 10 reds spinning in a row. One roulette player says “red is on a streak, I must bet red”. Another player says “black is due to spin next, so I’ll bet black”. So who is right? Neither of them. This is because the odds of red or black spinning are still 50/50 (neglecting the existence of zero for now). It’s amazing how every player at the table things either one way or the other when there is a long streak of a particular colour. Meanwhile the casino owner is sitting back rubbing their hands, grateful that the players have no idea that the illusion of streaks or due events is all in the player’s head.
Race Track Bets
Not all roulette tables offer race track bets. The race track enables players to make bets based on specific segments of the roulette wheel. The rules for use of the race track vary between casinos. Also the wording sometimes varies between race tracks, although usually the same areas for bets are available.
Series 5/8: A bet on the orange “Series 5/8” area is the following:
Splits (2 numbers): 5 & 8, 10 & 11, 13 & 16, 23 & 24, 27 & 30, 33 & 36
Orphelins: A bet on the green “Orphelins” area is:
Straight (1 number): 1
Splits (2 numbers): 6 & 9, 14 & 17, 17 & 20, 31 & 34
Series 0/2/3: A bet on the orange “Series 0/2/3” area is:
Streets (3 numbers): 0, 2, 3
Roulette 0 00 1 2 30
Splits (2 numbers): 4 & 7, 12 & 15, 18 & 21, 19 & 22, 25 & 28, 26 & 29, 32 & 35.
0-Game: A bet on “0-Game” is:
Straight (1 number): 26
Splits (2 numbers): 0 & 3, 12 & 15, 32 & 35
Neighbor bets: This is a bet on a single number on the race track. If you bet in a real casino, one bet on an number splits the bet amount between 5 numbers. This includes the number you’ve bet, plus the 2 numbers each side of it. If you bet in an online casino, a click on an individual number automatically places one chip on the number, plus one chip on each of the 2 numbers on each side (total 5 numbers and 5 chips).
In some casinos, neighbor bets must be passed to the dealer, who may then inform the pitt boss of your bet. The reasons behind this are varied. Firstly, it helps detect professional players who bet on sectors. And secondly, it makes your bet clear to everyone so there are no misunderstandings. Any misunderstandings about where players wanted to bet would otherwise cause arguments.
What’s The Best Roulette Bet?
The best bet is wherever the ball lands. Duh, right? But let me explain more . . . Firstly, realistically you can’t know exactly what number will win on every spin. But on most wheels, it is at least possible to predict which area the ball will bounce to, and you can have at least better than random accuracy. You need to understand the house edge with roulette is only small, and you only need to have slight accuracy of predictions to put the edge in your favor. You’d think it would be impossible to predict where the ball bounces, and you’d think the dealer’s spin speeds would control it all. But take your time to read this website and understand the principles that make roulette a much more predictable game than you may think.
How Important are Roulette Odds?
The roulette odds simply tell you how often you can expect to win if the accuracy of your bet selection is no better than random. If you apply advantage play methods that use physics to predict the winning number, then the odds change, although generally the player edge becomes the focus.
For example, the odds of winning on a European roulette wheel are 1 in 37 if you bet on a single number. But with a roulette computer device, you could win as often as 1 in 10 spins. So you will have more than tripled your odds of winning, making the typical roulette odds somewhat irrelevant.
Which Bets Have the Best Odds?
The “best odds” of winning is different to the payout and edge. You could bet on every number, and you’d win every time, so your odds of selecting the winning number would be highest. But you’d still actually lose money because you’d be paid an unfair amount. This unfair amount is the “house edge”. So instead of considering the “best odds in roulette”, consider the “house edge”. But as per the above chart, the edge is the same on all bets.
European and American Double 0 Wheel Layouts
The American wheel has both single and double 0 pockets, whereas the European wheel only has a single green 0. The layout of each wheel type is below:
Single-zero (European) wheel: 0,32,15,19,4,21,2,25,17,34,6,27,13,36,11,30,8,23,10,5,24,16,33,1,20,14,31,9,22,18,29,7,28,12,35,3,26
Double-zero (American) wheel: 0,28,9,26,30,11,7,20,32,17,5,22,34,15,3,24,36,13,1,00,27,10,25,29,12,8,19,31,18,6,21,33,16,4,23,35,14,2
The House Edge
The house edge is the normal edge the casino has over players. On the European wheel, it is -2.7% and on the American wheel, it is -5.26%. So the advantage the casino has over players is much greater with the American wheel. However, in either case it’s still only a minor advantage the casino has. But unless the accuracy of the player’s predictions is better than random, this small edge is enough for the casino to reliably profit over the long term. It is inevitable that some players will win in the short-term, but the casino thinks in terms of tens of thousands of spins and thousands of players, not individual players. The only time casinos consider individual players is if they appear to be using a professional roulette system.
Call Bets
Roulette 0 00 1 2 3 1
Called or announced bets are bets that are made by speaking them, without actually placing the bets. These type of bets are not permitted in all jurisdictions, mostly because it creates opportunities for cheating players to place bets without having any money.
Neighbor Bets
These are typically used by professional players to bet on particular physical sectors of the roulette wheel. Sector bets are the only types of bets that increase the roulette odds for you. For example, a neighbor bet on zero for the European roulette wheel will typically cover numbers 3,26,0,32,15. This is because sector based bets are used in advantage play methods. In particularly the European casinos, a neighbor bet must be given to the dealer, who then announces the bet to the pit boss. From a professional player’s perspective, it is not wise to do this too often as it attracts attention. Neighbor bets are placed on a circular representation of the wheel situated on the betting table, called the race track.