House Edge Double Zero Roulette

American double-zero wheels have the basic house edge of 5.26%, which means in the long run players are expected to hold 94.74 units of every 100 wagered units. Just for comparative purposes, the house edge on the European single-zero roulette is 2.70%, which leaves punters 97.30 units of all placed stakes. The house edge on a 00 roulette wheel is 5.26%. For every $1 million that's bet at the roulette tables in a casino, the management expects to pocket a profit of slightly more than $50,000.

The house edge (also known as house take, or house advantage) is the major source of income for casinos. In fact, establishments such as these have predetermined payout odds for every table game they offer in order to score profit from each bet placed by their visitors. In some cases the house edge may appear to be insignificant, but, this does not mean it does not have the potential to ”consume” the bankroll of a player bit by bit.

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As we already pointed out, players are able to choose from a variety of bets at the roulette table. With that many betting options available, there are people who doubt that the advantage of the house remains one and the same. This is especially valid for people, who have knowledge of games such as craps, where the edge of the house ranges between less than 1% and more than 16%. Therefore, people with little or no knowledge of roulette may require a more profound understanding of the way the house edge is estimated.

How to calculate the house advantage

Let us use the French roulette wheel as an example again. Despite that the wheel offers 37 possible winning numbers, a player will receive a payout of 35 to 1 for a bet on a single number. Or, for winning a bet of 1 unit the casino will pay him/her 35 units plus the initial bet. For a straight-up bet the probability of success is 1/37 (1 chance out of 37), but the player will receive 36 units, while the difference of 1 unit (37 minus 36) represents the house advantage. If we multiply the house edge by the probability of success and present the result as a percentage, we will come to the following:

1 x 1/37 = 0.0270270 x 100 = 2.70270 , or a rounded 2.70%.

Another way to come to this result is to multiply the difference between the actual odds for a loss and the house odds by the probability of success:

HOUSE EDGE = (Odds against Success – House Odds) x Probability of Success

If expressed as a percentage:

House Percentage = House Edge x 100.

Since

Odds against Success = Ways to Lose / Ways to Win

Single

and

Probability of Success = Ways to Win / Ways to Win + Ways to Lose,

for one straight-up bet the odds against success are 36:1 (36/1), the house odds are 35:1 (35/1) and the probability of success is 1/37. If we use these numbers in the House Edge formula above, we will come to the following:

House Edge = (36/1 – 35/1) x 1/37 = 1/1 x 1/37 = 1/37 = 0.0270270.

Therefore,

House Percentage = 0.0270270 x 100 = 2.70%

The same is valid for other inside bets. Let us take corner bets (four numbers), for example. In this case the odds against success are 33 to 4, the house odds are 8 to 1, while the probability of success is 4/37 (4 / 4 + 33). In order to place these numbers into the formula above and be able to subtract fractions, we need equal denominators. Right now we have 33/4 and 8/1. Therefore, we have to multiply the numerator and the denominator of the fraction expressing the house odds by 4/4. Or 8/1 x 4/4 = 32/4. This way we will come to the following:

33/4 – 32/4 x 4/37 = 1/4 x 4/37 = 1/37 = 0.0270270

The House Percentage is 0.0270270 x 100 = 2.70%

Understanding Roulette House Edge
Roulette Number Sequences
American Roulette
European Roulette
French Roulette
Classic Roulette Bets

As we can see, the edge of the house for a corner bet is exactly the same as that for a straight-up bet.

Someone may ask what the case with even-money outside bets will be. Let us bet 1 unit on black. There are 18 black numbers, which means we have 18 ways to be successful. Also, there are 18 red numbers and one green single zero, which means there are 19 ways to lose. So, the odds against success are 19 to 18 and we are aware that the house odds are 1 to 1. The probability of success is 18/37 (18 / 18 + 19). In order to place these numbers into the formula and be able to subtract fractions, we need equal denominators. Therefore, we have to multiply the numerator and the denominator of the fraction expressing the house odds by 18/18. Or 1/1 x 18/18 = 18/18. We will come to the following:

19/18 – 18/18 x 18/37 = 1/18 x 18/37 = 1/37 = 0.0270270

The House Percentage is 0.0270270 x 100 = 2.70%

Again we come to one and the same result.

The exception

The only exception is the sucker bet, which can solely be placed on the American roulette wheel. Since it is a bet on five numbers (00, 0, 1, 2, 3), the probability of success is 5/38. The house odds are 6/1 and the odds against success are 33/5. We have to multiply the numerator and the denominator of the fraction expressing the house odds by 5/5. Or 6/1 x 5/5 = 30/5. We will come to the following:

33/5 – 30/5 x 5/38 = 3/5 x 5/38 = 3/38 = 0.0789474

The House Percentage is 0.0789474 x 100 = 7.89%

Or, we can say ”Ouch! That hurts!”. The house edge, in this case, is even greater than with any other bet placed on the double-zero wheel (5.26%).

The bottom line is that a reasonable player will always abstain from making this bet!

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

BetPayoutEuropean Roulette Odds (Chance of Winning)European Roulette House EdgeAmerican Roulette Odds (Chance of Winning)American Roulette House Edge
Reds / Blacks (colour)1:148.65%2.7%47.37%5.26%
Evens / Odds1:148.65%2.7%47.37%5.26%
Lows / Highs (1-18 / 19-36)1:148.65%2.7%47.37%5.26%
Dozens2:132.43%2.7%31.58%5.26%
Columns2:132.43%2.7%31.58%5.26%
6 Numbers (6 line)5:116.22%2.7%15.79%5.26%
5 Numbers (top line)6:113.16%7.89%
4 Numbers (square)8:110.81%2.7%10.53%5.26%
3 Numbers (street)11:18.11%2.7%7.89%5.26%
2 Numbers (split)17:15.41%2.7%5.26%5.26%
1 Number (straight)35:12.70%2.7%2.63%5.26%
  • 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.

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.

Zero

(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

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

Double Zero Roulette Wheel Layout

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.

Double Zero Roulette Odds House Edge

Call Bets

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.

Payout For Double Zero Roulette

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.