Roulette Table Winnings
“There was a dealer that was doing some active cheating mechanism on the roulette table at Horseshoe Casino. And there was a patron he was consistently cheating for. The allegations are they were past posting – adding chips to the winning numbers – doing other activities that gave them illegal winnings at a table game.”. Apr 03, 2020 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? There are 2 types of tables at roulette. American and European Roulette table do not play on the American table as they have 00 in addition that decrease your probability of winning. There are chances of 1/37 while playing European casino and 1/38 while playing American casinos. When a winning number and color is determined by the roulette wheel, the dealer will place a marker, also known as a dolly, on that winning number on the roulette table layout. When the dolly is on the table, no players may place bets, collect bets, or remove any bets from the table.
On This Page
Introduction
Double Ball Roulette plays like regular roulette, except with two balls. I first saw the game at the 2013 Global Gaming Expo and later at the Tropicana in Las Vegas on February 18, 2014. The Tropicana uses a double-zero wheel.
Later, in November, 2016, I noticed it at an Internet casino using Felt software. Felt uses a single-zero wheel.
You might wonder about how they keep the balls from hitting each other in a physical game. The game uses compressed air to shoot the two balls out of a tube almost simultaneously. They travel at the same speed so the second ball always trails the first one.
You might also wonder if the probability of the two balls landing in the same number is about the expected 1/38, assuming they the two outcomes were completely independent. At least I wondered this and annoyed the game maker with physics questions at the gaming show for much too long about it. He assured me that an independent lab did tens of thousands of spins and the probability of the two balls landing the same number is about the expected 1/38, assuming they two outcomes were completely independent.
The betting layout is mostly the same as standard roulette. With the inside bets, the player has two chances to win, but the pays are less. On the outside bets, both balls must win, but the pays are more. In addition the player may bet that both balls will land in any one number.
Rules
General Rules
- An ordinary single- or double-zero wheel is used.
- Most of the layout is the same as conventional roulette.
- Two balls are used.
- Both balls must be successful for 'outside' bets to win. For example, for a bet on Red win, both balls must land in a red number.
- Either ball must be successful for 'inside' bets to win. The player will win twice as much if both balls result in a successful outcome.
- For the 'Double Ball Jackpot' bet to win, both balls must land in the selected number.
- A remote-controlled button is given to a player to activate the air gun shooting the balls.
Available Bets
- Red, Black, Odd, Even, 1 to 18, 19 to 36 — Pays 3 to 1 if both balls land in the chosen 18 numbers.
- 1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12 — Pays 8 to 1 if both balls land in the chosen 12 numbers.
- 1 red, 1 black — Pays 1 to 1 if one ball lands in a red number and the other black.
- One Number — Pays 17 to 1 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 34 to 1 if both do.
- Two Number — Pays 8 to 1 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 16 to 1 if both do.
- Three Number — Pays 5 to 1 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 10 to 1 if both do.
- Four Number — Pays 3 to 1 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 6 to 1 if both do.
- Five Number — Pays 5 to 2 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 5 to 1 if both do.
- Six Number — Pays 2 to 1 if either ball lands in the chosen number, and 4 to 1 if both do.
- Double Ball Jackpot — Pays 1,200 to 1 if both balls land in the selected number.
Below are scans of the rack card. Click either image for a larger version.
Double-Zero Analysis
Outside Bets
The following tables show my analysis of the Outside bets on a double-zero wheel. For outside bets both balls must land in a winning number for the bet to win.
The next table shows my analysis of all bets with 18 winnings numbers, namely red, black, odd, even, low (1 to 18), and high (19 to 36).
All 18-Number Outside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3 | 324 | 0.224377 | 0.673130 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,120 | 0.775623 | -0.775623 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.102493 |
The next table shows my analysis of all bets with 12 winnings numbers, namely first, second, and third 12, and first, second, and third columns.
All 12-Number Outside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8 | 144 | 0.099723 | 0.797784 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,300 | 0.900277 | -0.900277 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.102493 |
The next table shows my analysis of all single-number bet on a double-zero wheel.
All Single-Number Outside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1200 | 1 | 0.000693 | 0.831025 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,443 | 0.999307 | -0.999307 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.168283 |
The next table shows my analysis of the red/black bet on a double-zero wheel. One ball must land in red and the other in black.
Red/Black Bet — Double-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 648 | 0.448753 | 0.448753 |
| Loss | -1 | 796 | 0.551247 | -0.551247 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.102493 |
Inside Bets
The following tables show my analysis of the Inside bets on a double-zero wheel. For inside bets only one ball must land in a winning number for the bet to pay. If both land in a winning number, the bet pays twice as much.
The next table shows my analysis of all one-number bets.
All 1-Number Inside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 34 | 1 | 0.000693 | 0.023546 |
| 1 | 17 | 74 | 0.051247 | 0.871191 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,369 | 0.948061 | -0.948061 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.053324 |
The next table shows my analysis of all two-number (split) bets.
All 2-Number Inside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 | 4 | 0.002770 | 0.044321 |
| 1 | 8 | 144 | 0.099723 | 0.797784 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,296 | 0.897507 | -0.897507 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.055402 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 3-number (street) bets.
All 3-Number Inside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10 | 9 | 0.006233 | 0.062327 |
| 1 | 5 | 210 | 0.145429 | 0.727147 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,225 | 0.848338 | -0.848338 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.058864 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 4-number (corner) bets.
All 4-Number Inside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | 16 | 0.011080 | 0.066482 |
| 1 | 3 | 272 | 0.188366 | 0.565097 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,156 | 0.800554 | -0.800554 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.168975 |
The next table shows my analysis of the 5-number bet (on 0,00,1,2, and 3).
5-Number Inside Bet — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 5 | 25 | 0.017313 | 0.086565 |
| 1 | 2.5 | 330 | 0.228532 | 0.571330 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,089 | 0.754155 | -0.754155 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.096260 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 6-number (double street) bets.
All 6-Number Inside Bets — Double-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 36 | 0.024931 | 0.099723 |
| 1 | 2 | 384 | 0.265928 | 0.531856 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,024 | 0.709141 | -0.709141 |
| Total | 1,444 | 1.000000 | -0.077562 |
Strategy
My advice in any game is to go for the bets with the highest expected return. In the case of a double-zero wheel, the best bet is the inside bets on one single number, at a house edge of 5.33%. The two- and three-number bets are not much worse at 5.54% and 5.89% respectively.
I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't say that the house edge in standard double-zero roulette is lower at 5.26%. However, this is only 0.07% lower than the single-number inside bet in Double Ball Roulette.
Single-Zero Analysis
Here are a couple screenshots of the single-zero Double Ball Roulette game by Felt Gaming. Click on either image for a larger version.
Outside Bets
The following tables show my analysis of the Outside bets on a single-zero wheel. For outside bets both balls must land in a winning number for the bet to win.
The next table shows my analysis of all bets with 18 winnings numbers, namely red, black, odd, even, low (1 to 18), and high (19 to 36).
All 18-Number Outside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 3 | 324 | 0.236669 | 0.710007 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,045 | 0.763331 | -0.763331 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.053324 |
Roulette Table Winnings Rules
The next table shows my analysis of all bets with 12 winnings numbers, namely first, second, and third 12, and first, second, and third columns.
All 12-Number Outside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8 | 144 | 0.105186 | 0.841490 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,225 | 0.894814 | -0.894814 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.053324 |
The next table shows my analysis of all single-number bet on a single-zero wheel.
All Single-Number Outside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1200 | 1 | 0.000730 | 0.876552 |
| Loss | -1 | 1,368 | 0.999270 | -0.999270 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.122717 |
The next table shows my analysis of the red/black bet on a single-zero wheel. One ball must land in red and the other in black.
Red/Black Bet — Single-Zero Wheel
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 648 | 0.473338 | 0.473338 |
| Loss | -1 | 721 | 0.526662 | -0.526662 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.053324 |
Inside Bets
The following tables show my analysis of the Inside bets on a single-zero wheel. For inside bets only one ball must land in a winning number for the bet to pay. If both land in a winning number, the bet pays twice as much.
The next table shows my analysis of all one-number bets.
All 1-Number Inside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 34 | 1 | 0.000730 | 0.024836 |
| 1 | 17 | 72 | 0.052593 | 0.894083 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,296 | 0.946676 | -0.946676 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.027757 |
The next table shows my analysis of all two-number (split) bets.
All 2-Number Inside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 | 4 | 0.002922 | 0.046749 |
| 1 | 8 | 140 | 0.102264 | 0.818115 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,225 | 0.894814 | -0.894814 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.029949 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 3-number (street) bets.
All 3-Number Inside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | 16 | 0.011687 | 0.070124 |
| 1 | 3 | 264 | 0.192841 | 0.578524 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,089 | 0.795471 | -0.795471 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.146822 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 4-number (corner) bets.
All 4-Number Inside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | 16 | 0.011687 | 0.070124 |
| 1 | 3 | 264 | 0.192841 | 0.578524 |
| 0 | -1 | 1,089 | 0.795471 | -0.795471 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.146822 |
The next table shows my analysis of all 6-number (single street) bets.
All 6-Number Inside Bets — Single-Zero Wheel
| Wins | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 4 | 36 | 0.026297 | 0.105186 |
| 1 | 2 | 372 | 0.271731 | 0.543462 |
| 0 | -1 | 961 | 0.701972 | -0.701972 |
| Total | 1,369 | 1.000000 | -0.053324 |
Strategy
As with any game of pure luck, all you can do for yourself is to make the bets with the lowest house edge. In this case it is the single-number inside bet, with a house edge of 2.78%. If that is too volatile for you, the double-number inside bet is not much higher at 2.99%
Internal Links
- Double Action Roulette — Similar game, but with one ball and two wheels.
External Links
- Double Ball Roulette — Site by the makers of the game.
- Wizard of Vegas — Discussion about Double Ball Roulette in my forum.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
For the most part, calculating roulette payouts is just a matter of multiplication. Each bet pays out at certain odds, and that determines what you multiply the bet by to get the payout. Also, as with most table games, the payouts are done on an X to Y basis, as opposed to an X for Y basis.
This post wants to cover roulette payouts in some degree of detail, though, including how much each bet pays off.
More importantly, I want to explain how the croupier is able to calculate payouts for roulette so quickly. Guess what? They have a system for that.
Payout Odds in Gambling
When you’re gambling on something, you get paid off using odds. Some games offer even odds, which means that if you bet $100, you win $100 when you win.
Most games, though, have various payouts for various kinds of bets.
The top jackpot on a video poker machine pays off at 800 for 1.
And that’s an important distinction. There’s a big difference between a payoff of 800 for 1 and a payoff of 800 to 1.
With table games like roulette, the payoffs are in the form of 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 35 to 1, etc.
This means that if you win the bet, you get to keep the amount you bet, and you get the winnings along with it.
If you bet $100 on a single number at the roulette table and win, you get a payoff of $3,500. But you also get to keep your $100.
With gambling machines, payouts are made on a “for” basis instead of a “to” basis. This means your winnings are traded for what you risked.
If you bet $5 on a slot machine and win a $10 payout, you don’t get your $5 back on top of that.
This is an important distinction you should make. Most gamblers don’t stick just with roulette, so if you’re going to play other games — and you probably will — you should understand how that works.
Specific Payouts in the Game of Roulette
In roulette, you have a huge variety of bets you can place. You bet on a single number. Or you can bet on two numbers — if either of those numbers come up, you win. Or you can bet on three numbers, and if any of those three numbers come up, you win.
The more likely it is for you to win, the lower the payout is.
A bet on black wins almost half the time. The payoff for that bet is only 1 to 1, or even money.
A bet on a single number pays off at 35 to 1, which is a big payoff, but it also only wins 1 out of every 38 spins on average.
The Difference Between the Odds of Winning and the Payout Odds
The casino makes its money from the difference between the odds of winning and the payout odds.
You know how you can express the payout on a bet as odds?
35 to 1 is an example of how you’d express a payoff on the single number bet.
The odds of winning can also be expressed in the same way.
On a standard American roulette wheel, you have 37 ways to lose a single number bet and only one way to win.
This means the odds of winning are 37 to 1.
Since the odds of winning are lower than the payoff for the bet, the casino makes a profit in the long run.
Once out of every 38 spins, they’ll pay off a single number bet, but they’ll only pay off 35 to 1 on that bet. The rest of the money goes into the casino’s pocket.
The casino deals in long-term averages, especially when it comes to roulette.
Roulette Bets and Their Payoffs
Here’s a list of bets you can make at the roulette table and how much each of them pays off.
The Outside Bets
These are the bets on the outside of the betting surface, and they’re the bets that pay off the most often. As a result, you win less with these bets.
Here are the outside bets you can make:
- Red(or Black) – You can bet on the color of the number, and the payout is even money — 1 to 1
- Even (or Odd) – You can bet that the number will be even or odd, and the payout is again even money — 1 to 1
- Low (or High) – You can bet that the number will be 1-18 (low) or 19-36 (high). The payout is even money on this one, too
- Columns – The numbers on the betting surface are organized into three columns. You can bet that the ball will land on one of the numbers in that column. The payoff, if you guess right, is 2 to 1
- Dozens – The numbers can be divided into 1st third (1-12), 2nd third (13-24), and 3rd third (25-36). If you guess right, you get a 2 to 1 payout
On all these outside bets, 0 and 00 count as losses. Those numbers are green, and they’re not considered even or odd, high or low.
The Inside Bets
These are the bets on the inside of the betting surface. They pay out better but have a bigger chance of losing.
Here are the inside bets you can make:
- Straight Up – This is a bet on a single number and pays off at 35 to 1
- Split – This is a bet on two numbers that are next to each other. It pays off at 17 to 1
- Street – This is a bet on three numbers, and it pays off at 11 to 1
- Corners – This is a bet on four numbers, and it pays off at 8 to 1
- The 5-Number Bet – You can only bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 if you want to bet on five numbers, and it pays off at 6 to 1. This is the only bet on the roulette table with a different house edge from the other bets — 7.89% (the other bets have a house edge of 5.26%)
- Line – This is a bet on six numbers and pays off at 5 to 1
All these bets would be a break-even proposition in the long run IF the wheel didn’t have a green 0 and a green 00.
How the Croupier Makes the Payouts So Quickly
The first thing the croupier does after the decision is to clear all the losing bets off the roulette table. Since he’s intimately familiar with the layout of the betting surface, this doesn’t take long at all.
Roulette Table Picture
Also, all the players at the roulette table have chips that are specifically colored so that they have the same color. You can’t use the roulette chips at the other table. This enables the croupier to tell your bet from someone else’s. It’s the color of the chips.
To calculate the payouts, you just multiply the bet by the payout odds.
If someone bet two chips on a single number and it won, you’d multiply 2 by 35 and get 70. That’s how many chips you’d give the player in winnings.
He doesn’t really have a magical system, either. He knows the payouts for the various bets, and he’s able to do the multiplication in his head. It’s easy multiplication, but even if it weren’t, he’d eventually just be able to memorize the correct payout relative to the number of chips bet.
Also, he doesn’t really think of the chips as money. They’re just betting units.
Can Any of This Information Help Me Win at Roulette?
Best Odds Of Winning Roulette
Naw.
Roulette’s a negative expectation game.
You might get lucky in the short run, but if you play long enough, the math behind the payouts will eventually reduce your bankroll to 0.
Conclusion
And that’s how to calculate roulette payouts. You just memorize which bets are possible and how much they pay off. Once you know that, calculating the payouts is just a matter of multiplication.
Croupiers are able to do it quickly because they do it all day every day.
I’m able to make change in my head because I worked for years on cash registers that didn’t calculate change. I know how to subtract from 100 without any effort at all.
Calculating roulette payouts is a similar skill.
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