House Advantage Roulette

The winning probabilities in European and American roulette are different since the latter has an additional green number, commonly referred to as double zero-00, whereas European roulette doesn’t have this option.

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• House Advantage Roulette
• House Advantage Roulette

Hence, the presence of this extra green number slightly decreases the chances of hitting other specific integers or sets that are in play, whether the gamer makes only one spin or multiple rotations.

1. Roulette is intrinsically fair, with a slight advantage given to the house (the casinos). This advantage is known as the house advantage. Peter Olofsson, author of. Probabilities: The Little Numbers That Rule Our Lives, describes the house advantage as, “the expected percentage that the house gains” (Olofsson, 180).
2. House edge or house advantage is the amount the player loses for any bet made, on average. If a player bets on a single number of the roulette, there is a probability of 1⁄37 that the player wins 35 times the bet and a 36⁄37 chance that the player loses his bet (European Roulette).

In terms of house edge, the American roulette is estimated to have 5.26%, whereas its European counterpart has an average of 2.70%. The American version’s house edge is almost twice that of European roulette, all thanks to the extra 00 number.

Advantage Roulette' strategy can overcome the house odds of either American (double-zero) roulette wheels or European wheels (single-zero) which offer better odds. And, I have lots of data to back up my statement that roulette can be beaten. If you are looking for a way to beat the game, there are many books written about roulette.

Nevertheless, the bets and payouts present in each game are quite the same. For instance, 1 to 1 is for a red/black wager, whereas 35 to 1 represents a straight number bet. Moreover, if you observe keenly, you’ll notice that the additional 00 number in American roulette hasn’t just been fixed into an existing European roulette wheel design. The order of numbers represented in each wheel is also completely different.

American roulette

This version of the game has a wheel with a zero, double-zero and 36 standard numbers. Therefore, each player has 38 possible spaces whereby the ball can land. Meaning that when you place a bet on any particular number, there’s a 1/38 probability of winning. The chances of seeing the same color emerge on successive spins reduces by half from one spin to another.

Additionally, in American roulette you’ll realize that it’s less likely to see a single color appearing on several spins in a row, compared to the European version. This isn’t because the former is more ‘favorable’ and distributes red/black colors evenly, but rather there’s an extra green number of 00 which increases the likelihood of disrupting any flow of successive similar-color spins.

Unlike its European counterpart, the American roulette has a ‘five number bet’ that’s only unique to itself. These integers are 1, 2, 3, 0 and 00, they cannot be placed on a typical European table. However, this is a good thing since the house-edge found in this type of bet is higher than other bets with remarkable house edge ratio of up to 7.89%. It’s also the only wager in roulette that permanently holds a different house-edge compared to other possible bets on the table.

The only other roulette stakes that may carry a different house edge are ‘Even Money Bets’, these are common in European tables that make use of the ‘en prison’ or ‘la partage’ rule. If any of the two rules is effected, then house edge is reduced by half from 2.70% to 1.35%.

European roulette

Since European roulette has no ’00’ hole, players generally enjoy a greater chance of winning. For instance, for every $1 that’s bet on European Roulette you can expect to win back 97.37 cents with time. Whereas in the American version this figure is much lower at only 94.74 cents.

Furthermore, some casinos offer participants the option of using ‘en prison’ policy on their European wagering tables. This rule only applies to the European roulette but not the American edition. The ‘en prison’ rule allows you to spin another wheel for an opportunity to win, especially if you placed an even cash bet such as red or black but the results turned out to be 0.

Additionally, European roulette has ‘call bets’ option which is a form of ‘predetermined or announced’ bets covering specific parts of the roulette wheel. For instance, ‘voisins du zero’ represents a call bet that encompasses 17 numbers adjacent to the green 0. There are many other similar wagers to this one that can be played using the racetrack, which is available at certain designated roulette tables.

Also known as roulette odds, house edge is the percentage ratio of advantage that the casino has over its players. You can determine the house edge of a roulette game by dividing the total number of zeroes present on a wheel by number of pockets presented. That’s particularly true for standard roulette tables that pay out winnings at odds, like those that would have otherwise been fairer if the spin-wheel only contained 36 numbers without the zeroes.

In conclusion, the American roulette has a house-edge average of 2/38 whereas its European counterpart has 1/37. While there’s no specific formula that can be used to increase your chances of winning in roulette, looking deep into the odds of a game is the best way to understand what it really entails. Both of these two versions of roulette have their own unique house-edge values that some people may find attractive, solely based on their playing technique.

It appears all bets are off when it comes to casinos coming up with clever ways to increase profits. Venetian Las Vegas recently introduced Sands Roulette, a game almost identical to traditional roulette, but with an insidious twist, a triple zero.

Most roulette tables in the U.S. have a zero and double zero. Those games have a house advantage of 5.2%. Not the worst game in a casino, but fairly hefty when compared to games like blackjack and baccarat.

Occasionally, you can find a European roulette table, with just a zero, and the house edge
dips down to 2.7%. In Las Vegas, those tables tend to be reserved for high rollers.

Sands Roulette at Venetian, with 0-00-000, means there are more ways for a player to lose,
and the house advantage jumps up to 7.7%.

We’d love to show you a photo of the Sands Roulette table layout, but photography is
strictly forbidden at live tables in the Venetian. Therefore, we aren’t able to share the
photo below.

Sadly, this isn’t Photoshopped. It actually exists.

Yes, the bean counters are at it again.

While a 2.5% increase in the house edge may not seem like a lot at first glance, it
amounts to a huge windfall for the casino over the course of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of spins.

The frustrating part about this particular revenue enhancement strategy is it’s
implemented in a way that seems underhanded. You won’t see a triple zero on the table, but
rather the triple zero is represented with an “S” and the Sands logo. The Venetian is owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Sands Roulette intentionally takes advantage of less experienced players. One Venetian
staffer even said, aloud, “Tourists and conventioneers don’t really care.”

That opinion seemed to be confirmed by the fact the Sands Roulette table (there’s only one
in the casino at this point) was packed during our visit.

That same floor person admitted, “We try new table games for 90 days and evaluate the
results. If it tanks, it’ll go away.” Good to know, although much like 6-to-5 blackjack
(for many years, the game payed 3-to-2), sometimes such “innovations” never go away.

The Venetian staffer followed up with something rather ominous. He said, “If it increases
the drop, they’ll probably try adding another space.”

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We’ll let that particular brand of WTF sink in for a moment.

Sorry, we can’t show you this photo, either. Our hands are tied!

That’s right. Not only is the Venetian exploring new ways to stick it to us, they’re open to upping the ante. Let’s do this until we see what the pain point is, they seem to be saying.

Deep breaths.

Look, we don’t begrudge casinos the ability to increase profits. They’re doing it with paid parking and reduced liquor pour sizes and comp drink monitoring systems.

But is it too much to ask to not muck with a timeless, iconic casino table game? Seriously, WWJBS? (What would James Bond say?)

As mentioned, there’s currently only one triple zero table at Venetian, and we’re not
aware of any others in Las Vegas. It would surprise no one if triple zero games started
popping up at competing casinos in the very near future.

The Sands Roulette table had a $10 minimum, while all the other roulette tables had a $15 limit. One could make the argument the triple zero is a “surcharge” for the “lower” table minimum. Or not.

Will the average Las Vegas visitor realize they’re being dinged when they play the triple
zero Sands Roulette? Will knowing about it keep them from playing? We suspect not. Recreational gamblers don’t obsess over things like odds. These are the same folks playing the Big Six wheel, with one of the biggest house edges in a casino (as much as 24%, the mind reels).

Taken alone, Sands Roulette’s triple zero at Venetian Las Vegas isn’t the end of the world. But it does feel like another symbol of how casinos seem to be jeopardizing long-term trust and loyalty for short-term gain. With each new fee or detrimental change to a game, casinos run the risk of damaging the public perception of Las Vegas as a value-driven destination.

House Advantage Roulette

Ultimately, we decide what games succeed or fail. So, choose wisely.

Updated (4/13/19): Since this story, a number of Las Vegas casinos have introduced triple zero roulette. Here’s a complete list of the Las Vegas casinos with triple zero roulette:

House Advantage Roulette

• Venetian and Palazzo
• Planet Hollywood
• Circus Circus
• Golden Nugget
• Park MGM
• New York-New York
• Harrah’s Las Vegas
• Luxor
• Wynn Las Vegas
• Linq
• Binion’s
• Four Queens
• Aria Las Vegas
• Caesars Palace
• Green Valley Ranch
• Palms