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%. There are two types of Roulette, American and European. American roulette has 2 green spaces, the '0' and the '00'. European roulette only has one green '0'. The house advantage lies in the green. Return to player (RTP) can be seen as the opposite of house advantage. For example, if a slot machine is programmed with a house advantage of 8 percent, the average RTP will be 92%, meaning that over time the machine will keep about 8% of all money bet and will return 92% in the form of winnings and prizes to players over the life-time of the machine.
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Roulette House Edge
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Roulette house edge is what makes casinos their profit. It provides a predictable long-term advantage to the casino, or “house”, while offering the player the possibility of a large short-term payout. But on the flip side, it creates a long-term disadvantage to the player.
What Is The House Edge In Roulette?
The house edge (expected value) varies in roulette from 1.35% to 5.26% depending on the roulette wheel layout. French roulette, due to “half back” rule, has a house edge of 1.35%. European roulette, with its single zero slot, has a house edge of 2.70%. American roulette, with double zero slots, has the highest house edge of 5.26%.
Important: Roulette is in the mid-range for casino games when it comes to the house edge.
This article shows you how to apply the idea of house edge to your roulette casino game. You will see how this affects which roulette wheel to choose. After that I have outlined how bonuses and comps can reduce the casinos advantage plus I have also mentioned about roulette betting systems. Finally, you will find recommendations for the best online roulette casinos for US and international players.
Roulette House Edge – Choose The Right Roulette Wheel
There are three main types of roulette game
These is the American roulette wheel which has the extra double zero slot. The European roulette wheel which has single zero slot and French roulette wheel which has a special ‘half back’ rule when the ball lands in the zero slot.
Roulette House Advantage
Here are the base house edge advantages in percentage for each roulette game:
House Advantage American Roulette Wheel
- American Roulette House Edge: 5.26% due to double zero slots
- European Roulette House Edge: 2.7% due to single zero slot
- French Roulette House Edge: 1.35% due to half back rule (for even money bets only)
The Best House Edge In Roulette For The Casino
As you can see, the extra ‘double zero’ on the American roulette wheel makes an huge difference, almost doubling the casino house edge. All even money and 1/3rd bets lose when either zero is hit, which is a bigger disadvantage to players.
The Best House Edge In Roulette For The Player
Important: French roulette has the lowest house edge
This is due to an additional rule known as ‘La Partage Rule’. This returns half of the stake of even money bets when the zero slot is hit. This format is less common online. The very low house edge in this format means that many casinos exclude this game from bonus play-though requirements.
Roulette House Edge – Bonuses and Comps
You can significantly reduce the house edge with the smart use of bonuses and comp point schemes
The online roulette casino market is very competitive thus finding a casino that offers a generous roulette deposit bonus shouldn’t be a problem. There is no reason to stay with a casino that does not offer ongoing deals and promotions to keep your bankroll topped up and helping to lower the house advantage in roulette.
There are two things to look for when comparing how bonuses will help you to reduce casinos’ edge:
Know:The play-through or wager-through requirement. This shows you how many times you need to bet your bonus amount before the bonus cash can be withdrawn.
Understand:The percentage contribution that each game makes towards this play through. Typically, slots are 100%, many table games are 25% and Roulette is between 10% and 20%. French Roulette is often excluded all together.
How To Get the Edge – Roulette Betting Systems
People will try to sell you a betting systems that claim to be able to beat the house in roulette games.
You should understand that logically, there is no way a sequence of bets can beat a built-in advantage over the long term. These systems can help even out swings in the short-term. In the long run all users however confident and dismissive they might appear will go broke.
If you have any doubts, just compare the fact that casinos around the world welcome roulette ‘systems bettors’, at the same time as banning and prosecuting Blackjack card counters who find ways to get a tiny advantage over the house.
Roulette House Edge Calculator
As you have read above the roulette house edge for a casino does not change much as it is set for each type of the roulette wheel. The American double zero, the worst for the player, is 5.26%, the European single zero is 2.7%, and the French, the best for a roulette player, stands at 1.35%. You may find fancy sites offering roulette house edge calculators but they are just marketing tools which don’t offer any real benefits to the players.
Best Online Casinos For Roulette – Recommendations
Betfair Casino (For Worldwide Players)
Betfair is a huge online gambling brand that includes sports betting, poker, and a huge casino among their offerings.
They have 14 different roulette games to choose from, including live dealer, mobile and French wheels. This casino has a unique area of their site known as the ‘Zero Lounge’. Here you will find casino games with no house edge at all. The roulette game has no zero slot, meaning even money bets are true even money probability. This is a great way to enjoy the games, though you should note that bonuses can’t be cleared in this part of the site.
Check out our betfair review for more details.
Bovada Casino (For US Players)
This casino is exclusively open to US players.
They have both US and European Roulette wheel, including a mobile version of their European Roulette game. You’ll enjoy comps and a huge list of entertaining and profitable promotions at this casino – which will keep your bankroll nicely topped up. While the welcome bonus does exclude Roulette, this will clear quickly in many other games.
Introduction
The house edge is defined as the ratio of the average loss to the initial bet. In some games the beginning wager is not necessarily the ending wager. For example in blackjack, let it ride, and Caribbean stud poker, the player may increase their bet when the odds favor doing so. In these cases the additional money wagered is not figured into the denominator for the purpose of determining the house edge, thus increasing the measure of risk. For games like Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and Crazy 4 Poker, where there are two required initial wagers, the house edge is based on one of them only. House edge figures are based on optimal or near-optimal player strategy.
The table below shows the house edge of most popular casino games and bets.
Casino Game House Edge
| Game | Bet/Rules | House Edge | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | Banker | 1.06% | 0.93 |
| Player | 1.24% | 0.95 | |
| Tie | 14.36% | 2.64 | |
| Big Six | $1 | 11.11% | 0.99 |
| $2 | 16.67% | 1.34 | |
| $5 | 22.22% | 2.02 | |
| $10 | 18.52% | 2.88 | |
| $20 | 22.22% | 3.97 | |
| Joker/Logo | 24.07% | 5.35 | |
| Bonus Six | No insurance | 10.42% | 5.79 |
| With insurance | 23.83% | 6.51 | |
| Blackjacka | Liberal Vegas rules | 0.28% | 1.15 |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | 5.22% | 2.24 | |
| Casino War | Go to war on ties | 2.88% | 1.05 |
| Surrender on ties | 3.70% | 0.94 | |
| Bet on tie | 18.65% | 8.32 | |
| Catch a Wave | 0.50% | d | |
| Craps | Pass/Come | 1.41% | 1.00 |
| Don't pass/don't come | 1.36% | 0.99 | |
| Odds — 4 or 10 | 0.00% | 1.41 | |
| Odds — 5 or 9 | 0.00% | 1.22 | |
| Odds — 6 or 8 | 0.00% | 1.10 | |
| Field (2:1 on 12) | 5.56% | 1.08 | |
| Field (3:1 on 12) | 2.78% | 1.14 | |
| Any craps | 11.11% | 2.51 | |
| Big 6,8 | 9.09% | 1.00 | |
| Hard 4,10 | 11.11% | 2.51 | |
| Hard 6,8 | 9.09% | 2.87 | |
| Place 6,8 | 1.52% | 1.08 | |
| Place 5,9 | 4.00% | 1.18 | |
| Place 4,10 | 6.67% | 1.32 | |
| Place (to lose) 4,10 | 3.03% | 0.69 | |
| 2, 12, & all hard hops | 13.89% | 5.09 | |
| 3, 11, & all easy hops | 11.11% | 3.66 | |
| Any seven | 16.67% | 1.86 | |
| Crazy 4 Poker | Ante | 3.42%* | 3.13* |
| Double Down Stud | 2.67% | 2.97 | |
| Heads Up Hold 'Em | Blind pay table #1 (500-50-10-8-5) | 2.36% | 4.56 |
| Keno | 25%-29% | 1.30-46.04 | |
| Let it Ride | 3.51% | 5.17 | |
| Pai Gowc | 1.50% | 0.75 | |
| Pai Gow Pokerc | 1.46% | 0.75 | |
| Pick ’em Poker | 0% - 10% | 3.87 | |
| Red Dog | Six decks | 2.80% | 1.60 |
| Roulette | Single Zero | 2.70% | e |
| Double Zero | 5.26% | e | |
| Sic-Bo | 2.78%-33.33% | e | |
| Slot Machines | 2%-15%f | 8.74g | |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer hits soft 17 | 0.76% | d |
| Dealer stands on soft 17 | 0.40% | d | |
| Super Fun 21 | 0.94% | d | |
| Three Card Poker | Pairplus | 7.28% | 2.85 |
| Ante & play | 3.37% | 1.64 | |
| Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em | Ante | 2.19% | 4.94 |
| Video Poker | Jacks or Better (Full Pay) | 0.46% | 4.42 |
| Wild Hold ’em Fold ’em | 6.86% | d |
American Roulette House Advantage
Notes
| a | Liberal Vegas Strip rules: Dealer stands on soft 17, player may double on any two cards, player may double after splitting, resplit aces, late surrender. |
| b | Las Vegas single deck rules are dealer hits on soft 17, player may double on any two cards, player may not double after splitting, one card to split aces, no surrender. |
| c | Assuming player plays the house way, playing one on one against dealer, and half of bets made are as banker. |
| d | Yet to be determined. |
| e | Standard deviation depends on bet made. |
| f | Slot machine range is based on available returns from a major manufacturer |
| g | Slot machine standard deviation based on just one machine. While this can vary, the standard deviation on slot machines are very high. |
Guide to House Edge
The reason that the house edge is relative to the original wager, not the average wager, is that it makes it easier for the player to estimate how much they will lose. For example if a player knows the house edge in blackjack is 0.6% he can assume that for every $10 wager original wager he makes he will lose 6 cents on the average. Most players are not going to know how much their average wager will be in games like blackjack relative to the original wager, thus any statistic based on the average wager would be difficult to apply to real life questions.
The conventional definition can be helpful for players determine how much it will cost them to play, given the information they already know. However the statistic is very biased as a measure of risk. In Caribbean stud poker, for example, the house edge is 5.22%, which is close to that of double zero roulette at 5.26%. However the ratio of average money lost to average money wagered in Caribbean stud is only 2.56%. The player only looking at the house edge may be indifferent between roulette and Caribbean stud poker, based only the house edge. If one wants to compare one game against another I believe it is better to look at the ratio of money lost to money wagered, which would show Caribbean stud poker to be a much better gamble than roulette.
Many other sources do not count ties in the house edge calculation, especially for the Don’t Pass bet in craps and the banker and player bets in baccarat. The rationale is that if a bet isn’t resolved then it should be ignored. I personally opt to include ties although I respect the other definition.
Element of Risk
For purposes of comparing one game to another I would like to propose a different measurement of risk, which I call the 'element of risk.' This measurement is defined as the average loss divided by total money bet. For bets in which the initial bet is always the final bet there would be no difference between this statistic and the house edge. Bets in which there is a difference are listed below.
Element of Risk
| Game | Bet | House Edge | Element of Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackjack | Atlantic City rules | 0.43% | 0.38% |
| Bonus 6 | No insurance | 10.42% | 5.41% |
| Bonus 6 | With insurance | 23.83% | 6.42% |
| Caribbean Stud Poker | 5.22% | 2.56% | |
| Casino War | Go to war on ties | 2.88% | 2.68% |
| Crazy 4 Poker | Standard rules | 3.42%* | 1.09% |
| Heads Up Hold 'Em | Pay Table #1 (500-50-10-8-5) | 2.36% | 0.64% |
| Double Down Stud | 2.67% | 2.13% | |
| Let it Ride | 3.51% | 2.85% | |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer hits soft 17 | 0.76% | 0.65% |
| Spanish 21 | Dealer stands on soft 17 | 0.40% | 0.30% |
| Three Card Poker | Ante & play | 3.37% | 2.01% |
| Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em | 2.19%* | 0.53% | |
| Wild Hold ’em Fold ’em | 6.86% | 3.23% |
Standard Deviation
The standard deviation is a measure of how volatile your bankroll will be playing a given game. This statistic is commonly used to calculate the probability that the end result of a session of a defined number of bets will be within certain bounds.
House Advantage American Roulette Sites
The standard deviation of the final result over n bets is the product of the standard deviation for one bet (see table) and the square root of the number of initial bets made in the session. This assumes that all bets made are of equal size. The probability that the session outcome will be within one standard deviation is 68.26%. The probability that the session outcome will be within two standard deviations is 95.46%. The probability that the session outcome will be within three standard deviations is 99.74%. The following table shows the probability that a session outcome will come within various numbers of standard deviations.
I realize that this explanation may not make much sense to someone who is not well versed in the basics of statistics. If this is the case I would recommend enriching yourself with a good introductory statistics book.
Standard Deviation
| Number | Probability |
|---|---|
| 0.25 | 0.1974 |
| 0.50 | 0.3830 |
| 0.75 | 0.5468 |
| 1.00 | 0.6826 |
| 1.25 | 0.7888 |
| 1.50 | 0.8664 |
| 1.75 | 0.9198 |
| 2.00 | 0.9546 |
| 2.25 | 0.9756 |
| 2.50 | 0.9876 |
| 2.75 | 0.9940 |
| 3.00 | 0.9974 |
| 3.25 | 0.9988 |
| 3.50 | 0.9996 |
| 3.75 | 0.9998 |
House Advantage American Roulette Rules
Hold
Although I do not mention hold percentages on my site the term is worth defining because it comes up a lot. The hold percentage is the ratio of chips the casino keeps to the total chips sold. This is generally measured over an entire shift. For example if blackjack table x takes in $1000 in the drop box and of the $1000 in chips sold the table keeps $300 of them (players walked away with the other $700) then the game's hold is 30%. If every player loses their entire purchase of chips then the hold will be 100%. It is possible for the hold to exceed 100% if players carry to the table chips purchased at another table. A mathematician alone can not determine the hold because it depends on how long the player will sit at the table and the same money circulates back and forth. There is a lot of confusion between the house edge and hold, especially among casino personnel.
Hands per Hour, House Edge for Comp Purposes
The following table shows the average hands per hour and the house edge for comp purposes various games. The house edge figures are higher than those above, because the above figures assume optimal strategy, and those below reflect player errors and average type of bet made. This table was given to me anonymously by an executive with a major Strip casino and is used for rating players.
Hands per Hour and Average House Edge
| Games | Hands/Hour | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Blackjack | 70 | 0.75% |
| Big Six | 10 | 15.53% |
| Craps | 48 | 1.58% |
| Car. Stud | 50 | 1.46% |
| Let It Ride | 52 | 2.4% |
| Mini-Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Midi-Baccarat | 72 | 1.2% |
| Pai Gow | 30 | 1.65% |
| Pai Pow Poker | 34 | 1.96% |
| Roulette | 38 | 5.26% |
| Single 0 Roulette | 35 | 2.59% |
| Casino War | 65 | 2.87% |
| Spanish 21 | 75 | 2.2% |
| Sic Bo | 45 | 8% |
| 3 Way Action | 70 | 2.2% |
Footnotes
* — House edge based on Ante bet only as opposed to all mandatory wagers (for example the Blind in Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em and the Super Bonus in Crazy 4 Poker.
House Advantage American Roulette Games
Translation
A Spanish translation of this page is available at www.eldropbox.com.
Written by: Michael Shackleford