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The House Edge in Roulette
The house edge is a measure of how favorable or unfavorable a game is to play, expressed as a percentage. For example, a house edge of 3% means that you can expect to lose 3% of all the money you wager. If you wager a total of $100, you can expect to lose about $3. In roulette, the house edge is the same for every bet, except the particularly bad top-line bet. In other words, you can wager on virtually any bet on the layout and face the same house edge.
The House Edge for Different Roulette Bets
What can change the house edge is whether you’re playing at a double-zero or single-zero wheel and whether the en prison or half-back rules are in effect. Here’s the house edge for the various versions of roulette you’re likely to encounter:
Wheel Type and Bet |
Approximate House Edge |
|
Double zero (top line) |
7.89% |
|
Double zero (all bets except top line) |
5.26% |
|
Double zero (even money with half back) |
2.63% |
|
Single zero (no en prison or half back) |
2.70% |
|
Single zero (even money with en prison) |
1.39% |
|
Single zero (even money with half back) |
1.35% |
The House Edge in Roulette vs. in Other Casino Games
Here’s how the house edge for roulette stacks up to those of other common casino games. Note that a negative house edge means that you have the advantage.
Game |
Approximate House Edge |
|
Baccarat (banker) |
1.06% |
|
Blackjack (perfect play) |
0.50% |
|
Craps (pass line) |
1.41% |
|
Keno |
25% |
|
Roulette (double zero) |
5.26% |
|
Roulette (single zero) |
2.70% |
|
Roulette (single zero and en prison) |
1.39% |
|
Slots |
3–12% |
|
Video poker (perfect play) |
–0.7% to 5% |
Despite its relatively high house edge, roulette can still be a great game to play, as long as you keep in mind that playing roulette is primarily a form of entertainment and not a source of income. The amount you can expect to pay in terms of the house edge should be viewed as the price of entertainment for the amount of time you spend at the table.
| Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
