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Roulette Then and Now

4 February 2025

By Frank Scoblete

There are three roulette games (as far as I know) currently being played in casinos, one of which is also a church staple – called the three-zero (0, 00, 000) wheel. It is the worst one to play and I recommend that you avoid the game as you would avoid, well, anything that you should avoid.

The house edge on the triple-zero wheel, which has 39 pockets, is a monstrous 7.69 percent! Again, avoid this game. The payment for a direct hit on a single number is 35-to-1.

The other two games come with better names and are in fact better games.

The best of them is the European/French single-zero wheel (0). On this wheel there are 37 pockets in which the ball can settle. These are numbered 1-36 along with that single 0.

The payment for a direct hit is also 35-to-1. The house edge is 2.70 percent, a reasonable edge for a casino game.

The most popular roulette game is the American double-zero wheel (0, 00). In this there are 38 pockets in which the ball can settle, numbered 1-36 along with those zeroes.

On three layouts for these games the zeroes appear at the top. They used to be called “casino numbers” because at first in the dark days of roulette invention some houses of Ladt Luck would have those zeroes be automatic losers. No one could bet on them.

That rapidly changed when the casino decided to short change the payouts on all numbers and the zeroes were now bettable. Short-changing just meant the value of the payout was less than the real value of the odds.

Here is how that goes: On the triple-zero wheel with 39 numbers the real value of a hit is 38-to-1. But the casino only pays 35-to-1. On the double-zero game with 38 numbers the real value is 37-to-1 but the casino only pays 35-to-1. On the single-zero game the real value is 36-to-1 and the casino pays out 35-to-1 on a winning number.

In short, this is how the casinos short change the winning players.

Roulette was created by Blaise Pascale, a theologian, philosopher, scientist, and mathematician. He stumbled on the game when he was trying to create a perpetual-motion machine in the 1600s.

Blaise, as have all others before and after him, pursued that perpetual motion machine with no good results other than creating a casino game which might just wind up being the casino version of perpetual motion.

The aristocracy of Pascal’s time period flocked to the game and (obviously) that made Blaise a very, very rich preacher. None of them (as far as we know) made any killings at the game.

Roulette has many betting options. You can bet a single number straight up or two or more numbers. You can bet series of numbers with just one bet.

You can bet even-money bets as well. These bets will pay even money ($1 for $1) but they are not 50-50 propositions. If they were 50-50 propositions, roulette would be an even game and the casino would have no edge at it. Sorry, not to be.

Roulette is probably the second or third most popular table game in the casino, behind blackjack and maybe craps. It has a rousing public that loves it and has kept it going all these centuries.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.


This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.

 
Frank Scoblete
Frank Scoblete is the #1 best-selling gaming author in AmericaFrank Scoblete is the #1 best selling gaming author in America. His newest books include Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines; Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker!; Beat Blackjack Now: The Easiest Way to Get the Edge; Casino Craps: Shoot to Win! and Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players.

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