This post aims to be a complete guide to single zero roulette games. I thought it would make a nice companion piece to yesterday’s post about single deck blackjack.
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My goal is to explain what the game is, how the odds work, and why it’s better than double zero roulette.
Even if you’ve never played roulette before, after reading this post, you should be able to explain why next time you visit Las Vegas, you should seek out the single zero games.
I’ve also included a questions and answers section at the end of the post. If you write in with a question, I’ll update that section with your question and answer it.
You might also be interested in my post about slot machine odds and the house edge.
Let’s dive into one of my favorite casino games.
Table of Contents
What Is Single Zero Roulette?
The first question to answer here is the simplest one:
What is single zero roulette?
Roulette is a gambling game that uses a big, carefully engineered wheel that’s almost three feet in diameter. A roulette wheel, in fact, weighs almost 100 pounds. A standard American roulette wheel has 38 colored, numbered pockets. The numbers between 1 and 36 are red and black (half each), and the wheel also has a 0 and a 00, both of which are colored green. A single zero roulette wheel, though, only has a single green zero along with the numbers 1 through 16.
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The payouts for all the bets are the same, but the house edge and the odds change dramatically.
Why Is Single Zero Roulette Better than Double Zero?
It should be clear that I prefer the single zero version of the game to the double zero version.
But why is single zero roulette better than double zero?
It’s better because the house edge is significantly lower on the single zero game than the double zero game. In fact, in no other game in the casino is the house edge as easily understood than roulette. The zeros in roulette are the house edge made visible.
I explain that in detail in the next section.
Single Zero Roulette Odds, Payout, and House Edge
You can make a staggering variety of bets at the roulette table, and the odds of winning those bets vary drastically. The payouts for those bets vary, too.
The house edge, though, is the same on every bet you can place at a single zero roulette table.
Here’s how that works:
People usually express the probability of winning a bet in odds format. That probability is just a ratio of the number of ways you can lose versus the number of ways you can win.
Let’s use a bet on a single number as an example. The odds of winning that bet on a standard American roulette wheel are 37 to 1. You have 37 possible outcomes that will lose, and you only have one possible outcome that will win.
On a single zero roulette wheel, though, you only have 36 possible losing outcomes versus a single winning outcome, so the odds of winning are 36 to 1.
But there’s a difference between the odds of winning and the payout odds for the bet.
The payout odds describe how much you stand to win versus how much you stand to lose. On any roulette wheel, the payout odds for a single number bet are 35 to 1.
The difference between the payout odds and the odds of winning is the house edge. That’s the mathematical edge that the casino holds over the player. The house edge is usually represented as a percentage because you can think of it as the average amount of each bet that you’ll lose in the long run. And when I say “the long run,” I mean over the course of hundreds or thousands of spins.
On a standard American roulette wheel, the house edge is 5.26%.
On a single zero roulette wheel, the house edge is 2.70%.
Would you rather lose an average of $5.26 every time you bet $100, or would you rather lose an average of $2.70 every time you bet $100?
The difference in the house edge should make it clear why single zero roulette is better than double zero roulette.
How to Play
If you know how to play roulette, you know how to play single zero roulette. The game is no different. Here’s a quick guide on how to play single zero roulette:
To play, you sit down at the roulette table and exchange cash for chips. The table will have a minimum and maximum bet listed. The minimum bet is the minimum amount you must wager on any of the outside bets. It’s also the total amount you must wager on inside bets.
An outside bet, like a bet on red, at a $5 minimum table, must be for $5 or more.
An inside bet, though, can be as little as $1. You just need to make at least another $4 on inside bets.
Also, roulette uses different colored chips from the rest of the casino. Roulette players each get their own color chips so that the croupier knows which player to pay off at the end of each spin of the wheel.
When you buy in, the croupier will ask you what value you want your chips to be. At a $5 minimum table, you’ll usually get $1 chips so you can make inside bets and outside bets. If you’re planning to ONLY make outside bets, or if you’re betting for higher limits, you might opt to get $5 chips instead.
The action at the roulette table is relatively slow-paced compared to many other casino games. You can place bets when the wheel is spinning and even after the dealer lets go of the ball, but once the dealer announces, “No more bets,” you can no longer place wagers.
Also, keep in mind that you and other players can have chips on the same bet. You can even put your bet on top of one of your fellow gambler’s wager. The croupier can tell them apart because of their color.
When the ball lands on a number, the croupier pays off the bets.
And you have a wide variety of bets you can make.
The Bets (Outside and Inside) and Their Payouts
Roulette bets aren’t complicated, but it’s important that you put your chips down correctly. If your chip is in the wrong place, you might miss out on a payout.
Roulette payout odds are stated in “X TO Y” format. You’ll win X dollars for every Y dollars that you wager.
In other words, if you bet on a single number, the payout is 35 to 1. If you bet $10 on a single number, the payout is $350. You’ll also get back your $10 bet for a total of $360.
If you lose, you’re just out the $10 you had bet.
You can find a great illustrated guide to roulette bets and odds at my friend Greg’s site, or you can check out my quick overview below.
The Outside Bets
The outside bets are wagers you place on the outside of the 37 numbers listed on the table layout. These are bets on groups of numbers. No matter what kind of outside bet you make, it loses if the ball lands on the green zero.
Red and Black – This is just a bet that the ball will land on the color you’ve chosen. If you bet on red, and the ball lands on a red number, you win. If it lands on a black or green number, you lose. Bets on red and bets on black pay off at even money, or 1 to 1, odds.
Odd or Even – This is a bet that the ball will land on an odd number or on an even number. The zero is neither odd NOR even, by the way. This bet also pays off at even money.
Low or High – This is a bet that the number will be low (1 through 18) or high (19 through 36). The zero neither low NOR high. And, like the other bets described so far, this one pays off at even money.
Columns – The numbers on the layout are arranged in three columns with 12 numbers in each column. You can bet that the ball will land on a number in one of those three columns, and if you’re right, the bet pays off at 2 to 1 odds. The zero, of course, isn’t in any of the three columns.
Dozens – This bet resembles the high or low bets, but it’s a bet that the number will land in the first, second, or third dozen. In other words, you’re betting 1 through 12, 13 through 24, or 25 through 36. This bet also pays off at 2 to 1 odds.
The house edge on all the outside bets in single zero roulette is the same — 2.70%.
The Inside Bets
Inside bets are bets on specific numbers and/or groups of numbers. These bets are placed on the numbers on the inside of the betting surface. You can bet on anywhere from one number up to six numbers at a time with inside bets, as follows:
Straight Up Bet – This might be the easiest roulette bet to understand. It’s just a bet on a single number, and the payout is 35 to 1.
Split Bet – A split bet is a bet on two numbers at the same time; if the ball lands on either of the numbers you bet, you win 17 to 1. To place this bet, you put your chip on the line between the two numbers you’re betting.
Street Bet – A street bet is a bet on three numbers at the same time. It pays off at 11 to 1 if you hit any of the three numbers on that street. To place a street bet, you put your chip on the line outside that row of numbers on the table.
Corner Bet – A corner bet is a bet on four numbers at the same time. It pays off at 8 to 1. To place a corner bet, you put your chip on the intersection of the lines on the four numbers you’ve chosen.
Line Bet – A line bet is a bet on six number at the same time. It pays off at 5 to 1. To place this bet, you put your chip on the outside line of two rows.
How to Win (Single Zero Roulette Strategy)
If you want to know how to win single zero roulette, you should understand that this isn’t a game of strategy. It’s a game of chance, and the house has an edge. In the long run, you CAN’T beat the edge in roulette — regardless of which variety you play.
The math behind the game is simple. The odds of winning every bet is based on there being 37 numbers on the table, but the payouts would make roulette a break-even bet if you only had 36 numbers on the wheel.
It’s the zero that gives the house and edge at roulette.
The house edge is 2.70% no matter what decisions you make playing. No single roulette strategy can change that.
Finding a Roulette Game with Surrender
You can improve your odds by finding specific rules at some casinos. One of these rules is surrender, which used to be a common rule in Atlantic City casinos.
With surrender in effect, even money bets only lose half their money if the zero hits instead of their full amount. The surrender rule is VERY rare on single roulette games; it’s more common on American roulette games. If you can find an American roulette wheel with this variation in effect, the house edge on those even money bets drops to 2.63%.
Finding a roulette game with surrender isn’t really a way to win, though. You’ll just lose more slowly, and your odds of having a short term win are better.
Finding a Roulette Game with En Prison
The other rule to be aware of is the en prison rule. which is common on single zero roulette games in Europe. This resembles the surrender rule, but the casino handles it differently.
En prison still only applies to the even money bets, but when the ball lands on zero, you don’t lose half your bet. The bet is “imprisoned” until the next spin. The outcome of the next spin determines what happens.
If your original bet would have won, you get your bet back with no winnings. If it loses, you lose the bet.
This reduces the house edge to 1.35%. This still doesn’t make you a winner in the long run, but you’ll lose your money more slowly.
And you’ll still have better odds of winning in the short run than you would otherwise.
Using a Roulette System
Roulette systems are all equally worthless when it comes to beating roulette in the long run. The house edge doesn’t change when you raise and lower the sizes of your bets. Also, the roulette wheel has no memory, so it doesn’t matter what happened on the previous spin or the previous ten spins. The odds of winning on the next spin are the same.
The most common roulette system is the Martingale System, which basically involves doubling up your bet until you eventually win. The Martingale System has its uses, though. The best page on the internet about the Martingale System is on Michael Bluejay’s Vegas site.
He points out that even though it won’t win in the long run, it will increase your chances of winning in the short run. You’ll usually wind up with several small, profitable sessions that are balanced out with occasional larger losing sessions.
The Martingale in Detail
Here’s how the Martingale System works:
You place an outside bet. If you win, great. You start over.
If you lose, you double the size of your last bet on your next bet. If you win, you’re up a single betting unit.
And, if you lose again, you double the size of your bet again. You keep doubling your bet as long as you keep losing.
The flaw in the Martingale System is that it underestimates how likely a long losing streak is. Eventually you’ll run into a bet you can’t place because you can’t afford it. Even if you have a big bankroll, you’ll eventually run into a bet that’s so big you won’t be able to make it because of the betting limits at the table.
Let’s look at an example.
You’re playing at a table with a $5 minimum and a $500 maximum bet.
How many bets must you lose in a row before hitting the table max?
- $5
- $10
- $20
- $40
- $80
- $160
- $320
- $640
You only have to lose seven times in a row to be forced into a position where you can’t place your next bet.
I like the Martingale and think it’s fun, but it’s not an advantage strategy.
The Best Single Zero Roulette Casinos in Las Vegas
Wizard of Vegas offers rules surveys for various casino games in Las Vegas, including roulette. On their roulette page, they list the following information for a staggering list of casinos:
- The number of roulette tables
- The minimum and maximum bets
- Which rules are in place
- Do they offer video roulette
For our purposes, we want to find casinos offering single zero roulette. The other thing we like to see is a wide betting range between the minimum and maximum bets because that makes the Martingale a better strategy.
Aria, for example, has a single zero roulette table with a minimum bet of $50 and a maximum bet of $1000. I’m a low roller, and I think most of my readers are, too. So it’s not the best single zero roulette casino in Las Vegas. In fact, the betting range isn’t so great, either. Bellagio offers the same roulette conditions.
The MGM Grand, though, offers single zero roulette with a minimum bet of $25 and a maximum bet of $1000. That’s a lot more like it. In fact, the MGM Grand is far and away the best single zero roulette casino in Las Vegas.
Keep this in mind, though:
Surveys of Las Vegas casino games and rules are often outdated as soon as they’re published. So, look for good deals on roulette regardless of where you’re staying.
Which Online Casinos Offer Single Zero Roulette?
Of course, a lot of my readers are interested in playing roulette online. Which online casinos offer single zero roulette?
The truth is that almost all online casinos offer single zero roulette games. They offer them right along with the double zero games.
I’ve always thought that the online casinos’ willingness to offer the single zero games right next to the inferior double zero games was just a means of preying on uninformed gamblers.
Luckily, since you read this site, you don’t have to worry about falling into that category.
Questions and Answers
Here are questions and answers about single zero roulette. Write in with your questions, and I’ll expand this section.
What Are the Payouts on a Single Zero in Roulette?
The payouts on a single zero in roulette are the same as a bet on any other straight bet — 35 to 1.
A bet on the single zero is just a bet on a single number, so it has the same payout.
Which Casinos Have Single Zero Roulette?
Most casinos don’t have single zero roulette. In Las Vegas, the following casinos have single zero roulette, though:
The lowest betting limit on the single zero casinos in Vegas are at MGM Grand, which still has a $25 minimum bet.
Conclusion
I think I’ve covered the rules, odds, and payouts for single zero roulette as anyone could expect in a single post.
But if I’ve left something out or need to include something else, please let me know in the comments.
My goal is to continue to improve this post.
As usual, I owe you a huge debt to Andrew Brisman and his book Winning Ways: American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling a huge debt, as I used it to research a lot of the content in this post.
John Hresx says
There shoud be more single zero roulette wheels in the U.S. Many european visiting tourists would be enticed to play this kind of table game because in Europe that is a better playable game that they have all over Europe and other countries. A double and now triple zero installed roulette tables shun away most sensible game players from such places. In the mind of a player, a single zero game gives them a considerable psycological better chance to win with this psydo logic possibility. Too many casinos are missing out on getting more potential players into their casino doors, if this single 0 offer. doesn’t exist. Roulette cannot be beaten mathematically, but the wheel doesn’t know that. The physical outcome looks close to math odds in the long run of many rolls, but the actual result due to physical scrambled ball drops in spaces, shows otherwise with some remarkable bias winning numbers, and other colder ones, leaving a kind of imbalance.
Systems of pile on random guessing all over the play board will never work, as well as average systems. All people play that way and it is foolish. One must follow the time rythym of the physical outcomes of streaking numbers for a possible better winning method through longer run betting. Strategic bets on certain straight up bets on comming numbers streaking, makes sense. Is this actually provable? Lets just call it “LUCKAMATICS”. Murphy’s law!