Roulette Odds and the House Edge
To know your odds in roulette, you must first understand the term “house edge”:
House Edge is a built-in mathematical advantage the casino has over the player in a game. Think of it as the amount of profit the casino earns – a percentage of a player’s original bet.
House edge varies by game and by bet. In American roulette it’s 5.26% averaged across all bets – relatively high compared with other games. This is because American roulette does not pay out bets according to roulette’s “true odds”. For example, a single number bet’s true odds are 37 to 1 because there are 38 pockets on the wheel – including 0 and 00. But that bet only pays out 35 to 1. That difference, caused by the 0 and 00, is where the house gets its significant edge.
With roulette’s higher house edge, the longer you play the less likely you are to walk away a winner. Anyone can win, but it’s not a good strategy to try to chase back the money you’ve lost because it will likely lead to further losses.
Roulette Odds vs. Other Games
Roulette Odds vs. Other Games
To understand roulette’s odds compared with other games, it helps to look at the house edge for each:
- American roulette’s house edge is 5.26%
- Baccarat’s house edge is 1.06%
- And Blackjack’s house edge is only 0.50%
In general, the higher the house edge, the more you can expect to lose.
American roulette favours the house more than other games, so be mindful of your budget as you try your luck to beat the odds.
