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by John Grochowski
Yep, the triple zero roulette table layout adds yet another green zero segment, with a triple zero on it, to the table. Naturally, this makes your odds of winning in the long run even worse than the double zero option in American Roulette. At first, triple zero tables were added, so the extra juice could go to some casino charity or other.
Casino games don’t stand still, not even games that are more than 200 years old. There are tweaks and changes as operators strive to make the games more profitable.
That can mean making the games more attractive so more people play. It also can mean raising the house edge and hoping that doesn’t drive off players.
The latter course has been set by casinos trying out triple zero roulette. Instead of one green space with a 0, or two with a 0 and a 00, there are three with a 0, 00 and 000.
Sometimes the 000 space is filled with a logo instead, but the effect is the same. It expands the wheel to 39 spaces, winners are still paid at odds that would be true for 36 spaces, and the extra space increases the house edge.
Instead of the usual 2.7 percent at a single-zero wheel or 5.26 percent on most bets at a double-zero wheel, the house edge jumps to 7.69 percent with three zeroes.
Where did Triple Zero Roulette Originate?
Triple zero roulette first popped up on the Las Vegas at the Venetian in the fall of 2016. There, it’s called Sands Roulette and instead of a 000, a Sands logo is used. That’s the only connection to the old Sands hotel and casino, which once stood on the Venetian site. This isn’t any nostalgic old game, it’s just a higher-edge version of an old one.
A triple zero roulette game at the New York New York casino in Las Vegas
Since then, the game has popped up at other Strip locations, including Excalibur, New York New York, Harrah’s, Luxor and more. Triple zero roulette has made its way to downtown Las Vegas at the Golden Nugget and Four Queens, and also has been spotted at locals casinos including Green Valley Ranch and the Palms.
Calculating the House Edge in Roulette
Calculating the house edge isn’t difficult. In an average 39 single-number bets in which each number turned up once, a winner would bring a 35-to-1 payoff in which the bettor gets 35 units in winnings and keeps his one-unit bet. That leaves 36 units on the player side of the table, and the house keeps three units for the sequence.
Divide the house’s three-unit profit by 39 units risked, and you get 0.0769. Multiply by 100 to convert to percent, and the house edge is 7.69 percent.
To go into more detail, think about the situation on bets with even-money payoffs such as red or black, odd or even, or 1-18 and 19-36.
All of the “outside” bets in roulette pay even money (1-to-1)
Imagine you bet $1 on red for each spin in a 39-spin sequence in which each number came up once. Your total risk would be $39.
On the 0, 00 and 000 (or Sands logo or other special logo), you’d lose your $1. You’d also lose your bets on the 18 black numbers.
The 18 red numbers each bring $1 in winnings and you get to keep your $1 wagers. So you win $18 and keep $18 for a total of $36.
That $36 on your side of the table means the house has kept $3, and as we’ve already seen above, $3 in house profit divided by $39 in wagers, then multiplied by 100 to convert to percent, yields a 7.69 percent house edge.
A triple zero roulette wheel at the New York New York casino in Las Vegas
You could do that exercise for every available wager, and the answer would be the same. Regardless of whether you’re betting 12-number columns, four-number corners, two-number splits or any other available bet at a triple-zero table, the house edge is 7.69 percent.
How Does the Triple Zero Roulette Advantage Compare to Double Zero Roulette?
How does that compare to double-zero roulette, the most common roulette configuration in American casinos?
Let’s try the same exercise with even-money bets at a double-zero wheel.
There are 38 numbers instead of 39, so your risk is $38 at $1 a spin in a sequence in which every number turns up once.
Bets on red and you will lose on the two zeroes and on the black numbers. On each of the 18 red numbers, you win $1 and keep your $1 bet.
A triple zero roulette table layout at the New York New York casino in Las Vegas
Again that leaves you with $36 at the end of the sequence. Since your risk was $38, that gives the house a $2 profit.
The $2 house profit divided by the $38 risk, multiplied by 100 yields a 5.26 percent house edge.
That’s how it is for every bet on a double-zero wheel. The house edge is 5.26 percent on all but the five-number basket of 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, where the edge is 7.89 percent.
If we ran the same exercise for single-zero wheels, we’d find all bets with a house edge of 2.7 percent.
A single-zero roulette game at the famed Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco
Edges can be trimmed by special rules such as the European en prison or the Atlantic City half back rule when even-money bets run up against a zero. But basic house edges are 2.7 percent for a single-zero wheel, 5.26 percent for double-zero and 7.69 percent on triple-zero games.
If a fourth zero was added, the house edge would rise to 10 percent, and would continue to rise as more zeros or logos were added.
As long as payoffs remain at true odds for 36 numbers, each space added to roulette wheels will increase the house edge. The player’s best defense is to seek out wheels with fewer zeroes.
John Grochowski has been covering casinos and casino games for nearly 40 years. He is the author of six books
and his work appears in newspapers, magazines and websites around the world.
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Triple zero roulette has been introduced at two casinos in Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and New York-New York.
Venetian got the first triple zero roulette table (two, actually) on The Strip back in Oct. 2016, and it seemed inevitable the much-reviled game would proliferate.
That it has.
Here’s a look at the triple zero roulette table at Planet Hollywood.
On the bright side, one of the “fun facts” about roulette stays the same: The numbers on a roulette table add up to 666.
“What is triple zero roulette?” you ask.
Well, a typical roulette table in U.S. casinos has two zeros.
On a table with two zeros, the house edge is 5.26%. That’s one of the highest house advantages in the casino.
On a triple zero roulette table, the house edge jumps up to 7.69%.
See, that’s what makes a much-reviled game so reviled.
Given the odds are worse on a triple zero table, why would people play it? You ask great questions!
Typically, the minimum bet on a triple zero roulette table is lower than on a double zero table.
Triple 0 Roulette
Yes, there are some single zero tables in Las Vegas casinos, but they tend to be reserved for big spenders. An exception is the single zero table at Cromwell. There’s a premium to be paid for the better odds, of course. The minimum bet at Cromwell is $25.
The house edge in a single zero roulette game is 2.7%. You go, Cromwell.
How did we know more triple zero games would make their way to Las Vegas casinos? Another excellent question!
We knew because players at Venetian’s triple zero roulette table (see below) didn’t care at all about the less favorable odds.
Triple zero roulette tables are often packed when double zero tables are empty.
It was the same at Planet Hollywood during our visit.
Planet Hollywood has eight roulette tables. Seven have a $15 minimum, one has a $10 minimum. The lower table minimum is more than enough to entice recreational gamblers, and casinos couldn’t be happier about it.
Before you start calling triple zero roulette players stupid, consider this: They’re not gambling to make money. They’re playing to have fun.
And here’s a confession: We had fun playing triple zero roulette at Planet Hollywood, too. And we won money to boot.
We even made money on one of the bets you’ll only find at a triple zero roulette table. It’s a bet on any of the zeros, and it pays 11-to-1.
Big thanks to Planet Hollywood for not asking security to Taser us for taking photos.
Oh, and while we’re at it, here’s another counter-intuitive fact about triple zero roulette: It can actually make your money last longer.
It’s true!
Despite disadvantageous odds, the lower table minimum at triple zero roulette means a typical player (assuming they make the minimum bet) will lose less over time than someone betting more at a double zero roulette table.
That’ll teach you to be less judgy.
So, no, not everything is ruined. But that doesn’t mean we have to like triple zero roulette.
Triple zero roulette is a symbol of an evolution taking place in Las Vegas casinos. As gambling revenue declines, casinos have to find new and clever ways of bolstering their bottom lines.
If guests play games with a higher house edge, casinos will continue to find ways to raise them even higher.
The irony, of course, is gambling revenue is declining because the perceived value of gambling has declined. Casinos tighten their slots, so players play slots less. Casinos change 3-to-2 blackjack games to 6-to-5, so fewer play the game. It’s a vicious cycle.
Triple Zero Roulette Layout
Our strategy is to play the games where we have the most fun. That way, we can spend our time being entertained rather than doing math.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you care about the number of zeros on your roulette table?
Thanks to our friends at the You Can Bet on That podcast for alerting us to the triple zero roulette table at Planet Hollywood.
Triple Zero Roulette Payouts
Updated (4/26/18): Park MGM has also introduced triple zero roulette.
Triple Zero Roulette Wheel
Updated (4/13/19): Since this story, a number of Las Vegas casinos have introduced triple zero roulette. Las Vegas casinos with triple zero roulette:
- Venetian and Palazzo
- Planet Hollywood
- Circus Circus
- Golden Nugget
- Park MGM
- New York-New York
- Harrah’s Las Vegas
- Luxor
- Wynn Las Vegas
- Linq
- Binion’s
- Four Queens
- Aria Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace
- Green Valley Ranch
- Palms