Are you looking for a timeless casino game that doesn’t take years to learn and master? Roulette is one of the most iconic and popular casino games in history. People all over the world flock to it daily. Originating in 18th-century France, roulette has been a fan favourite for generations.
Two big reasons why roulette is so popular are its simple gameplay and interesting dynamics. At its core, the concept is simple. Players pick a number and/or colour to bet on, and a croupier spins a large wheel and throws a ball onto it. The winning number is the one the ball lands on. Simple, right?
There are a few things that make roulette a bit more complex than it initially seems. The biggest factors are the house edge and odds of certain bets, which can reach almost astronomical heights. Whether you’re playing with an American wheel, a European wheel or a French wheel, there are numbers and positions to avoid.
What roulette bet is the worst in the world, and why should you avoid it? In this guide, we’ll break down the worst roulette bets and biggest mistakes you can make while playing.
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The five-number bet (American roulette)
The first bet we’ll look at is the five-number bet, exclusive to the American wheel. Also known as a ‘basket bet’, five-number bets cover five total numbers: zero, double zero, one, two and three. If the ball lands on any of them, players win a payout of 6:1.
With such a high payout and easy concept, the five-number bet seems like an easy pick. It is widely regarded as one of the worst bets in the game, however, with a house edge of 7.89%. The high house edge means that players are a lot less likely to win than they are with many other types of bets.
Experienced players avoid five-number bets in favour of wagers such as even-money bets and column bets. Don’t be fooled by the decent payout ratio! Looks can be deceiving, and you’re far more likely to lose money here than you are to win it.
Single-number bets with low payouts
Single-number bets in roulette are easy to understand, but less than lucrative to play. All you have to do is place a bet on a single number and cross your fingers! Your chances of winning this kind of bet are 2.7% on European wheels (one number in 37 total slots) and 2.63% in American roulette (one number in 38 total slots).
With such low odds, what makes single-number wagers popular picks? The answer here is simple: they’re easy to make, and the potential payout is huge at a 35:1 payout ratio. Single-number bets are a high-risk, high-reward wager for players who don’t mind putting their bankrolls at risk.
Single-number bets are largely avoided by experienced players in favour of bets with lower payouts, but better odds.
Combination bets with high risk
Combination bets in roulette consist of multiple types of wagers in a single turn. Think of bets that include multiple single numbers, four-number corners, or even an 18-number outside bet.
The reason why combination bets are popular among players is that they increase their chances of winning. Instead of covering a single number with a 2.7% chance of winning at best, combination bets allow them to bet on multiple numbers at once.
We don’t like combination bets because many of them offer low payouts for higher risks. Let’s say that you bet $1 per spin. If you bet on a single number on the European wheel, the odds that you’ll win are one out of 37. If you win, the payout is 35:1, or $35. If you wager on two numbers, your chances of winning are two out of 37, but the payout drops to 17:1, or $17. Betting on three numbers, such as a three-number row, drops the payout ratio even further to 11:1, for a total of $11.
Smart players use combination bets sparingly and with relatively low hopes of winning significant money.
Betting systems that don’t improve odds
Betting systems are popular in most casino games, with varying levels of success. Overall, as they don’t change the house edge or odds of a particular move, they don’t offer players much in the way of benefits.
Instead of expecting betting systems to improve your likelihood of winning, consider them as bankroll management systems – that’s what they’re most good for. A low-risk betting system can help you extend your funds for as long as possible so that you have more opportunities to bet. That is the only way they increase your odds of winning something.
Because they have a negligible impact on house edge and win odds, betting systems simply don’t have much impact on gameplay. Don’t use them expecting to win more often – that’s not how they work.
Long shots on multiple wheels or variants
We’ve discussed different roulette wheels a bit in this guide, but they are far from the only options. Roulette has a number of different variants and modified wheels designed to enhance gameplay.
One of the most popular of these is roulette multi-wheel games. As the name implies, this roulette variant allows players to bet on as many as eight wheels at the same time. This gives players more chances to win per round, but also an increased cost for lost bets.
Multi-wheel roulette games offer players a wider range of betting options than single-wheel traditional games, but make it much easier to burn through your bankroll in no time at all.
Common mistakes that turn good bets into bad ones
Now that you understand more about how specific bets affect your likelihood of winning, let’s discuss a couple of common mistakes outside of specific high-risk bets that can negatively impact your gameplay.
The first common mistake to avoid in roulette is betting before you understand the odds behind each type of wager. As you can see in this guide, each bet can vary widely in terms of payout and house edge. This directly affects the amount of money you stand to win as well as your likelihood of winning at all. The best roulette players take time before they play to understand the ins and outs of the wheel.
Next, don’t chase losses! Certain betting systems recommend increasing your bet after every loss with the belief that each loss makes it more likely that you’ll win an upcoming round. This is not true – you have the exact same likelihood of winning from one round to the next. Avoid burning through your funds chasing a win that might never arrive.
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