Triple Zero Roulette

1 June 2021

By Frank Scoblete

A reader wrote me to ask whether the rumor he had heard about a triple-zero (0, 00, 000) wheel was true. Sadly, the rumor is true. Yes, there is now a slow movement to get such a roulette wheel into American casinos. It might also be making inroads in other parts of the world as well.

But this wheel is not a new idea. No bad idea is.

Churches and other charities that hold “Vegas Nights” have been using such wheels for decades. These churches and charities have all sorts of games with house edges that are heavenly for them but not so heavenly for the players.

Indeed, some are hellish.

There are craps games where “place bets” pay even-money on wins and where you can’t take “odds” on pass line or come bets. In blackjack, a blackjack will pay even-money and on it goes with whatever games are offered.

Well, such games are for charity after all. Even players who win at these games will often feel compelled to fork over their wins to the churches and charities as well. That’s a good game if you are a church or charity.

Now to the house edges on the triple zero wheels:

The house edge for a normal double-zero (0, 00) American wheel is 5.26 percent. That means an expectation of losing $5.26 per $100 wagered. The house edge on the normal single-zero (0) European roulette wheel is 2.7 percent. That means an expectation of losing $2.70 per $100 wagered.

Of course, these expectations are over time. Some sessions you win; some you lose but if you play enough you will start to see those percentages (or close to those percentages) over time. That’s how the casino makes its money after all.

How do you get these percentages? That’s simple. The casino shortchanges the player in the payouts for a player’s win. The American wheel has 38 pockets and the odds of having the ball land in a pocket is 37 to one. However, the casino can make no money if it pays out the “fair odds” of the bet. Instead the casino will only pay 35 to one.

You could say that the casino taxes the player by two. So, you have 38 pockets divided into 2 which comes to 5.26 percent. On the European wheel which also pays 35 to one, the casino keeps one. But in this game, you divide 37 into 1 which gives you a 2.7 percent house edge.

The three-zero game (0, 00, 000) still pays back that 35 to 1. What does that do to the edge when the game now takes more of the players’ win? Start dividing and then ---

Hold your breath!

The European game will have a 5.26 percent edge and the American game now has a 7.69 percent edge. The good European game is now just like the current American game which means it is only so-so as opposed to good. The American game has become prohibitive with a house edge that is way too high to bother playing it.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, and at bookstores.