Master the Wheel: The Best Roulette Combination Bets
Best Roulette Combination Bets: What You Need to Know
- Single Number Bets: Also known as a straight-up bet, this is a wager on a single number. It has the highest payout but also the lowest probability of winning.
- Red or Black, Even or Odd, High or Low: These are even money bets, meaning you win the same amount as you bet. They’re bets on large groups of numbers and therefore offer higher chances of winning, although with smaller payouts.
- Dozens or Columns Bets: These bets cover 12 numbers at a time. If the ball lands on any number in the chosen dozen or column, you win.
- Split Bets: This involves betting on two numbers that are next to each other on the roulette table. It has higher odds than a straight-up bet but lower than an even money bet.
- Corner Bets: Also known as a square bet, this is a wager on a block of four numbers on the roulette table. It gives you reasonable payouts and decent probability of success.
Remember, each of these bets carry their own risk and reward and your choice should align with your risk tolerance and betting strategy.
It’s a rare roulette player who bets just one number at a time, or even makes just one multi-number wager per spin of the wheel.
Roulette players love to spread their chips over the layout, looking for that best roulette bet combination that will bring fun and profit.
But, is there a best roulette bet combination? Not really.
Regardless of whether you’re playing online roulette or in a brick-and-mortar casino, the math-based house edge is unchanging, no matter how many numbers you cover.
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What is a Roulette Combination Bet?
The best roulette combination bets are betting strategies where players place bets on multiple numbers or groups of numbers on the roulette table.
These combinations can increase the odds of winning, though they typically offer lower payouts compared to straight-up bets on single numbers.
The best roulette combination bet is part of various betting strategies in roulette, but they are not a strategy in and of themselves.
These combination bets are simply one of the ways players can spread their bets across multiple numbers or group of numbers, theoretically increasing their odds of winning (while often lowering the potential payout).
A roulette strategy typically involves a specific pattern of betting system of how and when to change your bets, often factoring in previous results, your overall bankroll, and specific goals for winnings.
Well-known roulette strategies include the Martingale, Fibonacci, and Labouchère systems, among others. We’ve covered these systems and the best roulette bets to make in our expert guide on roulette.
How Do Roulette Combination Bets Impact House Edge?
When the roulette wheel has a single number, the house edge is 2.7 percent. On wheels that have both 0 and 00, the house edge is 5.26 percent on all but the five-number combo of 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
That bet carries a whopping house edge of 7.89 percent. Smart players don’t make it.
Some casinos, notably online sites that promote “French roulette,” have special rules such as “en prison” that cut the house edge in half on bets with even money payoffs such as red or black, odd or even and 1-18 or 19-36.
There are several variations, but they enable you to recoup a lost wager or cut your loss in half when the ball lands on one of the zeroes.
How do The Best Roulette Bet Combinations Work?
Betting on multi-number combinations can’t change the house edge, but such wagers do reduce volatility. They lead to more frequent wins at the cost of smaller gains on each winning spin.
A single-number winner has the highest payout at at 35-1 odds. Bet $1 and if your number comes up, you win $35 and keep your $1 bet.
If instead you include the same number in an odd or even wager, winners pay even money. Bet $1 and if a number in the combination comes up, you win $1 and keep the $1 bet.
You win 18 times as often with the odd/even bet as with a single-number, but it’s all a wash in terms of the house edge.
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How Do Betting Combinations Impact a Single Number Wheel?
Let’s use a single-number wheel as an example. Such wheels are commonly available online and carry a lower house edge than double-zero wheels.
We’ll stick with single-zero numbers from here on, but keep in mind that if you play a double-zero game, the higher house edge applies.
On a single-zero wheel, a single-number bet would win an average of once per 37 spins. if you bet $1 per spin for 37 spins, you risk $37.
One win would bring $35 in winnings and you’d keep your $1 bet for that spin, giving you a total of $36. That leaves the house with $1 profit.
Divide $1 by the $37 you risked, then multiply by 100 to convert to percent, and you get the 2.7 percent house edge.
If you bet $1 per spin on odd or even instead, then per 37 spins you win 18 times. On each win, you make a $1 profit plus keep the $1 bet. So those 18 wins leave you with a total of $36.
That gives the house a $1 profit and a 2.7 percent edge, the same as if you were betting a single-number.
Single Number Bets Vs Multi Number Bets
You can’t change that edge, but you can change the circumstances. Do you want to take a shot at a big win, knowing you’ll lose far more often? Single-number bets do that.
Do you want to win more often, while accepting the profit per win is small? In-between solutions with bets of more than one but fewer than 18 numbers are readily available.
On any of the bets offered, if you win just once more than average per 37 spins, you turn a profit.
On single-number bets at $1 per spin, two wins in 37 spins will bring a profit of $35.
On 18-number bets, 19 wins instead of the average 18 will bring a profit of $1 per 37 spins.
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Do It Yourself Roulette Bet Combinations
You can make as many bets as you want on each spin, and most players spread chips around in the search for that illusive best roulette bet combination.
Betting The Two Dozens In Roulette
One simple way to cover 24 numbers is to bet two of the dozens, such as a $1 bet on 1-12 and another $1 bet on 25-36. Your risk per 37 spins on a single-zero wheel is $74.
Dozens bet pay 2-1 on winners, so if the ball lands in any of your numbers, you get a $2 payoff and keep the $1 bet on its dozen. You lose the $1 on the other dozen, but you have a $1 profit for the spin.
In an average 37 spins, you’d win $48 and keep $24 for the winning bets, leaving you with $72. The house would keep $2, giving the casino the same 2.7 percent edge as when you make one bet.
If you win once more often than average, the 25 wins will leave you with $75 for your $74, a $1 profit.
You win 24 times per 37 spins, so you win 65 percent of the time.
Increasing the Bet Size for Higher Returns
But combinations can be more complex. Imagine your bankroll can stretch to $10 per spin and you start with a $5 wager on black, then spread $5 around inside bet on the numbered layout.
You could choose to put $1 on the three-number street 7-8-9, $1 on the four-number corner 31-32-34-35, $1 each on the two-number splits 18-21 and 27-30 and round it out with $1 on the 0.
On the 7-8-9 street, 8 is black, and on the 31-32-34-35 corner, 31 and 35 are black. So on 8, 31 or 35, you’d win two bets with the bet on black plus the street or corner.
You cover red numbers 7 and 9 on the street, 32 and 34 on the corner, 18 and 21 on one split, 27 and 30 on the other, plus the green 0 on your single-number bet.
Overall, you cover all 18 black numbers, eight red numbers and the green 0. At $10 per spin for 37 spins, you’d risk $370.
How Would Increasing The Bet Size Impact Your Payout?
Here’s how the above roulette betting combination above would shake out, given average results.
- You’d win just the black bet 15 times. Each time, you’d win $5 and keep your $5 bet for a total of $10, meaning you break even on the spin.
- On black 31 and 35, you win the bet on black with its even money payoff, winning $5 and keeping $5. You also win the corner with its 8-1 payoff, winning $8 and keeping $1. So on each of those numbers, you win $13, keep $6 and have $19 total, a $9 profit for the spin.
- On black 8, you win on black and win the street with an 11-1 payoff. You win $5 on black, $11 on the street, keep the $5 bet on black and $1 on the street for a total of $22, a $12 spin profit.
- On red 32 and 34, you win the corner, winning $8 and keeping $1 for $9,but lose $1 overall for the spin.
- On red 18, 21, 27 or 30, you win the street, winning $11 and keeping $1, a $12 total for a $2 profit.
- On green 0, you win a 35-1 payoff and keep the $1 bet for $36, a $26 profit.
On average, you win or keep at total of $360 in an average 37 spin. As with all other combos we’ve seen, that’s a 2.7 percent house edge.
You can make a profit with just one more win than average, if it’s the right win. An extra 0 will make it a $26 profit for the session.
Extra wins on the streets, or the black numbers in the corner bet also will turn profits. But it takes two extra wins on the red corner numbers or the bet on black to make the sequence profitable.
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How do Betting Combinations Change Between American Roulette and European Roulette?
In American roulette, there are additional combination bets due to the presence of the double zero (00) on the wheel. Some of the best roulette combination bets in American roulette, which are not available in European roulette, include:
- Five-number bet: This bet includes the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. It has a higher house edge compared to other bets.
- Basket bet: This bet covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. It is similar to the five-number bet but excludes one number.
- Top line bet: This bet covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, similar to the basket bet.
In European roulette, since there is no double zero, these combination bets involving the double zero are not available. Players in European roulette can make fewer combination bets compared to American roulette.
Roulette Combination Bets: Increasing Your Win Frequency
Players love such combinations because they have a high win frequency while still leaving the possibility of large profits if the higher-paying bets win more than average.
But all combinations have one thing in common: Given time, they lead to a house profit of 2.7 percent on a single-zero game, and 5.26 percent should you play a double-zero wheel.
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