This article is from a forthcoming book that will be published in the late summer/early fall of 2022.
As I write this book, I’m remembering last week when I went down to the Strip. Having become aware that roulette is one of the more popular games, perhaps the most popular table game, on the Strip now, I wanted to see what types of changes had taken place. Although I was aware that there were triple zero roulette tables, I was shocked at how many there were. I don’t know what’s going through the minds of the casino executives to think it’s a great idea to have triple zero roulette, but to me, it’s outrageous.
When I say triple zero roulette, I’m talking about a roulette wheel that has numbers 1 through 36, but in addition to a green zero and a double green zero, there is a triple green zero. What this means to the player is instead of a 5.26% casino advantage that a casino would normally have, this advantage jumps to an edge of 7.69%.
I beg you. I beseech you. Please do not play at these tables, it is a crime against the gambler and against the spirit of Las Vegas. This is simply too much of an edge, and they are being greedy. This same idea can be seen with blackjack, where they change the payoff to the player for blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5. Although more blatant than adding triple zero, it is still the same level of greed. The only thing we could do is boycott triple zero roulette. There are plenty of tables that are double zero on the Strip.
If enough people decide not to play these tables, then they will be forced to provide double zero tables. Of course, if this happens, casinos will be stuck with triple zero wheels and tables. Casinos could simply keep three triple zero roulette, but offer La Partage for those who are betting on even odds outcomes (in European roulette, La Partage is when you get back half your wager on even odds bets when a green zero comes up). This would reduce their advantage to below that of double zero roulette on even odds wagers, but they would still be cleaning up on the inside bets. Still, if the casinos had to replace their triple zero wheels, I’m not going to feel sorry for them; they lost money due to their overreach in pursuit of profit.
Maybe things will change in the future, but I think what upsets me the most, is the fact that roulette is so popular now, and as its popularity has risen, casinos are, in effect, charging you more. I would think that in a competitive market, they would give you a better deal. Maybe gamblers simply need to educate themselves more. So consider yourself educated. Don’t play triple zero roulette.
Thanks for reading
Matt