There is a clear divide when it comes to casinos. There are the seasoned gamblers who feel at home indulging in banter with the bartenders and being acknowledged by name. On the other hand there are the part-timers, an eclectic mix of people who come in for all manner of reasons and often only know the basics of the games. One of the most famous and popular games available in most casinos is roulette. There are several variations of roulette but they all follow the same basic principles, allowing gamers to bet on various outcomes as the croupier randomly spins a wheel and ball in opposing directions with the ball eventually falling into a slot.

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For those who are less familiar with the game it can be a little intimidating asking about the rules, especially with experienced gamblers surrounding you that often have short shrift with newbies. To help you out, we’ve taken the time to explain three of the lesser known roulette bets, so next time you walk into a casino you can play like a pro.

The payout for this bet is 17:1, and the odds of it winning are 5.41% for European, and 5.26% for American roulette. Street is a three-number bet, where the players bet on a row of numbers – for example, 4, 5, and 6, or 19, 20, and 21. In this article, we will dive into the world of roulette odds. As you might know, online roulette doesn’t require much strategy. It’s a completely random game that delivers results via a ball bouncing around a spinning wheel. However, you can boost your chances of winning by thoroughly understanding the odds.

Avenue Bet

Also known as the double street bet, the avenue bet is very similar in nature to the standard street bet (unsurprisingly). A street bet involves placing your chip at the foot of a column in order to cover all three numbers in said column. For instance, a street bet may cover 10-12, 13-15, or 16-18 and so on. An avenue bet doubles the amount of numbers included in your bet, encompassing two columns side by side. So, instead of choosing between betting on 10-12 or 13-15, you can bet on all 6 numbers with a single chip. To place an avenue bet, position your chip in a similar position to a regular street bet, but allow it to straddle both columns simultaneously. Effectively place a street bet but do it in the corner closest to the other column you want. It will slash the odds from 11/1 down to 5/1, but will come in a lot more frequently than a regular street bet.

Courtesy Bet

Casinos are such accommodating folks, wouldn’t you agree? When you’re playing on an American roulette table you’ll notice the addition of a double zero alongside the regular zero. Incidentally, this stacks the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26% – but back to the courtesy bet. If you happen to be at the lower end of the table it’s simple enough to split your bet between zero and double zero by simply placing your chip between the two, but did you know that there’s a convenient courtesy line further down the table? By straddling your chip between the “2nd 12” and “3rd 12” sections, you’ll be able to bet on zero/double zero without pottering round to the other end of the table or interrupting the dealer. How sweet of the casinos; we’re sure they’re doing it out of the kindness of their hearts, and not to encourage you to stump up more cash.

Basket Bet

This one will really let your fellow gamblers know that you know about roulette – though they may not think much of you if you do it too many times. The basket bet is a unique wager that covers 5 specific numbers on an American roulette table. Place your chip in the top corner that see the zero and 1 connect. This will be just slightly higher up than if you were to split between 1 and zero. Once the bet is placed you will have zero, double zero, 1, 2 and 3 covered in a single bet. The reason this is seen as a bit of a sucker’s bet is that it gives the house an edge of 7.89% – effectively the worst bet in roulette. One for when you’re feeling particularly lucky.

Online Roulette Guide

OK, if you are going to pay attention at any point while browsing through Roulette17.com, make sure you are concentrating as you read this page!

We are going to run you through the 5 Number Bet, also known as the Basket Bet, which is a bet you should avoid playing. You can only play this bet on American tables (on a Double Zero Roulette wheel), as it involves making a bet on both the zero pockets, and the number 1, the number 2 & 3, all with one chip (see below on how to place your chip). This is not a bet on roulette number 5, rather a bet on 5 roulette numbers. Confused? Read on.

So, why should you avoid this bet? Well, quite simply, it’s the worst bet in roulette. You can only play it on American Roulette- where all the other bets carry a house edge of 5.3%. The house edge for the five number bet is 7.9%. Avoid it! Just for comparison, if you play even money bets on Paddy Power´s Money Back roulette wheel, or on any French roulette table that plays La Partage, you will enjoy a house edge of 1.35%. So the house edge on the Number 5 bet is almost 6 times as much! Don´t confuse this bet with a Four Number bet (which you can only play in European Roulette) by the way. They are very similar: they are both bets on 1,2,3 and zero(s) at the top of the table, but the odds on the 4 Number Bet are fine.

If you are just making a bet on 5 numbers with straight up bets (5 chips on 5 numbers), then that is fine. You´ll receive the standard odds.

We’d recommend you play European Roulette rather than American (generally you’ll have the choice of both- for example most Playtech casinos offer Premium American roulette and Premium European- the house edge on the latter is lower at 2.6%).

And if you can find a French Roulette that plays “La Partage” where you get half of your bet back if the ball lands in the zero pocket when you make an even money bet, then you can get the house advantage down even further to 1.3% (only on the even money bets of course).

Win Probability

If you make a 5 Number Bet in roulette, the payout is only 6:1 and the probability of it coming in is 5:38, or 1:7.6 (13.2%)

House Edge

The House Edge on this bet is an eye watering 7.9%. You can only play this on American Roulette.

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Roulette Strategies that Use the Five Number Bet

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There is only one decent strategy that we can think of for this bet, and it works every time. Don’t play it!

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The Best Casino and Variant for The Five Number Bet?

Like we said (looks like you weren’t paying attention!), there is no such thing as a good casino or good variant for the 5 number bet, as it has the worst odds on the roulette table. But maybe you want to play it anyway. Who are we to complain? Hello! Wake up and Smell the Coffee! It’s a free world, I suppose. But call the men in white coats first! In any case you’ll need an Online American Roulette variant like the ones in the 32Red roulette range.