Why Is the Five-Number Roulette Bet So Bad?
Last reviewed: June 2026
The five-number bet on American roulette — covering 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 — carries a 7.89% house edge, making it the single worst standard wager on the wheel and roughly 50% costlier than every other American roulette bet.
Most American roulette bets share the same 5.26% house edge regardless of what numbers or colors you pick. The five-number bet is the lone exception, and the gap is large enough that avoiding it is one of the simplest, most concrete things any roulette player can do to protect their bankroll.
What Is the Five-Number Bet?
The five-number bet (sometimes called the basket bet or top-line bet) is a single wager that covers five pockets at once: 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. It only exists on the American double-zero wheel — European and French wheels have no 00, so the five-number configuration is impossible.
You place the chip at the corner shared by 0 and 1, straddling the line between the zeros and the low-number row. The bet pays 6:1 on a win.
The Math Behind the 7.89% Edge
To understand why 6:1 is a bad payout for this bet, you need to compare it to what fair odds would actually be.
An American wheel has 38 pockets: 1–36, 0, and 00. The five-number bet covers 5 of those 38 pockets.
Fair (“true”) odds for a 5-in-38 chance: you would need to be paid 33:5, or equivalently 6.6:1, to break even over time. At that payout a $10 win returns $66 in profit — exactly offsetting your losses across the 33 spins (out of every 38) where you lose $10 each.
Actual payout is 6:1, meaning a $10 win returns only $60 in profit.
That $6 gap per winning spin is where the house edge comes from. Across 38 spins at $10 each ($380 wagered):
- You win 5 spins × $60 = $300 returned in winnings
- You lose 33 spins × $10 = $330 lost
- Net: −$30 over $380 wagered
Edge = $30 ÷ $380 = 7.89%
Compare that to a $10 straight-up bet on any single number. It also hits 1-in-38 times and pays 35:1. Run the same calculation and you get exactly $20 lost over $380 wagered — a 5.26% edge. The payout structure for every other bet on the American wheel was designed to produce that same 5.26%, but the five-number bet was inexplicably set at 6:1 rather than 6.6:1, producing a higher edge unique to that one wager.
How Much More Does It Cost?
| Bet | House Edge | Expected Loss per $1,000 Wagered |
|---|---|---|
| Any standard American bet | 5.26% | $52.60 |
| Five-number (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | 7.89% | $78.90 |
| Extra cost of five-number | +2.63% | +$26.30 |
| European roulette (single zero) | 2.70% | $27.00 |
The five-number bet costs $26.30 more per $1,000 wagered than any other bet on the same American wheel. Compared to European roulette, it costs nearly three times as much in expected losses.
Why Does This Bet Exist?
The short answer is historical convention. Early American wheel layouts set the five-number payout at 6:1, and casinos have kept it there because most players either do not notice the discrepancy or do not know enough to care. The casino has no incentive to fix what is profitable for them.
There is no compensating upside. The five-number bet does not offer higher variance, better entertainment value, or any mechanical edge — it simply pays out less than its probability warrants, more aggressively than every other bet on the table.
How to Avoid It (and What to Play Instead)
Step 1 — Recognize it. The five-number bet is the only wager that straddles both zero pockets and the low-number row simultaneously. If you see a chip sitting at that corner, that is the bet.
Step 2 — Pick anything else. Red/black, odd/even, dozens, columns, corners, splits, and straight-up bets all carry the same 5.26% edge on an American wheel. None of them is dramatically better than the others, but all of them are better than the five-number.
Step 3 — Consider the wheel. The biggest single improvement a roulette player can make is switching from American (double-zero) to European (single-zero) roulette. The European wheel’s 2.70% edge is exactly half the American standard, and the five-number bet does not exist there at all. See American vs. European Roulette for a full comparison, or explore the range of wheel formats in Roulette Variants.
Step 4 — Consider a different game. If minimizing house edge is your priority, craps Pass/Come bets (1.41% edge, dropping to ~0.37% combined when you add free odds) and blackjack with basic strategy (~0.5% edge on a 3:2 table) both outperform any roulette wheel. You can explore the full landscape in Best and Worst Casino Bets.
Ready to see the wheel for yourself? Try our free roulette game to observe how different bets perform over many spins without any real money involved.
Quick Reference
| Five-Number | Standard American | European | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payout | 6:1 | Varies | Varies |
| True odds | 6.6:1 | Matches payout | Matches payout |
| House edge | 7.89% | 5.26% | 2.70% |
| Exists on | American only | American | European/French |
Frequently Asked
Can the five-number bet ever be worth playing?
No. It offers no variance advantage, no jackpot potential, and no compensating feature. It simply pays less than its probability justifies. Even if you win short-term through luck, the long-run drag is 7.89% — more than any other standard bet on the same wheel.
Is the five-number bet the same as a corner bet on 1, 2, 4, 5?
No. A corner bet covers four adjacent numbers and pays 8:1 at the standard 5.26% edge. The five-number bet is structurally different — it covers five specific pockets including both zeros, and its uniquely bad 6:1 payout is what creates the elevated edge.
Does any strategy reduce the five-number edge?
No system or betting pattern changes the underlying house edge. The 7.89% applies to every dollar wagered on that bet, regardless of progression, prior results, or wheel history. The only reliable fix is not making the bet.
Why does European roulette not have this problem?
European roulette has a single zero (37 pockets total). With no 00, the five-number pocket combination does not exist, and every bet on the European wheel is calculated to produce the same 2.70% edge.
Sources & Further Reading
- Wizard of Odds — Roulette — probability tables and house edge calculations for all roulette bets
- American vs. European Roulette — full edge comparison across wheel types
- House Edge Explained — how casinos build their advantage into every payout
Educational explanation only. No real-money gambling happens on LearnTheOdds.
Responsible gambling: Play for entertainment, not income — the math favors the house over time. Set limits, never chase losses, and if it stops being fun, take a break. 21+. Need help? Call 1-800-MY-RESET (1800myreset.org).