Roulette Table Minimums: The Bankroll Math Nobody Does
Last reviewed: October 2026
Players agonize over red versus 17, hot numbers versus cold. The decision that actually determines whether your night lasts twenty minutes or four hours gets made before the first spin: which minimum sign you sit behind.
The core arithmetic
Expected cost = minimum × spins/hour × edge. A live wheel runs 30 to 50 spins an hour; call it 40:
| Table | Wheel | Expected cost/hour (min bets) |
|---|---|---|
| $5 min, single zero | 2.70% | $5.40 |
| $5 min, double zero | 5.26% | $10.50 |
| $15 min, single zero | 2.70% | $16.20 |
| $15 min, double zero | 5.26% | $31.60 |
The spread between the best and worst common configurations is nearly 6×, for the identical game experience. A $100 bankroll is an evening at the first table and a long cocktail at the last one.
Read the sign’s fine print
- Outside vs inside minimums differ. “$15 minimum” often means $15 on outside (even-money) bets but lets inside bets total $15 in smaller chips, spreading $1 chips across numbers can satisfy it. Ask; dealers explain gladly.
- Minimum ≠ your bet. The sign sets the floor, not the strategy. Betting the minimum at a good wheel is mathematically the strongest roulette play there is.
- Online tables obliterate floor minimums, often $0.10 to $1, plus easy access to French-rules tables at 1.35%. For pure wheel-time-per-dollar, no casino floor competes.
The honest strategy
Since no bet pattern changes the edge, “roulette strategy” reduces almost entirely to shopping: single zero > double zero, la partage if you can find it, lowest minimum you enjoy, slowest table pace, bet the floor. Every step is worth more than any betting system ever devised, we’ve done that math too.
Fix your budget, then see what it buys; the simulator will run your exact table config for a thousand spins and show the survival curve.