Mini Roulette: Is It Worth Playing?

Mini roulette is an exotic and fun roulette variation that takes place on a small wheel. Rather than featuring 37 or 38 pockets like a European or American wheel, it only has 13 pockets. This tiny wheel presents a unique concept to gamblers who are used to American or European roulette.

The downside, though, is that mini roulette doesn’t offer a great chance to win. Depending upon the rules in play, it can feature a whopping 7.89% house edge.

Given how mini roulette can carry such terrible odds, is it still worth playing? The following guide answers this question while covering more on the intricacies of the mini wheel.

Basics of Mini Roulette

A mini wheel features 13 numbers, including 1 to 12 and a zero. The zero pocket favors the house on most wagers. This setup leads to a 7.89% house edge (1/13) when no special rules are present (covered later).

This is a much worse edge than you face when you play normal real money roulette. You’re going to learn more about this later. But you can skip the rest of this article if you’re looking for the best roulette games. Mini roulette doesn’t even come close to the top roulette option.

Due to the smaller wheel, this variation doesn’t offer as many potential bets as European or American roulette. Nevertheless, it still provides a fair amount of wagers.

The different categories of mini roulette bets include:

• Even-money wagers, including red/black, odd/even, and high/low (pay 1:1).
• Columns, which cover a column of numbers (pay 2:1).
• Corners, which cover an intersection of four numbers (pay 2:1).
• Rows, which cover rows of three numbers (pay 3:1).
• Splits, which cover two numbers (pay 5:1).
• Single numbers (pay 11:1).

La Partage Rule May Apply

Again, mini roulette can carry up to a 7.89% house edge. However, its house advantage dramatically lowers when the la partage is in play.

La partage applies to even-money bets when the ball lands on zero. Assuming you place an even-money wager in this case, then you’ll receive half of your bet back:

Here’s an example on how it works:

• You bet $10 on high/low.
• The ball lands on zero.
• You receive $5 back.

The fact that you get half of losing bets back in this situation halves of the house advantage. You’ll only deal with a 3.85% house edge—rather than 7.89%—when the la partage rule is present.

This makes mini roulette better than normal roulette wheels with 38 spaces, but it’s still worse than 37 space tables and wheels.

Advantages of Mini Roulette

Mini roulette offers notable advantages when compared to other roulette variations. You can check out these benefits below.

Better Odds Than American Roulette

Again, the la partage rule reduces the mini roulette house edge from 7.89% to 3.85%. While the latter isn’t the best house advantage in the casino, it does give you a better chance to win than American roulette.

An American wheel has 38 pockets, including 1-36, zero, and double zero. The zero pockets favor the casino on most wagers. Therefore, American roulette carries a 5.26% house edge.

Here’s a look at how much more money you stand to win with mini roulette versus the American game:

Mini Roulette Odds

• You bet $5,000 total on a mini roulette wheel.
• This game features 96.15% RTP (3.85% house edge) thanks to the la partage rule.
• 5,000 x 0.9615% = $4,808 in theoretical winnings

American Roulette Odds

• You bet $5,000 total on an American roulette wheel.
• This game features 94.74% RTP (5.26% house edge) thanks to the la partage rule.
• 5,000 x 0.9474% = $4,737 in theoretical winnings

Fun for a Change

American and European roulette look similar. The only difference between these games is that the American wheel has one more pocket.

That said, you may not feel like you’re playing different games when switching between these wheels. You might even start feeling bored with roulette as a result.

The mini version offers something totally different. It’s one-third the size of the European and American wheels, thus giving it a unique appearance.

Simplifies the Game for Beginners

Roulette seems like a simple game on the surface. You merely need to bet on a number or collection of numbers and watch the wheel spin.

When you step up to the board as a beginner, though, things change. Suddenly, the board with dozens of different bets becomes much more confusing.

Mini roulette also features a fair number of wagers. However, it simplifies the amount of available bets to some degree and is an easier game to learn as a result.

Drawbacks of Mini Roulette

If mini roulette were perfect, then it would make all other variations extinct. It’s not perfect, though, and has downsides like many other casino games. You can read about these drawbacks below.

European Roulette Provides Better Odds

As covered earlier, the mini wheel offers better odds than American roulette if the la partage rule is available. But even with la partage, it doesn’t give you as strong of a chance to win as with European roulette.

The European wheel features 37 pockets and, just like mini roulette, only has a single zero on the wheel. This lone zero among 37 numbers leads to a 2.70% house edge (1/37).

Contrast this to the mini version, which has a single zero among just 13 numbers. That said, you can see why European roulette offers more-favorable odds.

Features Terrible Odds without La Partage

Many European roulette games feature the la partage rule. Otherwise, they would be unplayable to any knowledgeable gambler.

But what if this rule isn’t available? Then mini roulette becomes one of the worst games when gambling in the casino. Its 7.89% house edge is on par with some of the lowest-paying slot machines.

Again, mini roulette can be worth playing when la partage is present. If it’s not, though, then you definitely want to avoid this game.

Mini Wheel Is Mostly a Gimmick

The mini wheel doesn’t differ much from any other roulette variation. It largely features the same bet groupings and, like European roulette, can offer the la partage rule.

The only way that the mini game really stands out is through its wheel. It showcases roulette in a new light thanks to its small wheel.

You may think that this game is cool for a while due to the cute and tiny wheel. Eventually, though, you’ll come to see it as nothing more than a gimmick.

Should You Play on the Mini Wheel?

I wouldn’t recommend rushing to the nearest land-based casino or desperately reaching for your phone just to play mini roulette. However, this game is worthwhile for a short session—especially if you already love roulette.

As discussed before, the main reason to play this game is its unique wheel. This variation presents roulette in a different perspective thanks to its small wheel and board.

Your chances of winning won’t be terrible either if la partage is available. You’ll be facing a 3.85% house edge, which is in line with the average casino game.

You’ll also find that this variation is easy to get into. Its board features fewer wagers than other roulette games and, thus, is simpler to play.

Mini roulette won’t be a life-changing experience for you. However, it does have enough benefits to make it worth trying for 20 minutes or so.

Conclusion

Mini roulette doesn’t feature the lowest house edge in gaming. Nevertheless, it can be worth playing under the right circumstances.

The la partage rule is the main thing that you need to consider. This rule pays back half of all even-money bets when the ball lands ends up on zero. Subsequently, it lowers the house advantage from 7.89% to 3.85%.

Of course, European roulette (2.70% house edge) still provides a better chance to win. But mini roulette offers other charms.

Its small wheel offers a refreshing take from normal roulette games. Therefore, you might consider trying it just for something unique.