A roulette variant that looks significantly different from the classic three is the mini roulette. However, this variant cannot be found in all online casinos, so you have to look around a bit afterwards. Here I will not only introduce you to all the details such as betting options, payouts and profit expectations, but also show you in which casinos you can try this game.
The differences to the classic variants
The differences to European / American roulette are obvious. Instead of a total of 37 or 38 numbers, there are only 13. In addition to the numbers 1 to 12, there is also the mandatory zero. Of course, this also results in other uses and payment rates.
In principle, you can again bet on simple chances like red / black or even / odd, but the high and low numbers have been removed. These have been abolished along with the dozens to keep the field of application more compact and clear, but three half-dozen have been introduced, which of course overlap with 12 numbers. The first combination comprises the numbers from 1 to 6, the second from 4 to 9 and the third combination from 7 to 12. Since these three combinations also correspond to all possible double rows (line bet), you can only use single rows (street ) put. Columns, corners (Carre), individual numbers and divided numbers can also be used.
Payouts and odds of winning
The different number of numbers and the new betting options inevitably result in different payout rates. Bets on single numbers (straight) are paid 11: 1, with split numbers (split) it is 5: 1. A street bet brings 3: 1 and corner and column only 2: 1. All simple chances and half a dozen each cover half of all numbers and are therefore only paid out 1: 1.
| bet | cover | payout | winning percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up bet | 1 number | 11: 1 | 7.7% |
| Split bet | 2 numbers | 5: 1 | 15.4% |
| Street bet, First Three | 3 numbers | 3: 1 | 23.1% |
| Corner, First Four, Column | 4 numbers | 2: 1 | 30.8% |
| Half Dozen, Black / Red | 6 numbers | 1: 1 | 46.2% |
Of course you can also bet on the different combinations with the zero. The combo 0,1,2,3 with 4 covered numbers are paid like Corner with 2: 1 and the two combos 0,1,2 and 0,2,3 with 3 covered numbers like the Street with 3: 1.
The division of the numbers in the boiler
Of course, the boiler has significantly larger compartments due to fewer numbers. The numbers are randomly distributed as much as possible, the main thing is to make sure that red and black as well as even and odd alternate. Starting at zero, the numbers are clockwise: 0, 5, 12, 3, 10, 1, 8, 9, 2, 7, 6, 11, 4
The profit expectation – really that bad?
If we briefly skip the ratios of numbers and zeros, we will easily see that this game should actually have an even bigger house edge for the casino. With the American variant the number of zeros “doubles”, so in the mini variant the one zero is only offset by a third of the other numbers. In fact, the house edge here is exactly 3 times the size of European roulette – 1/13 = around 7.7%. However, with a zero, all bets are paid back to 50%. If you bet on zero (or a combination with zero), you will receive the corresponding 4: 1 or 3: 1 payout. With this 50% refund, the casino’s advantage is halved from 7.7% to only 3.85%. The expected profit for the player is 96.15% exactly between that of the European and American roulette (each without La Partage).
In which casino can you play mini roulette?
As already mentioned, this game cannot be found everywhere. In the variant with a total of 13 numbers, you can only find it at casinos that have NetEnt games in their program or generally use the Playtech software like Ladbrokes Casino . There you will also find the graphically more demanding version.
Is it worth watching this game?
Of course you should definitely have a look at the game. The profit expectation is much better than initially thought. It is especially fun when you bet on single numbers. Then you can book a win more often, even if it is of course not as big as in European Roulette . It was a lot of fun for me to come up with new game systems for this variant, but ultimately, like any other roulette variant, you cannot play mathematically profitably here.