How to Play Double Ball Roulette

Double Ball Roulette resembles regular roulette.

Here’s the big difference:

You play the game with 2 balls instead of one.

The game has caught on since its debut in the mid-2010s, and you can find it at top-of-the-line casinos like Binion’s and The Tropicana in Las Vegas. It’s also available online at a limited number of internet casinos with live dealers.

You may think the 2 balls will run into one another.

But using compressed air, one ball shoots out microseconds before the second, and they follow one another around the edge of the wheel.

The betting layout is almost identical to standard roulette. Inside side bets, though, will garner you 2 chances to win – albeit with lower payouts.

Payouts on the outside bets are the same as in standard roulette, but both balls must win to get a payout.

The Rules for How to Play Double Ball Roulette

Here’s another difference:

Instead of the croupier rolling the ball around the edge of the wheel, you get to shoot the ball using a remote control. It triggers a blast of compressed air that puts the balls into motion. It reminds me of some of the more advanced pinball machines I used to play.

For most outside bets to win, both balls must win.

For inside bets, either ball can win. If both balls win in an inside bet, your winnings are doubled.

If you place a Double Ball Jackpot bet, both balls must land on the same number to win.

Bets in Double Ball Roulette

You have multiple bets to choose from in Double Ball Roulette. Most of them are similar to bets in standard roulette.

The outside bets include the following:

• Red or black
• Odd or even
• 1-18 or 19-36.

You get a 3 to 1 payout if both balls land on the chosen numbers or colors. For example, if both balls land on 1-18, you get the 3 to 1 payout.

You can also bet that one ball will land on red while the other lands on black. This bet has an even money payout.

You can also choose groups of 12 numbers, which pay 8 to 1 if both balls land in the selected 12:

• 1-12
• 13-24
• 25-36

Several numbered bets payout depending on whether just 1 ball or both balls land in a selected number.

• The single number bet offers the biggest payout, 17 to 1 if one ball hits. If both balls hit, you win 34 to 1.
• The 2 number bet pays off at 8 to 1 if one ball hits and 16 to 1 if both hit.
• The 3 number bet pays off at 5 to 1 if one ball hits and 10 to 1 if both hit.
• The 4 number bet pays off at 3 to 1 if one ball hits and 6 to 1 if both hit.
• The 5 number bet pays off at 5 to 2 if one ball hits and 5 to 1 if both hit.
• The 6 number bet pays off at 2 to 1 if one ball hits and at 4 to 1 if both hit.

Finally, the game offers a bet called the Double Ball Jackpot Bet. It pays off at 1200 to 1. I’ve seen at least one online casino with live dealers offering this bet with the game with a payout of 1300 to 1.

The House Edge in Double Ball Roulette

In a standard roulette game, the house edge is the same regardless of which bet you make. On a wheel with 2 zeros, the house edge is 5.26%, and on a single zero wheel, the house edge is 2.70%.

Some bets are better than others. In this respect, Double Ball Roulette resembles craps.

Here’s what you need to know about the house edge on bets in Double Ball Roulette:

On the outside bets where you’re betting on 18 numbers, the house edge is 10.25%.

On the outside bets where you’re betting on 12 numbers, the house edge is also 10.25%.

The house edge on the Double Jackpot Bet, though, is much higher – 16.83%.

The house edge on the inside bets is much better, though, although it varies depending on how many numbers you’re betting on:

• For a single number bet, the house edge is 5.33%.
• For a 2 number bet, the house edge is 5.54%.
• For a 3 number bet, the house edge is 5.89%.
• For a 4 number bet, the house edge is 16.9%.
• For a 5 number bet, the house edge is 9.63%.
• For a 6 number bet, the house edge is 7.76%.

These figures all assume a wheel with 2 zeroes – if you’re playing a Double Ball Roulette game with a single zero, the house edge figures change.

Strategy for Double Ball Roulette

Double Ball Roulette is, like standard roulette, entirely a game of chance.

Some gamblers like to use systems like the Martingale with games like roulette. These systems involve making an even money bet, like the red/black bet in Double Ball Roulette, and then doubling your bet after a loss. This recoups your loss and leaves you with a profit of one unit.

If you lose twice in a row, of course, you must double your bet again. The progression might look like this: 1-2-4-8-16-32.

So, after 5 losses in a row, you’d need to bet 32 units to recoup your losses and profit a single unit. The problem with the Martingale is that it assumes you have an infinite bankroll and no maximum bet.

Of course, no one has an infinite bankroll, and every roulette table I’ve ever played on has a maximum bet. A minimum bet of $5 and a maximum bet of $500 aren’t uncommon. If you lose 5 times in a row, you’re unable to make the next bet because it’s $640 – more than the table minimum.

Since no betting system can defeat a game with a house edge, what is the best strategy?

I can sum it up quickly.

Besides that, try to stick with the bets with the lowest house edge. If you’re playing in a game with a single zero, the lowest house edge available is 2.78% on the single number bet. That’s volatile, but it’s also a lot of fun when you hit because the payout is so big.

Also, the single number bet on a game with 2 zeroes has the lowest house edge, but it’s a lot higher at 5.33%. Strategically speaking, it’s worth the effort to find a wheel with only one zero on it.

One thing to keep in mind is your own tendency toward bets. Do you prefer volatile bets with big payoffs, or do you prefer something with less variance and a lower payout?

The best house edge in the game is for the most volatile bet. You’ll only win once an hour or so, but when you do, you’ll recoup most of your losses.

You might prefer a lower variance along with a higher house edge, though. Bets with an even money payout or a 2 to 1 payout hit more often, which means you’ll lose your money less quickly.

Either way, since the house has an edge, if you play long enough, you’ll eventually go broke playing Double Wheel Roulette.

Double Ball Roulette Variations

There’s another popular roulette game known as Double Action Roulette.

Aside from the difference in hardware, Double Action Roulette plays out just like Double Ball, with similar side bets available and a similar style and speed of play.

Another popular variation of Double Ball is live dealer. Roulette is a social game played for the most part by sociable people who enjoy the company of live humans. Adding a live dealer to the equation makes the game feel more like real brick-and-mortar casino play. Under these conditions, with a professional croupier you can interact with, online Double Ball Roulette feels even more like the real thing.

Progressive variants of the game are the new thing. Though they aren’t widely available, it’s obvious that online casinos interested in spreading the love for Double Ball Roulette and already aware of the profit potential in progressive jackpot games will get around to combining the two.

As they exist now, progressive Double Ball games pay out an ever-increasing top prize to players at random when they make a qualifying bet. I found one online game that pays out a progressive top prize to the first player to land the same result five times in a row. How unlikely is that? The odds of the same result happening twice in a row are 1,368 to 1, so don’t hold your breath.

Conclusion

Double Wheel Roulette is an interesting novelty version of roulette, but the standard game offers better odds. If you just want to try something different, give it a shot, but don’t lose a lot of money on it. The casino offers far better games with far better odds – like blackjack – which is where you should probably spend most of your time.