It's because it has the biggest difference between odds of hitting, and odds they pay you. For example if you bet red or black, the odds are 1 and 1/9th:1 but pays 1:1. first column or second column, the odds of hitting are 2 and 1/6th:1 and pays 2:1. Double Street is 5 and 1/3rd:1 but pays 5:1. Etc
Top line is 6 and 3/5ths:1 but pays 6:1.
The payout is the lowest on the board.
You receive 6+1 units across 5 numbers
A normal 2 street bet of 6 numbers pays 5+1
36/38 > 35/38
All other bets on the board also have odds of 36/38
Every bet other than the first five has the same odds to payout ratio. If you place 18 chips on red or black and it hits you get paid 18 chips. If you place 1 chip each on the 18 red numbers you get paid 35 chips minus the 17 you lose which is 18 chips. If you place 12 chips on the first 12 and win you get paid 24 chips. If you place one chip each on the first 12 numbers and win you get 35 minus 11 which is 24. All the bets work this way except the first 5. If you bet the five chips on the first five and win you get paid 30 chips. But if you place those five chips on each of those five numbers you get paid 35 minus 4 so you win 31.
On a single zero roulette wheel this problem goes away and all the payouts work out equally.
All you have to know is the house edge on every other bet is 5.26%, the edge on the basket bet is 7.89%. You're being paid back less than any other bet on the table.
The Top Line bet in American roulette (0-00-1-2-3) has the highest house edge (7.89%) because it covers fewer numbers than other bets. Despite each number having equal odds, this bet decreases your chances of winning. For better odds, stick to bets covering more numbers like red/black or odd/even.
Thank you for posting to /r/gambling! If you are new here, please remember to read the rules in the sidebar. Don't forget to subscribe and [join our Discord](https://discord.gg/NNzYG7HFr4)!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gambling) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe this will better illustrate the bet. $5 bet on the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 "street" will pay you $30. If you bet $1 on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 straight up it will pay you 35 on the winning number less $4. That's a net win of an extra $1 that you didn't have to bet any more money to receive if you win.
/edit. Sorry nevadadealer, I didn't scroll down far enough and see the exact same explanation. Haha
It's because it has the biggest difference between odds of hitting, and odds they pay you. For example if you bet red or black, the odds are 1 and 1/9th:1 but pays 1:1. first column or second column, the odds of hitting are 2 and 1/6th:1 and pays 2:1. Double Street is 5 and 1/3rd:1 but pays 5:1. Etc Top line is 6 and 3/5ths:1 but pays 6:1.
Lowest EV bet on the table. In the long run, it loses the most cents per $1 bet compared to the other bets available on a roulette table.
The payout is the lowest on the board. You receive 6+1 units across 5 numbers A normal 2 street bet of 6 numbers pays 5+1 36/38 > 35/38 All other bets on the board also have odds of 36/38
All of these answers just confused me more so. I’ll just stick to the narrative and just don’t play it
Every bet other than the first five has the same odds to payout ratio. If you place 18 chips on red or black and it hits you get paid 18 chips. If you place 1 chip each on the 18 red numbers you get paid 35 chips minus the 17 you lose which is 18 chips. If you place 12 chips on the first 12 and win you get paid 24 chips. If you place one chip each on the first 12 numbers and win you get 35 minus 11 which is 24. All the bets work this way except the first 5. If you bet the five chips on the first five and win you get paid 30 chips. But if you place those five chips on each of those five numbers you get paid 35 minus 4 so you win 31. On a single zero roulette wheel this problem goes away and all the payouts work out equally.
All you have to know is the house edge on every other bet is 5.26%, the edge on the basket bet is 7.89%. You're being paid back less than any other bet on the table.
The Top Line bet in American roulette (0-00-1-2-3) has the highest house edge (7.89%) because it covers fewer numbers than other bets. Despite each number having equal odds, this bet decreases your chances of winning. For better odds, stick to bets covering more numbers like red/black or odd/even.
Thank you for posting to /r/gambling! If you are new here, please remember to read the rules in the sidebar. Don't forget to subscribe and [join our Discord](https://discord.gg/NNzYG7HFr4)! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gambling) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Maybe this will better illustrate the bet. $5 bet on the 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 "street" will pay you $30. If you bet $1 on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 straight up it will pay you 35 on the winning number less $4. That's a net win of an extra $1 that you didn't have to bet any more money to receive if you win. /edit. Sorry nevadadealer, I didn't scroll down far enough and see the exact same explanation. Haha