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Spingo
Introduction
Spingo is a wheel-based game found at Internet casinos using Microgaming software. It is said that the name is a combination of "spin" and "bingo."Rules
- First, a ball is drawn from a pool of 21 balls from a hopper. This pool consists of two balls each numbered from 1 to 10, plus one ball numbered zero.
- The ball then spins in a wheel with 25 slots colored as follows:
- Yellow: 8 slots.
- Red: 8 slots.
- Blue: 8 slots.
- Green: 1 slots.
- The table below shows the bets available.
All wins are expressed on a "to one" basis, meaning the player keeps the original bet on a win. In the actual game, the odds are expressed on a "for one" basis, meaning original wager is not returned on a win. The "combination" bet is made on a specific combination of number (from 1 to 10) and any color except green.
Spingo Pay Table
| Game | Pays (to one) |
|---|---|
| Red | 2 |
| Yellow | 2 |
| Blue | 2 |
| Green | 23 |
| Specific number (1 to 10) | 9 |
| Zero | 19 |
| Odd/Even | 1 |
| 1 to 5 / 6 to 10 | 1 |
| Combination of number and color | 31 |
Analysis
The following tables show my analysis of each bet. All wins are expressed on a "to one" basis. The probability column is the number of combinations divided by the total number of combinations of 525, which is the product of the 21 numbered balls and 25 slots on the wheel.
The following return table is for all even money bets, namely odd, even, 1 to 5, and 6 to 10. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.76%.
Even Money Bets
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1 | 250 | 0.476190 | 0.476190 |
| Loss | -1 | 275 | 0.523810 | -0.523810 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.047619 |
The following return table is for the red, blue, and yellow bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.00%.
Red, Blue and Yellow Bets
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2 | 168 | 0.320000 | 0.640000 |
| Loss | -1 | 357 | 0.680000 | -0.680000 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.040000 |
The following return table is for the green bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.00%.
Green Bet
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 23 | 21 | 0.040000 | 0.920000 |
| Loss | -1 | 504 | 0.960000 | -0.960000 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.040000 |
The following return table is for the 1 to 10 bets. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.76%.
1 to 10 Bets
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9 | 50 | 0.095238 | 0.857143 |
| Loss | -1 | 475 | 0.904762 | -0.904762 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.047619 |
The following return table is for the zero bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 4.76%.
Zero Bet
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19 | 25 | 0.047619 | 0.904762 |
| Loss | -1 | 500 | 0.952381 | -0.952381 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.047619 |
The following return table is for the combination bets. These bets are on a specific combination of a number (1 to 10) and a color (red, blue, or yellow). The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.48%.
Even Money Bets
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 31 | 16 | 0.030476 | 0.944762 |
| Loss | -1 | 509 | 0.969524 | -0.969524 |
| Total | 525 | 1.000000 | -0.024762 |
Strategy
Based on the lowest edge of 2.48%, my advice is to make the combination bets only. You can always make most other bets with multiple combination bets and have a lower house edge. For example, rather than betting $3 on the number 5, which would win $27, bet $1 on each of the red 5, yellow 5, and blue 5, for a net win of $29 if any of them hit.
It is unusual that the bet with the greatest variance has the lowest house edge, but it is what it is.