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Neighborhoods
Introduction
Neighborhoods are a set of 38 side bets in roulette, one for each number on the wheel. Each bet wins if the ball lands in the number chosen or one of the bordering numbers on the wheel. I first saw these side bets at the Gold Coast on a double-zero wheel in Las Vegas on March 19, 2019.
Rules
- On the betting layout for every individual number there is a place to but a Neighborhood bet.
- After the spin, Neighborhood bets on the number the ball landed on will pay 23 to 1.
- After the spin, Neighborhood bets on the numbers adjacent to number the ball landed on will pay 5 to 1.
- All other 35 Neighborhood bets lose.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis of the Neighborhood bets on a single-zero wheel. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.70%.
Single-Zero Return Table
| Event | Pays | Numbers | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact number | 23 | 1 | 0.027027 | 0.621622 |
| Neighboring numbers | 5 | 2 | 0.054054 | 0.270270 |
| All other | -1 | 34 | 0.918919 | -0.918919 |
| Total | 37 | 1.000000 | -0.027027 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Neighborhood bets on a double-zero wheel. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 5.26%.
Double-Zero Return Table
| Event | Pays | Numbers | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact number | 23 | 1 | 0.026316 | 0.605263 |
| Neighboring numbers | 5 | 2 | 0.052632 | 0.263158 |
| All other | -1 | 35 | 0.921053 | -0.921053 |
| Total | 38 | 1.000000 | -0.052632 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Neighborhood bets on a triple-zero wheel. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.69%.
Triple-Zero Return Table
| Event | Pays | Numbers | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact number | 23 | 1 | 0.025641 | 0.589744 |
| Neighboring numbers | 5 | 2 | 0.051282 | 0.256410 |
| All other | -1 | 36 | 0.923077 | -0.923077 |
| Total | 39 | 1.000000 | -0.076923 |
Strategy
This is the first side bet in roulette I've seen where the house edge is the same as the base game. So, do what you want, the odds are the same, with these exceptions, that also apply in conventional roulette:
- In French and Atlantic City roulette, where even money bets lose half only when the ball lands in zero, make even money bets only.
- In double-zero roulette, never bet the 0-00-1-2-3 combination.
I should also add that you can achieve the same effect in conventional roulette by taking what you would have normally bet on a Neighbors bet and put 2/3 of it on the number directly and 1/6 each on both adjacent numbers on the wheel.