How long will my money last?
How long a sum lasts at a given bet, how often it runs out first, and how unusual an evening’s loss was. Every figure is worked out exactly from the odds of the game and the pace; nothing you enter leaves this page.
Your game, bet and time
Pick a game, a bet and how long you plan to play. The table shows how long 10 to 100 bets last; enter the money you bring to see your own row.
Red or black at double-zero roulette · $10 a spin (an example bet, not a table minimum) · 2 hours · An example pace: 38 spins an hour.
On average, 2 hours of red or black at double-zero roulette at $10 a spin cost $40, about $20 an hour: 76 spins × $10 × 5.26% house edge. A long-run average, not a forecast of one evening.
How long 10, 20, 50 or 100 bets of $10 last over 2 hours. Enter the money you plan to bring to add your own row.
| Money you bring | Lasts the full 2 hours | 8 in 10 evenings end between |
|---|---|---|
| $10010 bets | in 6 of 10 evenings60% | −$100 (all of it) and +$80 |
| $20020 bets | in all but 1 in 19 evenings95% | −$160 and +$80 |
| $50050 bets | in nearly every eveningover 99% | −$160 and +$80 |
| $1,000100 bets | in every evening100% | −$160 and +$80 |
When the money runs out, and the average result
| Money you bring | Half of evenings run out of money | Average result for 2 hours |
|---|---|---|
| $100 | after about 2 h 38 min | −$33over 63 of 76 spins on average |
| $200 | after about 6 h 51 min | −$40over 75 of 76 spins on average |
| $500 | not within 12 hours of play | −$40over 76 of 76 spins on average |
| $1,000 | not within 12 hours of play | −$40over 76 of 76 spins on average |
Chance to be ahead, playing on without a limit: after 1 hour 31% → after 4 hours 23% → after 100 hours 0.06%. The longer the play, the closer the result comes to the average cost.
Worked out exactly from the outcome table of the game (see “Show the model”) and the pace: how it’s worked out.
Was that evening unusual?
Enter what an evening cost you; the game, bet and hours are the ones set above. The answer is how often an evening like that loses as much or more.
Enter what you lost to see how often an evening like this loses as much. These 2 hours cost $40 on average.
| Lost at least | Evenings like this that lose that much or more |
|---|---|
| $10010 bets | 3 of 10 evenings28% |
| $20020 bets | 1 of every 24 evenings4% |
| $50050 bets | fewer than 1 of every 2,000 eveningsunder 0.01% |
If losing is weighing on you, you can talk to someone: helplines in every province. Before the next visit, set a money and time limit: Game plan.
What exit rules do
Stop when you are down by a set amount, or up by a set amount: here is what that changes, and what it does not.
Exit rules do not change the price of each dollar bet or each hour of play. You lose less on average only because you play less; they do not lower the house edge.
Average result with these rules: −$31, over about 58 of the 76 spins. Without them: −$40 over all 76.
In 4 of 10 evenings (40%) you stop at −$100. In 1 of every 7 evenings (14%) you stop at +$100. In 5 of 10 evenings (45%) you play the full 2 hours and end at about −$9.55 on average.
Doubling after a loss does not change the odds
Betting systems change when you win and lose, not how much the house keeps.
The Martingale doubles the bet after every loss, so that one win recovers the losses plus the first bet.
Doubling after a loss (the Martingale)
Worked out: the ladder $10, $20, $40, $80, $160, $320, $640 is seven bets; the eighth, $1,280, is over the $1,000 maximum. Seven reds missed in a row: (20/38)^7 = 1.12% of series, 1 in 89, and those lose $1,270. The rest end $10 ahead. On average a series costs 1.119% × $1,270 − 98.88% × $10 = $4.32, which is 5.26% of the $82.07 bet in an average series.
Essentially, the Martingale Strategy dictates that players double down on their bets after every loss. … This means a player could lose the next time they double down, creating exponential losses.
House edge is usually given as a percentage that represents the average amount of all wagers a player will lose over the long term.
Red is no longer half of all squares, it’s now 18 out of 38 squares, so when you bet on red (or almost ANY bet on the layout), the house advantage is 2/38, or 5.26% … Red or Black: pays 1 to 1
GameSense by AGLC · Roulette · read
Every bet in the series carries the same house edge, so the series does too: at double-zero roulette the house keeps 5.26% of every dollar bet, in whatever order the bets come. Frequent small gains are paid for by a rare large loss: the doubling has to stop at the table maximum, and what was lost on the way is not won back.
Example (not a casino’s table): $10 on red at double-zero roulette, $1,000 table maximum. On average a series costs $4.32. About 1 in 89 series (1.1%) meets seven losses in a row: the next bet, $1,280, is over the maximum, and the series has lost $1,270. The other series end $10 ahead.
Show the model
What one round can end in, how often, and what it pays, for every bet on this page. Every probability is our own count; tap for how it is counted and for what a Canadian publisher says about the same game.
Roulette: what each bet pays and how often it wins
| Bet | Double zero38 pockets Source
Roulette, double zero: what each bet pays and how often it wins Worked out: on a 38-pocket wheel: red or black wins on 18 of 38 pockets, a dozen on 12, one number on 1. The Roulette wheel consists of numbers 1-36, alternately coloured red and black, plus 0 and 00 which are green. … Red or Black: pays 1 to 1 … Dozen Bet: pays 2 to 1 … Straight up bet on one number: pays 35 to 1 GameSense by AGLC · Roulette · read | Single zero37 pockets Source
Roulette, single zero: what each bet pays and how often it wins Worked out: the same pays on a 37-pocket wheel: red or black wins on 18 of 37 pockets, a dozen on 12, one number on 1. The main distinction to European Roulette is that the table layout (and the corresponding wheel slots) only feature a single zero, while American Roulette features a double zero. … a 1 in 37 chance, compared to 1 in 38 for the American version. The Roulette wheel consists of numbers 1-36, alternately coloured red and black, plus 0 and 00 which are green. … Red or Black: pays 1 to 1 … Dozen Bet: pays 2 to 1 … Straight up bet on one number: pays 35 to 1 GameSense by AGLC · Roulette · read | Triple zero39 pockets Source
Roulette, triple zero: what each bet pays and how often it wins Worked out: the same pays on a 39-pocket wheel: red or black wins on 18 of 39 pockets, a dozen on 12, one number on 1. The Roulette wheel consists of numbers 1-36, alternately coloured red and black, plus 0 and 00 which are green. … Red or Black: pays 1 to 1 … Dozen Bet: pays 2 to 1 … Straight up bet on one number: pays 35 to 1 GameSense by AGLC · Roulette · read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red or blackpays 1 to 1 | 18 of 3847.37% | 18 of 3748.65% | 18 of 3946.15% |
| A dozenpays 2 to 1 | 12 of 3831.58% | 12 of 3732.43% | 12 of 3930.77% |
| One numberpays 35 to 1 | 1 of 382.63% | 1 of 372.70% | 1 of 392.56% |
| House edge, every bet | 5.26% | 2.70% | 7.69% |
A loss costs the bet. Zero, double zero and the third green pocket lose every bet on this list. Worked out: wins ÷ pockets.
Craps: Pass line house edge 1.41%
| Result of one decision | Probability | You get, in bets |
|---|---|---|
| Wins (244 of 495) | 49.29% | +1 |
| Loses (251 of 495) | 50.71% | −1 |
Craps: Pass line
Worked out: of the 36 ways two dice fall, 8 win on the come-out roll (7 or 11) and 4 lose (2, 3, 12); a point of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 wins when it comes again before a 7. Adding it up: 244 of every 495 pass-line bets win, 49.29%.
If the shooter rolls a 7 or 11, it is a “natural” and you win. If 2, 3 or 12 is rolled, it is “craps,” and you lose. … They are placed before the come-out roll and in order to take a turn at being the shooter, you are obligated to place one of these bets. If you win, they pay out at even money or 1 to 1.
Pass Line/Come Bet Actual or “True” Odds: 251 to 244 Odds Paid or Payout: 1 to 1 House Edge: 1.41%
OLG PlaySmart · Craps — odds · read
Baccarat, 8 decks: Banker (5% commission) house edge 1.06%
| Result of one hand | Probability | You get, in bets |
|---|---|---|
| Banker wins (paid 0.95) | 45.86% | +0.95 |
| Tie (the bet stays) | 9.52% | 0 |
| Player wins | 44.62% | −1 |
Baccarat, 8 decks: Banker (5% commission)
Worked out: every deal from eight decks, card by card, under the drawing rules: the Banker wins 45.86% of hands, the Player 44.62%, a tie 9.52%; a Banker win pays 0.95 after the commission.
At 1.06% for the Banker’s hand and 1.24% on the Player’s hand
Baccarat, 8 decks: Player house edge 1.24%
| Result of one hand | Probability | You get, in bets |
|---|---|---|
| Player wins | 44.62% | +1 |
| Tie (the bet stays) | 9.52% | 0 |
| Banker wins | 45.86% | −1 |
Baccarat, 8 decks: Player
Worked out: every deal from eight decks, card by card, under the drawing rules: the Banker wins 45.86% of hands, the Player 44.62%, a tie 9.52%; a Player win pays 1 to 1.
At 1.06% for the Banker’s hand and 1.24% on the Player’s hand
Rounds an hour
Table games use an example pace, not a measured one: none of the Canadian documents we read publishes how many rounds a table deals in an hour. For craps the pace is the pace casino rating systems are set to, as a casino consultant describes them in Global Gaming Business. Your table may be faster or slower.
| Game | Pace | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Roulette, double zero | An example pace: 38 spins an hour | |
| Roulette, single zero | An example pace: 35 spins an hour | |
| Roulette, triple zero | An example pace: 38 spins an hour | |
| Craps, pass line | Pace casino rating systems are set to: about 18 decisions an hour (60 rolls) | Source
Pace: Craps, pass line Worked out: 60 rolls an hour ÷ 557/165 rolls a pass-line decision ≈ 18.0 decisions an hour; 557/165 is the average number of rolls a line bet lasts, counted over every roll of two dice. Most systems have been pre-programed to reflect sixty (60) rolls per hour. … the pass/come wager (either “do” or “don’t) is subject to a win/loss decision, not every roll, but every 3.4 rolls. … The correct number of decisions in the player tracking computer for craps wagering should be closer to 15 to 18 decisions per hour. |
| Baccarat | An example pace: 72 hands an hour |
How it’s worked out
Exact, not a bell curve. For the money you bring and for exit rules, the page follows every possible amount left after every round, using the outcome table of the game. For the chance to be ahead and for the look back, it adds up every possible sequence of rounds. There is no simulation and no normal approximation, which would be badly off for a single-number bet over a short evening.
Assumptions. The same bet every round; rounds are independent; the number of rounds is the pace times the hours, rounded to whole rounds. A round starts only if a full bet is left.
Where it stops being accurate. Pace depends on the players and the dealer, and electronic tables keep their own pace. Side bets are not included.
No blackjack. How long money lasts needs the chance of every result of a hand, doubles and splits included, and we have no such table for any Canadian rules: our blackjack engine works out the house edge of a set of rules, not the spread of results of a hand.
Precision. Chances are rounded to whole percents; below 1% they are shown to one figure or as “1 in N”. Money under $10 is shown in cents, above it in whole dollars.
The average cost per hour is the same figure as in Price of an hour, at the pace set here.
How often runs of one colour happen, and why they do not change the next spin: Streaks.
If it stops being fun
If gambling stops being entertainment, help is available. 19+ in most of Canada; 18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.
If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8
All ways to reach a helpline Set a money and time limit: Game plan Responsible gaming
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