Most people would say that the only bad bet in roulette is using the American wheel. After all, the house holds a 5.26% edge on the American roulette wheel and only a 2.7% edge on the European wheel. However, not everybody has access to a European wheel, and most casinos like to offer the American wheel anyways because it gives them the advantage.
This being said, a lot of bettors are subjected to the American wheel, and must deal with all of the bets that offer the house a 5.26% edge. Going even farther, novice bettors sometimes subject themselves to the worst roulette bet available using this wheel.
At this point, you might be wondering what the worst roulette wager is. To satisfy your curiosity, the worst roulette wager is the Top Line bet. The Top Line bet is only offered on the American wheel, and it involves wagering on the ball to land in the five number 00, 0, 1, 2, and 3 section.
You have less than a 7 in 1 shot of winning this bet (13.16%) yet the casino only makes 6:1 payouts on the wins. When everything is put into perspective, the house holds a 7.89% advantage over you on the Top Line bet. Considering that every other American wheel bet only offers the house the aforementioned 5.26% edge, this makes the Top Line wager the worst in the game.
The good thing is that most novices won’t have to worry about being sucked into making this five number bet because it’s not offered in a lot of casinos. However, that’s not to say there aren’t plenty of casinos willing to slip this wager into their lineup of roulette bets. Just be sure to avoid making this bet whenever you see it offered because the Top Line wager offers the absolute worst odds.
