Mini roulette explained

What mini roulette is and who makes it

Mini roulette is a software-only (RNG) take on roulette that shrinks the wheel to 13 pockets: a green zero plus the numbers 1 to 12. The best-known version comes from Playtech, and Wizard of Odds has also analysed an InBet version with slightly different rules. You won't find a 13-pocket wheel in a live studio; it's a computer game, so its results come from a random number generator rather than a ball.

The layout keeps the familiar look. There's a small grid of 12 numbers in rows of three, coloured red and black, with the zero at the top, and the usual inside and outside betting areas, scaled down. Because there are only 12 numbers, the outside bets change: instead of dozens and 1-18/19-36 you get columns of four numbers and three six-number ranges.

The appeal is obvious. Every bet hits more often, the screen is uncluttered, and the game runs fast. The catch is the maths, which the rest of this page sets out in full.

Mini roulette payouts and odds by bet

Every payout on the small wheel is lower than on a 37-pocket table, because each bet covers a much larger share of the wheel. The table below uses Playtech's paytable as published by Wizard of Odds' mini roulette analysis (opens in a new tab), with the chance of winning worked out from 13 pockets.

Compare that with the roulette odds on a European wheel. A single number there wins 1 time in 37 and pays 35 to 1; here it wins 1 time in 13 and pays 11 to 1. An even-money bet is slightly less likely to win on the mini wheel (46.15% against 48.65%), because the zero is one pocket in 13 rather than one in 37.

The 4-9 bet is unusual. It's a block of six numbers in the middle of the range, and it overlaps both 1-6 and 7-12, so it isn't a 'half' of the wheel in the normal sense.

The mini roulette house edge, worked through

The house edge is where mini roulette parts company with the full-size game. The payouts are set as if the wheel had 12 numbers, but it has 13, so one pocket in 13 is the casino's margin. Without any special zero rule, that's 1/13, or 7.69%, on every bet.

Playtech's version, as Wizard of Odds modelled it, softens this with a half-back rule: if zero lands, a bet that doesn't cover zero loses only half its stake. That cuts the edge on those bets to 3.85%. Bets that do include zero (a straight bet on 0, the 0-1-2 and 0-2-3 trios, or 0-1-2-3) get no such help and keep the full 7.69%.

Worked example: £1 on a single number

Put £1 on number 5 for 13 spins and imagine each pocket comes up once. Number 5 wins once, paying £11. Zero comes up once and, under the half-back rule, costs you 50p. The other 11 numbers cost £1 each, so £11. Your net is £11 − £0.50 − £11 = −£0.50 over £13 staked, which is 3.85%. Without the half-back rule, the zero costs the full £1, the net is −£1 over £13, and the edge is 7.69%.

Wizard of Odds points out that the half-back rule it modelled contradicts the game's own help file. If the version you open doesn't return half on zero, every bet costs 7.69%. Treat the help screen at your casino as the final word.

How mini roulette rules differ from European roulette

Each change from the standard European roulette game either costs you or gives a little back. Here's how they stack up.

• Smaller wheel (13 pockets, not 37). This is the big cost. The zero's share rises from 2.70% of the wheel to 7.69%.
• Lower payouts. 11 to 1 on a single, not 35 to 1. Lower payouts follow from the smaller wheel and don't cost anything extra by themselves; the edge comes from paying as if there were 12 numbers.
• Half-back on zero (Playtech, where it applies). This gives back half the zero's cost on most bets, taking 7.69% to 3.85%. It works like the La Partage rule, but it covers more than the even-money bets.
• No call bets or racetrack. There's no room for call bets like voisins du zéro on a 13-pocket wheel.
• RNG only. There's no live dealer version, so you can't watch a physical ball.

Even in its best case, mini roulette costs more than a European table: 3.85% against 2.70%. That gap is 1.15p for every pound staked, and it adds up quickly at RNG speed.

What mini roulette costs in pounds

The expected loss is simply the total you stake multiplied by the house edge. Speed matters, because a quick RNG game lets you put more money through in an hour than a live table. The figures below assume £1 a spin and 150 spins in a session, which is an example only; your pace will differ.

Those are averages over a very long run. In a single session you could easily finish ahead or well behind, because variance swamps the edge over a few hundred spins. What the edge tells you is the price you pay on average for each pound wagered, and on the mini wheel that price is higher.

How to play mini roulette online

The flow is the same as any RNG roulette game, only smaller.

1. Open the game and read the help screen, checking what happens to your bet when zero lands.
2. Choose a chip value. Remember that UK slot stake limits don't apply to roulette, so the table's own minimum and maximum set the range.
3. Place chips on the layout: a number, a line between two numbers, a row, a square, a column or one of the six-number outside bets.
4. Press spin. UK rules require at least 5 seconds per game cycle for casino games other than slots, and autoplay isn't allowed.
5. Winning bets are paid at the posted odds; under the half-back rule, bets that don't cover zero return half their stake when zero lands.
6. Use the re-bet button to repeat a layout if you want; it isn't autoplay, so you still press it each round.

Mini roulette myths and common mistakes

The small wheel encourages a few misreadings.

• 'Better odds of winning means better value.' A single number wins 1 in 13 here and 1 in 37 on a full wheel, but what matters is the payout set against that chance. The mini wheel pays less, relative to the true odds, than the European one does.
• 'Bet on zero because it's one in 13.' Zero is exactly as likely as any other number. Bets that include zero lose the half-back protection, so they're the dearest on the table at 7.69%.
• 'A short wheel is easier to read for patterns.' Each spin is independent. The gambler's fallacy works the same way on 13 pockets as on 37.
• 'A staking plan can fix the edge.' Doubling up after losses doesn't change the edge on any wheel; see our page on the Martingale system.

Mini roulette in the UK: rules that apply

Mini roulette is a casino game but not a slot, so the online slot stake caps of £5 (or £2 for players aged 18–24) don't apply to it. The rules that do apply are the general casino game design rules: no autoplay, at least 5 seconds per game cycle, no playing several games at once, and your net spend and time played shown on screen.

As an RNG game, it must meet the Gambling Commission's RTS 7 rules on random outcomes (opens in a new tab). They require the results to be acceptably random and require a simulated wheel to have the same theoretical probabilities as a real one. On a 13-pocket wheel that means each pocket comes up 1 time in 13 on average. The game's rules and payouts must also be shown to players before they bet.

Is mini roulette worth playing? Who it suits

Mini roulette suits someone who likes the look of a tiny wheel and accepts paying more for it. If the aim is the lowest cost per pound staked, a single-zero table is cheaper, and French rules are cheaper still on even-money bets. Our mini roulette against European roulette comparison puts the two side by side, and which roulette bet is best covers the full-size game.

Where to play mini roulette in the UK

Our partner offers aren't roulette offers, and we can't confirm that any partner lists mini roulette, so check the casino's game lobby. Table games are often excluded from bonus wagering or count for less, so read the terms before you assume a bonus helps here. All offers are for 18+ new customers, and terms apply.

• Casumo: 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of £20 or more; opt in, wager the bonus 10x within 7 days, £5 maximum bet while the bonus is active, and game and payment restrictions apply.
• 10bet: 100% match up to £25 when you pick the casino welcome bonus and deposit within 7 days; wager the bonus 10x on slots within 3 days, maximum bonus winnings £1,000, Skrill and Neteller excluded.
• Coral: bet £10 on slots to get 100 free spins on selected games at 10p each, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings; some payment methods don't qualify. The offer runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.