Gambling GuideStraights and 8's
Introduction
Straights and 8's is a roulette side bet by Aces Up Gaming. I first saw it at the 2017 Global Gaming Expo. At the time of this writing (Oct. 7, 2017) it has placements in Colorado at the Saratoga casino in Blackhawk and the Brass Ass in Cripple Creek. Winning sequences of two or three consecutive rolls will feature consecutive, or near consecutive, numbers or all numbers containing an 8.
Rules
Winning events in Straights and 8's are as follows:
- 8-18-28: The last three numbers are an 8, 18, and 28 in any order. Example: 18, 28, 8
- Three sequential numbers: The last three numbers are consecutive, in any order. Example: 22,24,23
- Three numbers ending in 8: The last three numbers all end in 8 with at least one repeat. Example: 28, 8, 28
- Two sequential numbers: The first two of the last three numbers are consecutive. Example: 18, 17, 5 or 29, 30, 00
- First two numbers 8's: The first two of the last three numbers all end in 8. Repeats are allowed. Example: 8, 28, 15 or 28, 28, 0
- First two numbers with one gap: The first two of the last three numbers are separated by exactly one number. Example: 18, 16, 5 or 28, 30, 00
The 0 and 00 do not represent any number. If either comes out in the first two numbers, then the Straights and 8's bet will lose. The only either zero an be part of a winning combination is when the first two spins result in a win and the third spin doesn't help.
After three spins, or any spin that results in no possible win, whichever happens first, the dealer will adjudicate all bets and then call for new Straights and 8's bets. The dealer will use a special area on the table with laminated markers to note which player bet how much and a history of spins since the last bets were made.
The following pay tables are available for single-zero wheels.
Single-Zero Pay Tables
| Event | Pay Table 1 | Pay Table 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 299 | 500 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 50 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 50 |
| Two sequential numbers | 7 | 7 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 4 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 4 |
Double-Zero Pay Tables
| Event | Pay Table 3 | Pay Table 4 |
|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 299 | 500 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 50 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 50 |
| Two sequential numbers | 8 | 8 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 4 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 4 |
Analysis
The following four tables show my analysis of the pay tables above. The ratio of the expected player win to the amount bet is shown in the lower right corner. To get the house edge, remove the negative sign.
Single-Zero — Pay Table 1
| Event | Pays | Permutations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 299 | 6 | 0.000118 | 0.035417 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 204 | 0.004027 | 0.201370 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 21 | 0.000415 | 0.020729 |
| Two sequential numbers | 7 | 2,454 | 0.048447 | 0.339131 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 306 | 0.006041 | 0.024164 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 2,448 | 0.048329 | 0.193315 |
| All other | -1 | 45,214 | 0.892622 | -0.892622 |
| Total | 50,653 | 1.000000 | -0.078495 |
Single-Zero — Pay Table 2
| Event | Pays | Permutations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 500 | 6 | 0.000118 | 0.059227 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 204 | 0.004027 | 0.201370 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 21 | 0.000415 | 0.020729 |
| Two sequential numbers | 7 | 2,454 | 0.048447 | 0.339131 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 306 | 0.006041 | 0.024164 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 2,448 | 0.048329 | 0.193315 |
| All other | -1 | 45,214 | 0.892622 | -0.892622 |
| Total | 50,653 | 1.000000 | -0.054686 |
Double-Zero — Pay Table 3
| Event | Pays | Permutations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 299 | 6 | 0.000109 | 0.032694 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 204 | 0.003718 | 0.185887 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 21 | 0.000383 | 0.019135 |
| Two sequential numbers | 8 | 2,524 | 0.045998 | 0.367984 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 315 | 0.005741 | 0.022963 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 2,516 | 0.045852 | 0.183409 |
| All other | -1 | 49,286 | 0.898199 | -0.898199 |
| Total | 54,872 | 1.000000 | -0.086128 |
Double-Zero — Pay Table 4
| Event | Pays | Permutations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-18-28 | 500 | 6 | 0.000109 | 0.054673 |
| Three sequential numbers | 50 | 204 | 0.003718 | 0.185887 |
| Three numbers ending in 8 | 50 | 21 | 0.000383 | 0.019135 |
| Two sequential numbers | 8 | 2,524 | 0.045998 | 0.367984 |
| First two numbers 8's | 4 | 315 | 0.005741 | 0.022963 |
| First two numbers with one gap | 4 | 2,516 | 0.045852 | 0.183409 |
| All other | -1 | 49,286 | 0.898199 | -0.898199 |
| Total | 54,872 | 1.000000 | -0.064149 |
The following table summarizes the house edge for each pay table.
House Edge Summary
| Zeroes | Pay Table | House Edge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 7.85% |
| 1 | 2 | 5.47% |
| 2 | 3 | 8.61% |
| 2 | 4 | 6.41% |
Written by: Michael Shackleford
