Column

Placement

The three “2:1” boxes at the foot of the layoutequipmentLayoutThe printed betting grid on the table. Also: table, felt, cloth.Read full →, one under each columnbetColumnTwelve numbers in one vertical column of the layout, pays 2:1.Read full →. Column 1 holds 1, 4, 7 … 34; column 2 holds 2, 5, 8 … 35; column 3 holds 3, 6, 9 … 36. Each must meet the table minimum on its own. ZerowheelZeroThe single green pocket that no even-money, dozen or column bet covers; the source of the house edge. Also: single zero, 0.Read full → is in no column.

Roulette Table Limits

Payout and expectation

Identical to a dozenbetDozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–36, pays 2:1.Read full →: fair odds 2.083 to 1, table pays 2, expected lossmathExpected lossExpected value times total amount wagered; the average amount lost over a session or a period.Read full → 2.70% of stake, standard deviationmathStandard deviationSquare root of variance; the typical distance of a result from the expected value.Read full → 1.39 per unitmoneyUnitThe base stake a system or a player works in. Progressions are described in units so they apply at any table.Read full →.

Color mix

The columns are not color-balanced. Column 1 has six redbetRedEven-money bet on the 18 red numbers. French: rouge.Read full → and six blackbetBlackEven-money bet on the 18 black numbers. French: noir.Read full →. Column 2 has four red (5, 14, 23, 32) and eight black. Column 3 has eight red and four black (6, 15, 24, 33). This matters only if you combine a column with a color bet and want to know how often both win: column 3 plus red hits both on eight numbers, while column 2 plus red hits both on four.

Why they feel different from dozens

A dozen is twelve consecutive numbers; a column skips two between each. On the wheel both are scattered, so neither is a sectorwheelSectorA contiguous arc of pockets on the wheel, as distinct from a group on the layout.Read full →. The difference is cosmetic, but it is why “column systems” and “dozen systems” are sold as different products despite being the same bet.

Combinations

Two columns, like two dozens, win 24 of 37 spins for a net of one unit. A column plus a dozen overlaps on four numbers (column 1 and the first dozen share 1, 4, 7, 10), covering 20 numbers with a double hit on four of them. The Bet Builder tool shows the exact distribution.

Bet Builder

Questions