1st and 3rd Column Roulette Strategy

The 1st and 3rd column strategy is simple: place equal bets on the 1st and 3rd columns at the same time. On a standard fair European wheel with 37 pockets and a standard 2:1 column payout, that covers 24 numbers, wins on 24/37 = 64.86% of spins, returns a net +1 base unit when either chosen column hits, and loses -2 base units when the 2nd column or zero lands. It gives you more frequent small wins than an even-money bet, but it does not create positive expected value.

If you want the quick money version, use $5 per column as the working example. Your total bet is $10 per spin. On European roulette, a hit on either chosen column gives +$5; a miss gives -$10; exact EV is -$0.27027 per spin, which means a 2.70% house edge on total stake. On American roulette with 38 pockets, the same $5 + $5 setup gives +$5 on a hit, -$10 on a miss, EV -$0.526316, and a 5.26% house edge.

Where to place the chips

Put one chip on the 2 to 1 box for the 1st column and one chip on the 2 to 1 box for the 3rd column. Table orientation can rotate depending on layout, so match the numbers, not a left-versus-right visual guess. A column is a layout group, not a dozen and not a neighboring wheel sector.

The three column sets are:

• 1st column: 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34
• 2nd column: 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35
• 3rd column: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36

Zero is an outside pocket and is not part of any column. On American roulette, both 0 and 00 sit outside the columns. Before playing, check the current help/paytable and the column-specific minimum and maximum at the table. If you only want to test the setup, use a demo table if available in your region or the free calculator below instead of depositing first.

The immediate setup and payout example

Start with equal fixed stakes on the 1st and 3rd columns and keep the amount the same on every spin if you want the cleanest version of the strategy. With $5 on each column, your total cost per spin is $10. If either chosen column wins, that winning column returns $15 including stake, while the other $5 loses, so the net result is +$5. If the 2nd column lands, both bets lose for -$10. On European roulette, zero also means -$10.

Here is the full outcome table for the $5 + $5 example on European roulette. The column payout structure is confirmed in the historical supplier manual for live European roulette, v1.13, dated 12 February 2021, which lists 12 numbers per column and a 2:1 payout for column bets (PDF manual).

Covered numbers win often, but the payout is still smaller than the combined loss state. That is why “24 covered numbers” does not mean “profitable.” Two winning spins and one losing spin break even: +5 + 5 - 10 = 0. In other words, long-run break-even needs a hit rate of two-thirds, while the actual single-spin win probability is only 24/37 = 64.86% on European roulette, with zero included on the losing side.

Use the free calculator first

The calculator gives the exact probabilities and EV for equal fixed stakes on two columns in European or American roulette, then optionally shows one random simulation path. It is useful for checking the strategy math before you look at a live table, but the simulation is not a forecast.

To reproduce the article example:

1. Select European roulette.
2. Enter 5 as bet per column.
3. Enter 20 as number of spins.
4. Read the summary cards first: total bet $10, EV per spin $-0.27, EV % -2.70%, coverage 64.9%.
5. Then, if you want a random session illustration, click Run Simulation.

The calculator’s number of spins affects simulation length only. It does not change per-spin EV or probability. Its random session model starts with an initial bankroll of 100, uses the total bet you selected, and stops early if it cannot place the next full bet. So a 20-spin simulation may end before 20 if the bankroll drops below the required stake.

Calculator settings for the 1st and 3rd column strategy with $5 per column and 20 spins

Enter $5 in the bet-per-column field and 20 in the number-of-spins field. This screenshot shows the settings fields only, not a wheel result or session outcome.

European summary cards for the 1st and 3rd column calculator showing total bet $10, EV $-0.27, EV % -2.70%, and coverage 64.9%

With European roulette and $5 per column, the calculator summary rounds to total bet $10, EV $-0.27, EV % -2.70%, and coverage 64.9%.

American summary cards for the 1st and 3rd column calculator showing total bet $10, EV $-0.53, EV % -5.26%, and coverage 63.2%

Switching the same $5 + $5 setup to American roulette changes the summary to EV $-0.53, EV % -5.26%, and coverage 63.2% because 0 and 00 are both outside the columns.

UI rounding explains the slight difference between display values and exact fractions. For example, 64.9% is the rounded form of 64.864864...%, while $-0.27 is the rounded display for the exact EU EV -10/37 = $-0.27027.... The screenshots show the live calculator interface with the same example inputs. Also note the scale difference: the calculator illustration here uses $5 on each column for a total of $10, while the chart block below normalizes outcomes with 1 on each column for a total of 2.

Choosing a table and checking the live rules

If you want to try the strategy for real, the practical move is to find a European roulette table first, confirm the wheel type, confirm that standard column bets still pay 2:1, and check both the minimum per-column stake and your total cost per spin. This is where the strategy becomes usable: simple setup, frequent small wins, and clear arithmetic before you commit any money.

Use this quick comparison when picking between common outside bets with the same total stake of $10 on European roulette:

Any equal-stake two-column pair is mathematically equivalent: 1st+3rd, 1st+2nd, and 2nd+3rd all have the same coverage and EV on the same wheel. The same is true for two dozens. What changes is win size versus hit rate, not the sign of the expectation.

This site may earn a commission if you use the commercial block below, but that does not change the wheel odds or the math of the strategy. Operator selection, table availability, demo access, bonus contribution, and withdrawal terms depend on your region and the current lobby, so confirm the rules before deciding whether to play. Check age and legal availability in your location as well.

Open a partner casino, look for European roulette in the lobby if it is available, and confirm the wheel type, table help, payout table, demo access, and per-column limits before participating.

What the EV really is

For equal fixed stakes, the EV is exact and easy to compute. On European roulette with $5 per column, the strategy wins +$5 on 24 pockets and loses -$10 on 13 pockets.

E = (24/37) * 5 + (13/37) * (-10) = -10/37 = -0.27027...

On American roulette, the extra 00 increases the losing side to 14 pockets:

E = (24/38) * 5 + (14/38) * (-10) = -20/38 = -0.526316...

That means if you make 100 fixed spins at a total of $10 each, the expected loss is about $27.03 on European roulette and $52.63 on American roulette. That turnover is $1,000; it is not the same thing as your starting deposit, and it is not a guaranteed actual result. A short session can still finish ahead.

The session arithmetic is the part many players actually want. With net +$5 on a winning spin and -$10 on a losing spin:

• 10 spins with 7 wins and 3 losses: 7*5 - 3*10 = +$5
• 10 spins with 6 wins and 4 losses: 6*5 - 4*10 = -$10
• 20 spins with 13 wins and 7 losses: 13*5 - 7*10 = -$5
• 20 spins with 14 wins and 6 losses: 14*5 - 6*10 = +$10

So spin win frequency and session profit probability are not the same thing. On European roulette, a single spin wins 64.86% of the time, but a fixed 20-spin session is profitable only if you get at least 14 wins. Under the binomial model where all 20 spins are actually played, the probability of finishing ahead is 41.17% on European roulette and 35.07% on American roulette. That is different from the calculator’s bankroll-limited simulation, which can stop early if the fixed starting bankroll of 100 can no longer cover the next total bet.

Normalized outcome chart

This chart block shows the same two-column idea on a smaller normalized stake: 1 on each selected column, total stake 2. It is for quick shape comparison, not for matching the $10 calculator example dollar-for-dollar.

Read the chart as a unit-scale version of the same strategy. At 1 per selected column, European EV is -2/37 = -0.05405... per spin, and American EV is -4/38 = -0.10526... per spin. The probabilities stay the same; only the stake scale changes.

Is this better than other outside bets?

Not in expected value. The comparison table above already shows the key difference: two columns and two dozens share the same +$5 / -$10 profile and 64.86% hit rate on European roulette, while red/black keeps the same 2.70% house edge with a +$10 / -$10 profile and a 48.65% hit rate.

French roulette can be different for qualifying even-money bets because La Partage returns half the stake when zero lands. Evolution’s public roulette product page shows the scope of that rule for qualifying even-money bets, while the historical return figures 97.30% for columns and 98.65% for qualifying even-money bets come from the dated European roulette manual, v1.13, 12.02.2021 (Evolution roulette overview; EU manual PDF). That benefit does not extend to columns because columns pay 2:1, not 1:1, and current table rules should always be checked before use.

Unequal stakes, zero hedges, and full coverage traps

You can change the stake sizes, but that changes the shape of outcomes, not the house edge. If you bet $3 on the 1st column and $7 on the 3rd, your total stake is still $10, your coverage is still 24/37, and European EV stays the same at $-0.27027....

The outcomes become:

Only the 3rd-column hits are profitable here, so the chance of a positive result on a spin is just 12/37 = 32.43%, even though 24 numbers are still covered.

A zero hedge works the same way. If you bet $5 on the 1st column, $5 on the 3rd, and $1 on zero, the total stake becomes $11.

The house edge percentage stays 2.70%, but your absolute expected loss per spin increases because your total stake is larger.

Betting all three columns equally is another common trap. With $5 on every column, all non-zero results break even and zero loses the full $15.

You can also combine a column pair with a color bet or another outside bet, but that is a different structure with different net states. It is not the base 1st-and-3rd-column strategy anymore.

How doubling and tripling progressions work here

Doubling after losses does not recover cleanly on a two-column model because a win only nets one stake unit across the pair, while each loss costs two stake units across the pair. If you double per column as 1, 2, 4, then after two losses your total previous losses are 2 + 4 = 6. The next bet is 4 on each column, total 8, and a win nets only +4, leaving the whole cycle at -2.

Here is the exact doubling table per column versus combined total:

Tripling per column does recover +1 on the next win, but only if the bankroll and table limit allow the next stake before a win arrives. The sequence is 1, 3, 9, 27, 81, 243 per column.

The cap arrives fast. With a fictional bankroll of 100, after four straight misses you have lost 80 and have 20 left. The next tripled step would require 162 total, so you cannot place it. That example is about stake growth hitting a bankroll cap, not a claim about any specific casino limit.

A run of five preselected misses is possible even on European roulette: probability (13/37)^5 = 0.5354%; on American roulette, (14/38)^5 = 0.6788%. That number describes one chosen five-spin block, not the chance of seeing some streak somewhere in a longer session, and not any “ruin probability.” Spins remain independent; a column is not due after recent misses. If you want to study progression mechanics rather than use them here, see Labouchère roulette strategy. A standard Martingale simulator for even-money bets is not an exact model for this two-column setup and should not be used as if it were.

Practical checks before you play

Before placing real bets, confirm the wheel, the payout table, and the actual cost of the strategy at your chosen stake. That gives you the useful part of the strategy without pretending it is a guaranteed income method.

A good pre-play checklist is:

• choose European roulette if you want the lower standard house edge;
• confirm the wheel has one zero, not 0 plus 00 or 000;
• confirm columns still pay 2:1 on the current help/paytable;
• check the minimum and maximum per column, then multiply by two for your total cost per spin;
• if you use a bonus, read wagering contribution and withdrawal terms first because roulette often counts differently or not at all;
• test the setup in demo mode if available, or use the free calculator first;
• set your own loss, time, and turnover limits in advance, and stop when the cap is reached rather than chasing.

The appeal of two columns is real: simple placement and a higher chance of small net wins than an even-money bet. If you want related math or alternatives, useful next reads are house edge explained, the 24/8 roulette strategy, the Labouchère roulette strategy, and video roulette strategy. For quick turnover arithmetic, the house edge calculator can help, but note that rounded presets may show $27.00 or $52.60 rather than the exact $27.03 and $52.63 from full fractions.