Big Six wheel

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The Big Six wheel, also known simply as The Big Six or
Wheel of Fortune, is an unequal game of chance, played
using a large vertical wheel that can be spun.

Since 13 May 2002, it can be played legally in licensed

casinos in the United Kingdom, under The Gaming Clubs
(Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
(Statutory Instrument 2002/1130).

The game is also known in casinos in the United States.

Contents
1 Rules
2 Variants
2.1 Money wheel
2.2 Dice wheel
2.3 United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
2.4 Other variants
3 References
4 External links

Rules
The wheel is divided into a number of equal segments
separated by spokes or pins. Each segment is associated
with a number. The wheel is spun by a dealer, and the
winning segment is indicated by a pointer mounted on a
flexible piece of rubber or leather, which also rubs against
the pins to impart friction and slow the wheel down. Should
the player stop the wheel, the segment at the top is the
winner.

Variants
There are a number of variants of the game, that divide the
wheel into a different number of segments, use different
symbols in the segments, and have different odds if a
symbol is selected.

Money wheel

This variant is the most common in casinos in the United

States. The symbols are $1, $2, $5, $10 and $20 bills — and
two special symbols, a joker and the casino logo. The $1 bills
pay at odds of 1 to 1, the $2 bills at 2 to 1, the $5 bills at 5 to
1, and so on. The joker and the logo pay at odds of 40 to 1 or
45 to 1, depending on local gaming regulations or the
practice of the casino.

The house advantage or edge (the proportion of the stakes

that the casino expects to win on average) of this game is
one of the highest of most casino games. In the United
States it ranges from 11.1% on the $1-bill bet to more than
24% on the joker or logo (when it pays at 40 to 1). In
Australia the house edge is 7.69% on all bets, so that the
payouts on a 52-segment wheel are 47:1, 23:1, 11:1, 5:1, 3:1
and 1:1.

Dice wheel

The symbols on the wheel represent

some of the 216 possible combinations
of three dice. Sometimes the same
combination appears in more than one
segment. Players wager on the numbers
1 through 6. If the number appears on
one of the dice in the winning segment,
the dealer pays at 1 to 1; on two of the
dice, 2 to 1; on all three of the dice, 3 to
1.
An example of the 'dice
wheel' variant produced
One example of a dice wheel, by H. C. Evans & Co. of
manufactured by H. C. Evans & Co. of Chicago

Chicago (or its successor), is divided

into 54 segments. Each of the triples appears four times.
The following doubles each appear four times: 2, 1, 1; 2, 2, 1;
4, 3, 3; 5, 4, 4; 6, 5, 5; and 6, 6, 3. The following
combinations each appear three times: 3, 2, 1; and 6, 5, 4.

In the example above, there are 54 possible outcomes for a

single spin of the wheel. For a specific number:

There are 7 possible outcomes where only one die will

match the number
There are 4 possible outcomes where only two dice will
match
There are 4 possible outcomes where all three dice will
match

At odds of 1 to 1, 2 to 1 and 3 to 1 respectively for each of

these types of outcome, the expected loss as a percentage
of the stake wagered is:

1 - [(7/54) * 2 + (4/54) * 3 + (4/54) * 4] = 22.2%

The symbolism of the game is redolent of chuck-a-luck or

sic bo, games of chance played with three dice. However,
the house advantage or edge is greater than for chuck-a-
luck, which itself has a higher house advantage than other
casino games.

This variety is seldom seen in casinos, but frequently seen

as a carnival game, or at a charity "Monte Carlo night" fund-
raiser. A similar game, the "Big Nine" wheel, has five
numbers on each segment, and also three special symbols,
appearing on three spaces each, which pay 10:1 odds.

United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand

A legal game in a licensed casino in the United Kingdom,

Australia or New Zealand involves a wheel at least 1.5 metres
in diameter divided into 52 segments, each marked with one
of seven symbols (referred to as A to G). The table below
sets out the frequency of the symbols, their probability, the
associated odds specified, and the house advantage or
edge.

Odds
Number Odds House
Probability offered
Symbol of offered edge
of winning in AUS
segments in UK in UK
& NZ

A 1 out of 52 1.9% 50 to 1 1.9% 47 to 1

B 1 out of 52 1.9% 50 to 1 1.9% 47 to 1
2 out of
C 3.9% 20 to 1 19.2% 23 to 1
52
4 out of
D 7.7% 10 to 1 15.4% 11 to 1
52
8 out of
E 15.4% 5 to 1 7.7% 5 to 1
52
12 out of
F 23.1% 3 to 1 7.7% 3 to 1
52
 24 out of
G 46.2% 1 to 1 7.7% 1 to 1
52

Other variants

Other variants, using different symbols and odds, are

relatively rare in the United States.

One variant called "Mississippi Derby" was used for a short

time at the Grand Casino in Gulfport, Mississippi. (The
casino was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.) The
symbols were combinations of three of a number of different
horses, arranged to represent a winner, a second-placed
horse and a third-placed horse. (The horses were
represented in three concentric rings, with the winner on the
outer ring.) Players wagered on particular horses to "win",
"place" or "show", as with betting in horse racing. The
payoffs varied from horse to horse, depending on how many
times and where the horse appeared on the rings. Odds
ranged from 40 to 1 for the "longshot" to win, down to 1-2
for the "favorite" to show.

References
Regulation in the United Kingdom

Statutory Instrument 1994 No. 2899 The Gaming Clubs

(Bankers' Games) Regulations 1994
 Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 597 The Gaming Clubs
(Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2000
Statutory Instrument 2002 No. 1130 The Gaming Clubs
(Bankers' Games) (Amendment) Regulations 2002

Regulation in New Zealand

Division 10 - Money Wheel of the Rules of Games

External links
Probabilities of Big Six wheel

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Gambling

Games See: Gambling games

Casino
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Gambling mathematics
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Poker probability
 Advantage gambling
Science Card counting
Dice control
Strategies Asian handicap
Due Column betting
Labouchère system
Martingale

Terminology See: Gambling terminology

Casino game
Game of chance
Miscellaneous Game of skill
List of bets
Problem gambling