The Cone Roulette Side Bet: Rules and Payouts

The Cone pays up to 300-to-1 just for getting close to your number. You don't need a perfect hit to walk away with cash. Miss your exact number? You can still win. The bet covers three zones that spread out from whatever number you picked.

Here's what you need to know: how it works, where you can play it, what you'll win in each zone, and whether the casino's bigger cut is worth it.

What is The Cone roulette side bet?

The Cone is a bonus bet you'll only find on Richer Roulette tables. Land the ball somewhere near your number and you can win up to 300-to-1. Regular straight-up bets? You need a direct hit, or you lose everything. The Cone actually pays you for coming close. Get closer to your number, win more money. Simple.

Think of it like a target with concentric rings. Hit the bullseye (your exact number) and you collect the maximum. Land in the surrounding rings and you still win, just at lower amounts. Those zones are the whole point. They separate The Cone from every other roulette bet you know.

Here's the basic idea:

• The Cone: A side bet placed on a separate racetrack layout printed on the table
• Zone payouts: Winnings depend on proximity to your chosen number on the wheel
• Maximum return: Up to 300-to-1 for a direct hit, compared to 35-to-1 on a standard straight-up bet

Why call it The Cone? Look at the wheel. Your winning zones spread out like a cone from whatever number you bet. You're not betting on one pocket anymore. You're covering a wedge of pockets sitting next to your number.

What is Richer Roulette

Richer Roulette (sometimes called Richer Spin Roulette) is the only game that has The Cone. You won't find it anywhere else. TCS John Huxley makes casino equipment. They built Richer Roulette by taking regular American roulette and adding bonus bets like The Cone.

The base game plays exactly like any American roulette table with 38 pockets (numbers 1-36 plus 0 and 00). All your regular inside and outside bets work the same way. Richer Roulette just throws The Cone on top as an extra bet. More ways to win, more ways to lose.

El Cortez in Las Vegas runs Richer Roulette. It's probably the most famous spot where you can play The Cone. Players there seem to like it. The bet gets plenty of action.

How to place The Cone bet

The racetrack layout

Look for the oval racetrack on the table. It's away from the regular grid, shows all the numbers in wheel order. The racetrack doesn't use the normal 1-2-3 grid layout. Numbers run in the same order they appear on the actual wheel.

Want to bet The Cone? Drop your chip on any number in that racetrack area. One chip covers that number and all the zones around it on the wheel. Forget the grid. You're betting on where that number sits on the actual wheel, plus everything close by.

Bet timing and limits

Dealers call "no more side bets" before the ball drops, which happens slightly earlier than the standard "no more bets" announcement for regular wagers. Getting your Cone bets down early avoids missing the cutoff.

No limit on how many Cone bets you can make. Bet three numbers, ten numbers, whatever you want. Three numbers, five, ten. Your call. Each bet stands alone. Win on one, lose on another. They don't mess with each other. Sometimes zones overlap. Land the ball there and you might collect on two or three Cone bets at once.

The Cone payout structure

What you win comes down to how close the ball lands to your number. Three zones. Three different payouts.

Dollar amounts change depending on the casino and table limits. Check the pay table before you bet.

Inner zone payouts

Ball lands right on your number? That's the inner zone. Biggest payout. Bet a dollar at 300-to-1 odds and you'll get $300 back, plus your dollar.

Regular straight-up bets only pay 35-to-1 on the same number. The Cone pays about eight and a half times more for hitting your number.

Middle zone payouts

Middle zone? That's the pockets right next to your number on the wheel. Say you bet 17. Ball lands on whatever number sits next to 17 on the wheel (not the grid). You win the middle payout.

This is what makes The Cone weird in a good way. Near misses that cost you money on regular bets? They pay on The Cone.

Outer zone payouts

The outer zone goes even wider. Grabs more pockets near your number. You win less here, but you'll win more often. Like grinding small wins with a chance at bigger ones? The outer zone does that.

House edge and odds on The Cone

High payouts come with a catch. The casino takes a bigger cut. The Cone has a bigger house edge than regular roulette bets, which run about 5.26% on American wheels.

What does that look like in practice?

• Longer losing streaks: Expect more spins between wins compared to outside bets
• Bigger swings: When you win, you win more. When you lose, the losses accumulate faster.
• Bankroll pressure: The Cone can drain your stack quicker than grinding red/black or odd/even

Most people throw a little money on The Cone for fun. They don't build their whole strategy around it. Toss a few bucks on it if you want more action. You won't blow your whole bankroll. Use it like hot sauce, not the meal itself. Your bankroll will last longer.

Pros and cons of roulette side bets like The Cone

Pros

• Higher payout ceiling: Standard roulette maxes out at 35-to-1. The Cone reaches 300-to-1.
• Independent wager: The Cone runs separate from your regular bets. Win or lose on one, it won't touch the other.
• Near misses pay: The zone structure turns some losing spins into winning ones.
• Simple to understand: Pick a number, watch where the ball lands, check the zones. No complex math required.

Cons

• Higher house edge: Bigger payouts mean worse odds over time.
• Limited availability: Only casinos running Richer Roulette tables offer The Cone. It's not widespread.
• Variance cuts both ways: The swings cut both ways. Big wins when you're hot, long losing streaks when you're not.

How The Cone compares to other roulette side bets

Other roulette side bets exist. The Cone isn't unique in offering more ways to win. A few alternatives you might encounter:

• Lucky Ball Roulette: Applies random multipliers to specific numbers each spin. Less predictable than The Cone's fixed zone structure.
• Spread-Bet Roulette: Another zone-based side bet with different payout tiers and mechanics.
• Roul 8: Based on figure-eight number patterns across the layout.

The Cone beats the others in one way: it's easy to see if you won. Pick your number, watch the ball land, check the zones. You'll know right away if you won and how much. No multiplier calculations or pattern tracking involved.

Most roulette side bets work the same way. Worse odds, bigger potential wins. The zone setup just makes more sense than most other side bets.

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