Unlike slot machines or blackjack, Big Six isn’t one of the most popular casino games. Nevertheless, it does retain a small following among gamblers.
Fashioned after Wheel of Fortune, the Big Six Wheel is popular among game show fans and gamblers who seek something new. As a result, many brick and mortar casinos offer this game.
Unlike most land-based casino games, though, Big Six isn’t very prevalent on the internet scene. Therefore, you may wonder if online Big Six Wheel even exists.
I’m going to discuss if this game is actually available at online casinos. I’ll also dive into its rules and basics if you’re new to the matter.
Rules of Big Six
The Big Six Wheel features dozens of small spaces that are marked with dollar amounts. It also includes two game logos that pay the largest prizes.
The goal is to bet on the winning dollar amount or logo. When all bets are placed, the dealer will spin the wheel. Once the wheel comes to a stop, a pointer determines the winning result.
A typical Big Six Wheel features 54 spaces. However, the amount of slices can vary based on the casino in question.
The setup for a common wheel breaks down as follows:
$1 – 24 spaces; pays 1:1
$2 – 15 spaces; pays 2:1
$5 – 7 spaces; pays 5:1
$10 – 4 spaces; pays 10:1
$20 – 2 spaces; pays 20:1
Casino logo – 2 spaces; pays 40:1
Keep in mind that the dollar amounts indicate what you stand to win, not the bet size. If you wager $1 on the $2 space, for example, you’re in line to win $2 (2:1 payout). If you wager $5 on the $2 space, then you can earn $10.
Therefore, you could win a lot of money relative to your bet by wagering on the $20 or logo spaces. The problem, though, is that these spaces are less frequent and provide lower odds to win.
How to Play Big Six Wheel
Like many table games, Big Six looks complex at first sight. The wheel contains numerous slices, while the table is marked with many dollar spaces.
Luckily, though, you shouldn’t struggle too much with this game once you grasp the basics. Here’s a step-by-step guide on playing Big Six.
Step 1 – Buy Chips
Big Six Wheel is like any other table game in that you must purchase chips before playing. But it’s also unique in that it features $1 tokens, which aren’t available with other table games.
You use these metal dollar tokens to wager on $1 spaces. Of course, Big Six also features regular chip denominations such as $5, $10, and $25.
As with any table game, you hand cash to the dealer to buy chips. You’ll then receive an amount of chips commensurate to your buy-in amount.
Step 2 – Make a Bet(s)
To place bets, you simply put your dollars or tokens on the desired spaces. If you want to wager on the $10 space, for example, then you’ll place $10 worth of chips on this area.
Also note that you can make multiple wagers in a single round. Therefore, you can bet on two or more spaces.
Step 3 – Watch the Round Play Out
The dealer spins the wheel once all bets have been placed. You win if the pointer lands on the space that you wagered on.
Assuming you bet on $5, for instance, you want the pointer to point to any of the $5 slices. In this situation, you’d receive a 5:1 payout if successful.
Does Online Big Six Exist?
Online Big Six Wheel isn’t widely available. The software provider Gamesys, for example, offers an online Big Six Wheel that contains 51 spaces. This variation differs from the common land-based casino version, which has 54 spaces.
Gamesys’ Big Six Wheel setup is as follows:
$1 – 24 spaces; pays 1:1
$3 – 12 spaces; pays 3:1
$7 – 6 spaces; pays 7:1
$15 – 3 spaces; pays 15:1
$23 – 2 spaces; pays 23:1
Joker – 1 space; pays 47:1
Logo – 1 space; pays 47:1
Several live dealer software providers also offer Big Six Wheel. Only, they don’t call their games “Big Six.”
Evolution Gaming, for example, provides a variation called (live) Dream Catcher. The latter offers a traditional wheel with 54 slices.
However, it breaks from tradition by featuring two multipliers (2x and 7x) in place of the game logos. If the wheel lands on a multiplier, then the dealer spins once more to determine the payout. The multiplier is then applied to all wins.
Other live dealer versions of Big Six, such as Money Wheel and Wheel of Fortune, are also available. With that said, you’ll enjoy several options when playing online and live dealer Big Six.
What Land-Based Casinos Offer Big Six Wheel?
This game is much more available through brick and mortar casinos. Therefore, you can find Big Six at major gambling destinations with no problem.
Some of the gaming hotspots where Big Six Wheel is available include Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Macau, Mississippi, and Sydney.
Of course, this game isn’t just limited to these locations either. You’ll find it at a number of other casino destinations throughout the US and worldwide.
How Can You Win More With Big Six?
No matter if you’re playing online or in land-based casinos, you’ll want to maximize your Big Six Wheel winnings. With that said, here’s advice for boosting your odds of winning.
Some Bets Have Lower House Edges Than Others
The house edge on a Big Six bet is determined by the payoff and odds of winning. Regarding the latter, more spaces give you a better chance of winning.
Going back to the common wheel with 54 spaces, the $1 bet features the lowest house edge. You can see the house advantage for all wagers on this wheel below:
$1 – 11.11% house edge
$2 – 16.67%
$5 – 22.22%
$10 – 18.52%
$20 – 22.22%
Logo – 24.07%
The logo and $20 spaces may offer the best chances of winning. However, they also feature two of the worst house advantages, too.
Strangely enough, the $5 spot provides terrible odds. Meanwhile, the $1, $2, and $10 spots give you the best long-term chances of winning.
Choose Casinos and Software Providers With the Best Big Six Odds
Aside from considering the bets, you also need to pick the casinos and software providers that feature the lowest house edges. After all, Big Six odds can vary from one casino to the next.
You can see that the Macau wheel provides a better chance to win than most games. However, you can do even better than this at online casinos.
The Gamesys version, for example, features the same low house advantage on every spot:
$1 – 2.04% house edge
$3 – 2.04%
$7 – 2.04%
$15 – 2.04%
$23 – 2.04%
Logo – 2.04%
Joker – 2.04%
The 2.04% house advantage at Gamesys casinos is the best that I’ve personally seen. You may, however, find an even better online version by digging deep enough.
Prepare for Volatility
Big Six Wheel can be just as volatile as slot machines. This is especially true if you place riskier bets on $10, $20, or the logo.
The $20 spot, for example, only pays out 3.7% of the time on most wheels. You’re going to lose many bets before finally winning at this rate.
Of course, you can reduce the volatility by placing safe wagers on the $1 spot, which pays around 45% of the time. The $2 space, meanwhile, pays around 24.5% of the time.
Assuming you do wager on the riskier spaces, then the best way to prepare for this volatility is by properly managing your bankroll.
You’ll need more betting units (a.k.a. your average bet size) to prepare for the less frequent payouts involving high-value spots. If you consistently wager on the $20 space, for example, then you’ll win approximately one out of every 26 bets.
In this case, you’d need at least 26 units on average to win. Of course, you’d want even more than this to survive in case you don’t win at a consistent clip.
Long story short, you’ll want more units when betting on high-value spaces. In contrast, you can get away with fewer units when wagering on $1 and $2 spots.
If you enjoy the exciting action of Big Six, then you’ll be happy to know that it’s available on online casinos, too. You can enjoy the virtual and live dealer versions at internet casinos.
Virtual Big Six provides one of the lowest house edges in all of gaming. The Gamesys version, for instance, features a 2.04% house advantage on all bets.
Live dealer Big Six offers the opportunity to revel in a land-based casino atmosphere without leaving your house. Of course, you can always opt for brick and mortar casinos if you want the real deal.
In summary, Big Six Wheel is available in a variety of formats. You’ll have no trouble finding this game online or at land-based gambling destinations.
Michael Stevens has been researching and writing topics involving the gambling industry for well over a decade now and is considered an expert on all things casino and sports betting. Michael has been writing for GamblingSites.org since early 2016. ...
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