Deal or No Deal Roulette: a roulette table with a game show attached
Deal or No Deal Roulette is what happens when a television licence is laid over a roulette table: the wheel and the bets are familiar, and somewhere on the layout is a way into a bonus round with boxes, a phone and a Banker. The format has appeared from more than one studio in more than one shape, so this page is about how to read any version you meet rather than a single rule set. The questions are always the same: what is standard, what is extra, and what does the extra cost.
The roulette underneath
A single-zero layout with the usual bets is the normal base. Straight-ups, splits, corners, dozens, columns and even-money bets should pay the standard amounts, and the help screen should say so. If the straight-up pays less than 35:1, or there is a 38th position on the wheel, the bonus is being paid for out of the base game, and the base game is more expensive than a plain European table.
The bonus round
The branded part. In the versions on the market the entry is either a dedicated pocket or segment on the wheel, or a side bet placed alongside the main bets. Once in, the show's structure plays out: boxes with values, some eliminated, a Banker's offer to take or refuse, and a final box if you keep saying no deal. The prize scales with the stake that qualified you.
The provider decides how often the bonus triggers and what it returns, and those figures are not usually published separately from the game's overall RTP. Treat the bonus as a side bet with unknown odds, because that is what it is.
Two ways the licence can cost you
Built in. An extra pocket or a reduced payout on the base game, so every spin pays for the bonus whether you want it or not. Compare the base paytable with a plain European table; the difference is the price of the theme.
Opt in. A separate bonus bet you can leave off. Then the base table can be standard roulette and the bonus bet is a side bet with its own, usually higher, house edge. This is the better structure for the player, because the choice is spin by spin.
What to check in the help screen
Provider name and game version. The number of positions on the wheel. The straight-up payout. Whether the bonus entry is a pocket or a bet. The stated overall RTP, and whether a figure is given for the base game alone. Five lines; two minutes.
The honest comparison
A plain European table returns 97.30% and nothing else. A branded table returns something in the same region overall, with part of it moved from the roulette into the bonus. If you enjoy the show and want the chance at the Banker's phone call, the trade is reasonable at small stakes. If you want roulette, the plain table is the same wheel without the detour. RouletteFinder's games section lists the standard variants and the themed ones side by side, with the base payouts of each.
Other tables on this site
First Person Roulette, Evolution's RNG table with a door into the live studio, has its own page. So does the wider family of branded and game-show-flavoured wheels, and a page on choosing between the three kinds of table a lobby now offers.
Frequently asked
- Is Deal or No Deal Roulette real roulette?
The base game is a roulette layout with standard bets. The licence adds a bonus round, reached from a special pocket or a side bet depending on the version, where the show's box-opening and Banker's offer play out. The roulette part and the bonus part should be judged separately.
- Who makes Deal or No Deal Roulette?
More than one studio has released a roulette game under the licence over the years, in RNG and live formats, and lobbies differ by operator. The help screen of the version in front of you names the provider and states the paytable.
- Does the bonus round change the odds?
If the bonus is funded by a reduced payout or an extra pocket, yes, the base roulette costs more than a plain table. If it is an optional side bet, the base table can be standard and the side bet is where the extra cost sits. The paytable tells you which.