street bet math?

Trying to wrap my head around why street bets have the payout they do, compared to splitting your bet on three straight numbers. I get that the odds work out the same over time, but I always wonder if there’s a better way to structure your chips for less variance. I don’t play roulette much, more of a blackjack guy, but the way these inside bets are set up just feels wild to me.

When I do wander over to the wheel, I’m tempted to just cover three numbers myself instead of using the street bet spot. Anyone else play around with this? Curious how folks justify one approach over the other. Variance seems pretty unforgiving in either case.