Roulette has been a popular casino game since the beginning of time. It’s a mainstay in all Vegas casinos as well as online casinos. Playing roulette live can be a thrilling experience with the sights and sounds of the roulette wheel. However, before you walk up to the table and get your feet wet, it’s best to understand the basics of the game.
Read this article to learn more about roulette’s intricate betting system, find out the odds at play, and how exactly roulette payouts work.
Roulette Bets and Payouts
Before getting to roulette odds, you need to be able to distinguish the various roulette bets you can place. If you're already familiar with the different types of bets in roulette, you can go ahead and skip over to the next section of this article.
Here is a clear roulette betting table that has both inside bets and outside bets that we will discuss later in this article.
| BET NAME | DESCRIPTION | PAYOUT |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Up | One single number | 35:1 |
| Split | Two connected numbers | 17:1 |
| Basket | Five numbers using the 0 or 00 | 6:1 |
| Street | Three vertically connected numbers | 11:1 |
| Corner | Four connected numbers, forming a square | 8:1 |
| Six Line | Six vertically connected numbers | 5:1 |
| Columns | Line of 12 numbers | 2:1 |
| Dozens | 1st, 2nd, or 3rd grid of 12 numbers | 2:1 |
| Colours (Red/Black) | Betting on half of the roulette numbers of the same colour | 1:1 |
| Odd Or Even | Bet on all even or odd numbers | 1:1 |
| Number Range | Betting on the grid of 1-18 or 19-36 | 1:1 |
| Trio | Three numbers using the 0 or 00 | 11:1 |
Straight Up
A straight-up roulette bet is a bet on a single number on the wheel. It can make you a lot of money, but keep in mind that it's also the riskiest bet in the game.
Split
This is where you bet on two numbers that are next to each other on the table. You have a slightly higher chance of winning, but the split bet is still a risky one.
Basket
Also known as a “top line” roulette bet, the basket bet is placed on the first four numbers on the wheel (five in the American roulette version), i.e., 0, 1, 2, and 3. Although your chances of winning are slightly bigger than with the split or straight-up bet, the payout odds for the basket aren’t particularly favourable, making it one of the least popular bets in roulette.
Street
A street bet is placed on three consecutive numbers on the wheel. Also known as the "trio bet," it has a pretty good payout and is well worth the risk.
Corner
The corner bet works in a similar way to the split bet, but instead of two numbers next to each other, you place your money on four numbers with a common corner on the roulette table.
Six Line
You can place a six-line bet on two lines of three consecutive numbers as long as they are adjacent to each other on the table. It is a less risky alternative to the bets outlined above, and you still stand to get a sizeable payout out of it.
Columns
One of the most popular roulette bets around, the columns bet entails the player putting their money on an entire column from the table consisting of 12 numbers.
Dozens
Similarly to the columns bet, this one lets you bet on one of the three dozen numbers in roulette. The main difference is that instead of the columns on the table, you're betting on sets of consecutive numbers. The choices are 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36.
Colours
As the name suggests, in this roulette bet, you are placing your money on half of the roulette numbers of the same colour, either red or black.
Odds and Evens
In odds and evens, you also bet on half of the available spots. You can choose between odd and even numbers to bet on.
Number Range
This bet lets you pick any range of consecutive numbers to bet on. Many roulette players like this bet because it allows them to freely adjust their risk.
Trio
This is the bet which you make on either a single zero (for the European roulette table) or double zero (for the American roulette table) on a roulette wheel, along with three neighbouring numbers.
Outside And Inside Bets Table (Roulette Payout Chart Included)
We know that getting to know a new casino game can be overwhelming at times. Don't fret, we will help you understand the bets so that you know what can fill up your pockets.
Outside Bets: Low Payout/High Probability
If you look at the roulette table layout, you will notice bets without numbers located on the bottom and right side of the table. These non-numerical bets are known as outside bets. Betting on these outside bets, you can almost guarantee yourself a win; however, it won't be a big one.
| BET NAME | DESCRIPTION | PAYOUT |
|---|---|---|
| Columns | Horizontally betting on either of 3 lines, each of which contains 12 numbers, excluding zeros | 2:1 |
| Dozens | The roulette table is divided into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd 12 numbers, each grid containing 6 black and 6 red numbers. | 2:1 |
| Number Range | Deciding to bet on either a grid of 1-18 or 19-36 | 1:1 |
| Odds And Evens | Betting money on either odd numbers or even numbers (excluding zeros) | 1:1 |
| Colours | Placing money on half of the roulette numbers of the same colour, namely red or black | 1:1 |
H3: Inside Bets: High Payout/Low Probability
Casino games are enticing because you have to take risks you don't usually take in real life. And roulette bets do exactly that. While outside bets are easy to win, they aren't worth much. On the contrary, inside bets, the number in the centre of the layout, including zeros, are the juiciest of all. If you want to hit the jackpot, put your money on inside bets, but remember - they are the hardest to land.
| BET NAME | DESCRIPTION | PAYOUT |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Up | Betting your money on a single number. | 35:1 |
| Split | Betting on two adjacent numbers. | 17:1 |
| Street | Betting on three consecutive numbers on the roulette wheel. | 11:1 |
| Corner | This bet is also known as a “Box bet” because of its shape. You bet your money on four numbers, forming a square. For example, 1, 2, 4, and 5 or 17, 18, 20, and 21. | 8:1 |
| Six Line | You choose two adjoining rows, which have 6 numbers in total. For example, 9, 12, 8, 11, and 7, 10. | 5:1 |
| Basket | In American roulette, by putting money on this bet, you use 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 numbers. | 6:1 |
A Breakdown of Odds in Roulette
Knowing the odds in roulette will help you play and hedge your bets with more confidence. Although you’re not able to directly impact the outcome of any given spin, you will know how to take calculated risks and not put too much money down on a risky spot. As you’ll see below, your odds are slightly better in European roulette. This is because of the extra “zero” space in the American roulette variant.
Seeing as the wheel and table layouts are identical in both a French and European roulette wheel, you can refer to the “European roulette odds” section if you want to check your chances for French roulette. Keep the “en prison” and “le partage” rules in mind, though!
Roulette Odds
| TYPE OF A ROULETTE BET | AMERICAN ROULETTE ODDS | EUROPEAN ROULETTE ODDS |
|---|---|---|
| Straight-up bet | 2.6% | 2.7% |
| Split bet | 5.3% | 5.4% |
| Basket bet | 13.2% | 10.8% |
| Street bet | 7.9% | 8.1% |
| Corner bet | 10.5% | 10.8% |
| Six-line bet | 15.8% | 16.2% |
| Columns bet | 31.6% | 32.4% |
| Dozens | 31.6% | 32.4% |
| Colours | 47.4% | 48.6% |
| Odds and evens | 47.4% | 48.6% |
Roulette Payout Odds
The payouts in roulette correspond with the odds for each bet. In American roulette, there are 38 numbers which equal the true winning odds of 37:1. However, playing roulette in a casino, bettors face different odds of 35:1. This is because a chunk of a payout is always a house edge.
As a matter of fact, an American roulette game might feature the highest among online casino games, which is 5.26%.
The general rule of thumb is that the more numbers you bet on, the smaller your payout will be. Although payout odds are based on the probability of the ball landing on your chosen set of numbers, it is not a 1:1 representation, as payouts are slightly adjusted in the house's favour. Payout odds are identical across all of the classic variants of the game.
Straight-up bet: 35 to 1
Split bet: 17 to 1
Basket bet: 8 to 1
Street bet: 11 to 1
Corner bet: 8 to 1
Six-line bet: 5 to 1
Columns bet: 2 to 1
Dozens: 2 to 1
Colours: 1 to 1
Odds and evens: 1 to 1
The Bottom Line
There you have it: the roulette odds and payouts for all of the most popular versions of the game. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand roulette a bit better and enabled you to make more calculated bets the next time you head over to your local casino (or log in to your favourite online platform). Being aware of roulette odds and the house edge will help you become a better player in the long run, as you are now able to devise more complex betting strategies based on these numbers.
Keep in mind that even with the knowledge of the odds, roulette is still a luck-based game. You should never bet more than you can afford to lose, and remember that chasing your losses in hopes of making them up with a huge payout is never a good idea. This kind of behaviour can lead you to develop an addiction, not to mention potentially losing a lot of your hard-earned money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the odds in roulette?
Some savvy roulette bettors claim that you can't play roulette games without knowing the game's odds. And they aren't wrong. If you want to squeeze the most out of each round, you need to know what brings the biggest cash reward.
So, roulette odds indicate how high the chance of winning is with any bet. For example, the American roulette odds for straight-up bets are 37 to 1 because there are 38 numbers on a roulette table layout. However, since the house edge takes some percentage off every winning bet, it pays 35 to 1.
Q: How to calculate your roulette payout odds?
Calculating your payout is quite simple, but you can always equip yourself with a roulette payout calculator to do it.
Let's take a straight bet on which the potential payout is 35:1. This means if you win a bet, you will receive $35 on every $1 you spend. When you play roulette online, the payout ratio remains the same, whilst the American and European roulette wheel has different odd percentages. So keep it in mind when choosing what roulette version to play.
Q: How much is the house edge on American & European roulette wheels?
The house edge on the American roulette wheel is exactly 5.26%. In contrast, the European roulette wheels' house edge is almost half of it - 2,7%. Such a big difference in the house edge is due to the extra double zero on American roulette, which is absent on the European roulette wheel.
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