The odds in American roulette are 47.4%, and in European roulette are 48.6%. The payout odds for this type of bet is 1:1. How much does green pay in roulette? Roulette Odds for Single Zero Roulette Wheels For wagers on red, black, odd, even 1 to 19, and 19 to 36 the payouts are 1 is to 1, and the probability is 48.65%. For wagers on 1 to 12, 13 to 24, and 25 to 36, the payout is 2 to 1, with a probability of 32.43%.
- Odds On Roulette Black Or Red
- Roulette Odds Calculator
- Odds On Roulette Numbers Printable
- Odds On Roulette Charts
Remember to stay realistic about the long odds on this popular game of chance. Approach roulette with the sober realization that, with a house advantage of 5.26 percent on the American wheel, roulette is among the worst bets in a casino. Despite the odds, you can still use some simple strategies to stretch your roulette bankroll and enjoy the thrill of the spin. This article contains a few tips that can help you improve your chances of winning.
Roulette is a drain on your wallet simply because the game doesn’t pay what the bets are worth. With 38 numbers (1 to 36, plus 0 and 00), the true odds of hitting a single number on a straight-up bet are 37 to 1, but the house pays only 35 to 1 if you win! Ditto the payouts on the combination bets. This discrepancy is where the house gets its huge edge in roulette.
Starting with the basics
Strategy is critical if you want to increase your odds of winning. The first time you play roulette, the players sprinkling the layout with chips may look as if they’re heaping pepperoni slices on a pizza. You can make many different bets as long as you stay within the table’s maximum limits. Consequently, few players make just one bet at a time.
Of course, the more bets you make, the more complicated and challenging it is to follow all the action. Here are two possible plans of attack to simplify matters:
- Stick to the table minimum and play only the outside bets. For example, bet on either red or black for each spin. This type of outside bet pays 1 to 1 and covers 18 of the 38 possible combinations.
- Place two bets of equal amounts on two outside bets: one bet on an even-money play and the other on a column or dozen that pays 2 to 1. For example, place one bet on black and one bet on Column Three, which has eight red numbers. That way, you have 26 numbers to hit, 4 of which you cover twice. You can also make a bet on red and pair it with a bet on Column Two, which has eight black numbers. Again, you cover 26 numbers, and 4 of them have two ways to win. Pairing a bet on either red or black with Column One (or on one of the three dozens) covers 24 numbers, and 6 numbers have two ways of winning. Spreading bets like this won’t make you rich, but it does keep things interesting at the table.
Playing a European wheel
If you happen to find a single-zero European wheel, you greatly improve your odds: The house edge is half that of roulette with the American wheel — only 2.63 percent. You may see a European wheel at one of the posh Vegas casinos, such as Bellagio, Mirage, or Caesars Palace. If you can’t find one on the floor, it’s probably tucked away in the high-limit area along with the baccarat tables, so you may need to ask. You can also find the single-zero wheel at some other upscale casinos around the country.
Because casinos set aside the European wheel for high rollers, you’re likely to find a higher table minimum, say $25. But because the house edge is half that of a double-zero wheel, the European wheel is the better roulette game to play for bigger bettors.
Your chances of winning get even better if the casino offers an advantageous rule called en prison. Sometimes available on the European wheel, the en prison rule lowers the house edge even further to a reasonable 1.35 percent. The rule applies to even-money bets. For example, say you have a $10 bet riding on black. If the ball lands on zero, your even-money bet doesn’t win or lose but remains locked up for one more spin. If the ball lands on black on the next spin, the house returns your original bet of $10, but you don’t win anything. If the ball lands on red, you lose. And if the ball repeats the zero number again, your bet stays imprisoned for another round.
All roulette bets chart.
Bet | Other Names | Payout | p European | p American |
---|---|---|---|---|
Red / Black | Colour bet | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
Even / Odd | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% | |
Low / High | 1-18 / 19-36 | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
Dozen | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% | |
Column | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% | |
6 Number | Six line, Double street | 5:1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
5 Number Bet* | Top line, Basket, First five | 6:1 | - | 13.16% |
4 Number | Corner, Square | 8:1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
3 Number | Street, Line | 11:1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
2 Number | Split | 17:1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
Single Number | Straight | 35:1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
Key:
- Blue bets = outside bets. These are the bets that cover large, fixed sections of the table. These probability of winning with these bets is greater, but they have low payouts.
- Green bets = inside bets. These bets cover specific numbers on the table depending on where you place your chips. The payouts for inside bets are bigger, but the probability of hitting is lower.
* This bet can only be placed on a double-zero roulette table (i.e. on an American table and not a European or French one). It covers the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
Individual roulette bets in more detail.
Here is a quick overview on the different types of roulette bets and odds of each bet that can be made in roulette.
There is also a small image accompanying each bet to highlight how to place each of the bets at the table. Some of these bets you may well have previously overlooked, so pay attention!
The following list is ordered by the payout of each roulette bet, starting with the lowest payouts and moving to the bigger payouts as you scroll down. The payouts are in orange, and the win probability of each bet is in brackets in blue, assuming a European table (single-zero) is used.
Red / Black - 1:1(48.65%)
Also known as: Colour bet
Payout | 1:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 48.65% |
American Probability | 47.37% |
Total Numbers | 18 |
Numbers Covered | Black = (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35) Red = (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36) |
A colour bet is a very popular bet, and gives odds of 1:1. So lets say for example you bet $5 on red, and after spinning the wheel the ball lands on red. You will get your $5 back, as well as an additional $5 in winnings, returning $10 in total.
Even / Odd - 1:1(48.65%)
Payout | 1:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 48.65% |
American Probability | 47.37% |
Total Numbers | 18 |
Numbers Covered | Even = (2, 4, ..., 36) Odd = (1, 3, ..., 35) |
Similar to the colour bet, the even or odd boxes offer the same payouts with equal odds for hitting even or odd as there are for hitting red or black. Unfortunately, the green '0' does not count as either even or odd.
Low (1-18) / High (19-36) - 1:1(48.65%)
Payout | 1:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 48.65% |
American Probability | 47.37% |
Total Numbers | 18 |
Numbers Covered | Low = (1 - 18) High = (19 - 36) |
These bets split the table in half, with one bet allowing you to bet on all of the lower half of the numbers (1-18) and the other half allowing you to bet on all of the higher numbers (19-36). Also known as the 'low bet' and 'high bet'.
Dozen - 2:1(32.43%)
Payout | 2:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 32.43% |
American Probability | 31.58% |
Total Numbers | 12 |
Numbers Covered | 1st Dozen = (1 - 12) 2nd Dozen = (13 - 24) 3rd Dozen = (25 - 36) |
The dozen bet allows players to bet on 3 different sections containing 12 numbers, which are; 1-12, 13-27 and 28-36. This bet offers slightly higher odds (2:1) than an even money bet, but the chances of winning on one spin are a little lower.
Column - 2:1(32.43%)
Payout | 2:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 32.43% |
American Probability | 31.58% |
Total Numbers | 12 |
Numbers Covered | 1st Column = (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34) 2nd Column = (2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35) 3rd Column = (3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36) |
The column bet is very similar to the dozen bet, but instead splits the table into 3 sections length-ways rather than side-ways. Each of these bets also offer odds of 2:1, just as with the dozen bets.
6 Numbers - 5:1(16.22%)
Also known as: Six line bet, Double street bet
Payout | 5:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 16.22% |
American Probability | 15.79% |
Total Numbers | 6 |
Numbers Covered | e.g. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 |
This particular bet is not always available at online casinos, but can still be played at the majority of them. Often overlooked by many novice players, this bet allows you to bet on 6 numbers at a time via a bet split between two adjacent rows.
5 Number - 6:1(13.16%)
Note: This bet can only be placed on American roulette tables (ones with the green 00).
Also known as: Five number bet, Top line bet, Basket bet
Payout | 6:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | n/a |
American Probability | 13.16% |
Total Numbers | 5 |
Numbers Covered | 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 |
The 'five number bet' holds the title for the worst bet in roulette. The house edge for this bet is 7.89%, and it's the only bet to have a bigger (worse) house edge than any other. Every other bet on a double-zero roulette has a house edge of 5.26%.
If you're playing American roulette – which you shouldn't be anyway – avoid this bet.
4 Numbers - 8:1(10.81%)
Also known as: Corner bet, Square bet
Payout | 8:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 10.81% |
American Probability | 10.53% |
Total Numbers | 4 |
Numbers Covered | e.g. 11, 12, 14, 15 |
Also known as a 'square bet' or 'corner bet'. The 4 number bet allows you to bet on 4 adjoined numbers at a time. The chances of hitting any of these numbers is relatively low, but there is a decent payout for when you get lucky.
3 Numbers - 11:1(8.11%)
Also known as: Street bet, Line bet
Payout | 11:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 8.11% |
American Probability | 7.89% |
Total Numbers | 3 |
Numbers Covered | e.g. 16, 17, 18 |
This bet involves similar placement to that of the 6 number bet, except for the chip is placed on the edge of one row, rather than spread across two. This bet is also known as the 'street bet' or 'stream bet'.
Alternative 3 number bets.
You can also place 3-number bets at the top of the table using the green zero(s). These can be placed in both single-zero and double-zero roulette, although you have an extra 3-number bet in double-zero roulette courtesy of that extra 00 number.
The payouts and probability for this bet are the same for the respective roulette tables as the street bet above.
2 Numbers - 17:1(5.41%)
Also known as: Split bet
Payout | 17:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 5.41% |
American Probability | 5.26% |
Total Numbers | 2 |
Numbers Covered | e.g. 22, 23 |
This is where the odds start to get pretty big. A 2 number bet or 'split bet' allows you to bet on two adjacent numbers, offering you some pretty attractive odds of 17:1 - the second biggest payout available at a roulette table.
You can place a split bet across two numbers vertically or horizontally (if that makes any sense). In the screenshot above for example, you could just as easily bet on 22+25 or 22+19 instead of 22+23.
Single Number - 35:1(2.70%)
Odds On Roulette Black Or Red
Also known as: Straight bet
Payout | 35:1 |
---|---|
European Probability | 2.70% |
American Probability | 2.63% |
Total Numbers | 1 (no prizes, sorry) |
Numbers Covered | e.g. 32 |
Roulette Odds Calculator
The single number bet or 'straight bet' is the big one, offering the greatest payouts at the roulette table of 35:1. Simply place your bet on one number and hope to get lucky.
Odds On Roulette Numbers Printable
Final thoughts.
So those are all of the different bets and odds of each of the bets when playing roulette online (or live for that matter). There is no restriction to how many different bets you can place at the roulette table, so go wild and see how it turns out. Just remember to enjoy yourself!
Odds On Roulette Charts
Read the article on 'called bets' for information on the special bets available on the racetrack roulette wheel. The snake bet is also worth a look if you're feeling fruity.