Understanding Roulette Odds: A Comprehensive Guide
Roulette is one of the casino's oldest games, but chance determines how likely a wager is to win and the payout determines its return. Before playing, it is important to understand the roulette odds attached to every bet. Knowing how the different betting odds work can help you compare options and set realistic expectations, although no selection creates consistent profits.
What are Roulette Odds?
Roulette odds describe the chance that a particular wager will win. The longest odds at an American Roulette table belong to the straight-up bet. Choosing a single number gives you a 1 in 37 chance of success because the wheel has 38 numbers: 1-36, the 0, and 00. Even when the number lands, the house edge means the payout is only 35:1. The house edge is the percentage of wagers the casino retains over time, giving the house (casino) a mathematical advantage. American Roulette is generally viewed as the least favourable roulette variant, as we explain later.
Straight-up wagers are only one option. Roulette offers several bet types with different payout odds, while outside bets such as odd or even provide better chances of winning in exchange for smaller returns.
How to Calculate Roulette Table Payouts
Before playing roulette for the first time, make sure you understand both the odds and the payouts attached to every available bet. It is also normal not to know the bet names or where chips belong on the layout. Learning the different types in advance makes the roulette betting table easier to read and avoids unnecessary confusion.
At land-based and online roulette tables, payout odds are commonly written as (number):1. The number shows how many units are won for each unit staked on that wager. For example, a four-number bet pays 8:1: your original 1 unit bet is returned, along with 8 winning units.
Our American and European Roulette Payout Guide
The payout chart below provides a practical way to compare the odds for each bet on American and European roulette. French roulette uses the same odds as European roulette, so both versions appear together in the same section.
Roulette Bet Description and Example Payout French and European Roulette Odds (%) American Roulette Odds (%) Straight Up Bet Bet on a single number 35:1 2.70% 2.63% Split Bet Bet on 2 adjacent numbers 17:1 5.41% 5.26% Street Bet Bet on 3 numbers in a row 11:1 8.11% 7.89% Square Bet Bet on 4 numbers forming a square 8:1 10.81% 10.53% Line Bet Bet on 6 numbers of 2 adjacent rows 5:1 16.22% 15.79% Column Bet Bet on 12 numbers in a column 2:1 32.43% 31.58% Dozen Bet Bet on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd set of 12 numbers 2:1 32.43% 31.58% Even/Odd Bet Bet on all even or all odd numbers 1:1 48.65% 47.37% Red/Black Bet Bet on all red or all black numbers 1:1 48.65% 47.37% 1-18/19-36 Bet Bet on the first or last 18 numbers 1:1 48.65% 47.37%
Note: These odds come from dividing the winning outcomes by the total possible outcomes. Because American Roulette includes '00', its chance of winning is lower than it is in French and European Roulette.
Roulette Payouts & The Roulette Betting Table
The roulette layout can seem confusing when you first start playing roulette. It presents numerous numbers and betting areas, many of which may be unfamiliar. Breaking the layout into its main sections makes it easier to understand where each wager belongs.
The simplest way to read the betting table, or its online overlay, is to separate it into two areas. The central grid contains the 'Inside bets', including the single numbers. Around the right and bottom edges are the 'Outside Bets', including red or black and odd or even.
Outside Roulette Bets - Lower Risk, Lower Payouts, and More Chance of Winning
Outside bets sit beyond the numbered grid, which explains their name. They offer the most favourable roulette odds and the smallest roulette payouts. Compared with inside bets, they win more often, but their returns are not large. Even money wagers such as odd or even pay 1:1 when successful because they cover about half the table and are close to 50/50, although the zero pockets prevent a true even split.
Column and Dozen bets provide the largest outside-bet payout at 2:1. Each covers roughly 1/3rd of the wheel, so it wins less frequently than an even money wager while paying more when successful.
Bet Type Bet Description Payout Column Bet Bet on 12 numbers in a column 2:1 Dozen Bet Bet on 1st, 2nd, or 3rd set of 12 numbers 2:1 Even/Odd Bet Bet on all even or all odd numbers 1:1 Red/Black Bet Bet on all red or all black numbers 1:1 1-18/19-36 Bet Bet on the first or last 18 numbers 1:1
Note: The 'Payout' column shows winnings compared with the original stake. For a 'Column Bet', a winning $1 wager returns $2 in winnings plus the original $1, making $3 altogether.
Inside Bets: High Risk but with Bigger Payouts
Players willing to accept greater risk in online roulette can choose from the game's many inside bets. On the main betting grid, you can cover a single number, a group of numbers, or as many numbers as your chosen combination allows.
When the ball lands on a number you covered, the resulting payout can be substantial. That potential return reflects the long odds attached to these bets, however, and losing outcomes will occur more often than winning ones.
Bet Type Bet Description Payout Straight Up Bet Bet on a single number 35:1 Split Bet Bet on 2 adjacent numbers 17:1 Street Bet Bet on 3 numbers in a row 11:1 Trio Bet Bet on 3 numbers, including at least one zero (0 or 00) 11:1 Corner Bet Bet on 4 numbers forming a square 8:1 Five Number Bet (Basket) Bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 (only in American Roulette) 6:1 Line Bet Bet on 6 numbers of 2 adjacent rows 5:1
Note: The Five Number Bet (Basket) is offered only in American Roulette and covers both the 0 and 00.
Bets on American and European Roulette Wheels
As noted earlier in this roulette odds guide, American roulette gives the house a larger advantage than French and European roulette. American Roulette has a 5.26% house edge, almost twice the 2.7% edge found in the other variants.
The house edge represents the casino's mathematical advantage over roulette players and indicates what a table is expected to retain from bets over time. The same idea can be expressed as RTP, or return to player percentage. French and European roulette has a 97.3% RTP, meaning players receive that proportion on average across an extended period.
In those long-run terms, players receive 97.3% of their bets back on average. That figure does not predict an individual session: chance can produce very different results. One player might double their bankroll, while another could lose the lot.
Why does American Roulette have a Higher House Edge?
The difference is the extra green section added to the American wheel. When roulette reached America, casinos increased the house advantage by adding another green pocket rather than relying only on the traditional layout.
European and French roulette use a single-zero wheel with one green zero pocket. That pocket creates the game's house edge. Although a wager on the single zero pays like a wager on any other number, zero defeats many other bets because it is neither odd nor even, red nor black, and is not classed as high or low. Most table wagers do not cover it, allowing the casino to gain its advantage when the green zero appears.
American Roulette keeps the European payouts but gives players worse odds because its double-zero wheel adds another green zero (00). That additional pocket increases the house edge: when it lands, it also defeats most of the bets placed on the table.
Avoid American roulette: Because of the higher American roulette odds, we recommend you play on a single zero wheel variant of roulette such as European or French. If you see that the roulette game you have opened has a double zero wheel, move to another table. There is no benefit to playing American roulette over the other two variants.
French and European Roulette: Neighbour Bets (Racetrack Bets)
European and French roulette often include a distinctive feature called the 'racetrack'. This separate betting overlay is generally positioned around the outer edge of the table.
The racetrack maps nearby wheel numbers that sit next to one another. These groupings are therefore called 'section bets' or 'neighbor' bets and combine features of straight bets, split bets, and corner bets.
French Roulette commonly labels these wagers in the original French, while European Roulette usually translates the names of each adjacent-number group into English. All neighbor bets carry the same 2.7% house edge, but their chances of winning differ.
- Tiers du Cylindre (Third of the Wheel): This wager offers a 45.9% potential chance of winning and uses six equal-value split bets. The pairs are 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, and 33/36. These numbers sit close together on the wheel, covering the segment 27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33, which contains 12 numbers.
- Orphelins (Orphans): This wager has a 24.3% chance of winning and requires one straight bet plus five equal-value split bets. The layout uses a straight bet on 1 and split bets on 6/9, 14/17, 17/20, and 31/34. It brings together two separate groups of neighbouring numbers. 'Orphans' refers to their omission from the other listed section bets: 1-20-14-31-9 in one segment and 17-34-6 in another, covering eight numbers.
- Voisins du Zéro (Neighbors of Zero): This wager uses five split bets and two corner bets, with chips of equal value. Place two chips on 0, 2, and 3, and two chips on the corner spanning 25 to 29. Then place one chip on each of 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, and 32/35. The wheel segment runs 22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26-0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25 and contains 17 numbers. This bet has a 32.4% chance of winning.
- Jeu Zéro (Zero Game): This wager targets neighbouring numbers around the '0'. It requires one chip on a straight-up bet on 26 and one chip on each of three split bets: 0-3, 12-15, and 32-35. In German roulette, a variation called 'zero spiel naca' adds one chip for a straight bet on 19, creating a 5-chip wager.
Understanding Roulette Multiplier Odds
Online players may encounter multiplier roulette games, which retain familiar bet types from traditional tables, including even money bets, call bets, and the five-number bet. Their distinguishing feature is the random assignment of multiplier values to selected straight-up numbers. Depending on the title, those multipliers can reach 500x the stake or more.
Adding multipliers requires developers to adjust the standard payouts to account for the larger possible wins. The usual trade-off is a lower return on straight-up bets that have not received a multiplier. In Evolution's Lightning Roulette, for example, that payout is reduced to 29:1.
Roulette Betting Limits: Maximum and Minimum Bets
Besides choosing the roulette bet or bets you want to place, consider the table's minimum and maximum limits at a land-based or online casino. Every table sets its own boundaries, so select one that fits your bankroll. A minimum that is too high can use your bankroll quickly, while one that is too low may be unsuitable if you prefer larger stakes.
Ideally, the minimum should let you spread your bankroll across many bets and betting rounds. The source guidance suggests keeping each round to no more than 5% of your bankroll, though this remains a personal budgeting choice rather than a way to change the odds.
Applying Your Roulette Odds Knowledge at the Tables
With the main roulette bet types, odds, and payouts now clearer, you can explore the roulette games at online casinos. Combining inside and outside bets is possible, but every result still depends on where the winning number lands.
If you are deciding where to look for online roulette, GCCans is a useful starting point. GCCans's existing editorial reviews cover hundreds of the Best Online Casinos. Reading those reviews can help you compare platforms offering virtual and live roulette alongside other online games, without treating a review as proof of local authorization or availability.
