Roulette Odds Explained: Master the Wheel

Detailed article covering roulette odds, probabilities and payouts for American and European wheels. Both inside and outside roulette bets included

Before playing in the casino with real money, you want to assess the risk versus reward ratio. This is simply how much will it cost to play vs the potential payout. To understand this, you need to know what the roulette odds are for each bet, the probability of you winning the bet, and the roulette payout if you do.

It also pays to know the difference between American roulette odds and European roulette, which we will explain further down this page. We’ll also reveal what player-friendly roulette rules to look out for, so you can reduce the house edge to the minimum.

Roulette Odds and Payouts

The roulette table offers a wide variety of betting options. Each has different win probabilities and payouts. In the table below, we’ve broken down the main segments. The odds are presented as a percentage chance of you winning on a single spin. These apply to both European and American roulette.

Roulette Bet Type	European Roulette Odds	American Roulette Odds	Payout
A single number	2.7%	2.6%	35 to 1
Two adjoining numbers	5.4%	5.3%	17 to 1
Three numbers in a row	8.1%	7.9%	11 to 1
Four adjoining numbers	10.8%	10.5%	8 to 1
Five numbers combined	N/A	13.2%	6 to 1
Six numbers in 2 rows	16.2%	15.8%	5 to 1
Twelve numbers (dozen or column)	32.4%	31.6%	2 to 1
Eighteen numbers (red/black, hi/lo or odd/even)	48.6%	47.4%	1 to 1

American Roulette Odds

Ultimately, you want to avoid the American roulette wheel whenever possible because the casino has a rather large 5.26% advantage over the player. This makes American roulette odds unfavourable for you, as on average, you will lose €5.26 for every €100 wagered.

This is common knowledge among regular players, which is probably why you now see roulette games such as ‘Double Zero Roulette’. Essentially, this is played on an American wheel so the same house edge applies. Our tip is to always check the wheel before you play. If there are two green zero slots (0 and 00), then move away from the table and find a European roulette wheel.

What are the rules for Roulette?

European & French Roulette Odds

Standard European roulette odds give the casino an advantage of 2.70% - a considerable difference compared to the American variant. Both have identical payouts but the lower house edge comes from the European wheel only having one zero (0) slot.

However, the best roulette odds are found when playing with the French ‘la partage’ rule. This returns half of your stake for even money bets if the ball lands on the green zero. While it may seem like a minor difference, it actually reduces the house edge to a mere 1.35%.

Outside Roulette Bets

The outside bets in roulette are where the odds of winning any given spin are the highest. The flip side of this is that they offer the lowest payouts on the table.

Even money bets: there are three sets of bets that pay 1 to 1. They are betting on red or black, low numbers (1 - 18) or high numbers (19 - 36) or odd or even numbers. For all of these, the roulette odds (on a European wheel) are fixed at 48.6%.
Dozens & Columns: these cover 12 numbers on the roulette table and payout at 2 to 1. Given that there are 37 slots on the wheel, you have 12 chances in 37 of winning which equals 32.4% overall.

Inside Roulette Bets

For higher payouts, you need to play the inside roulette bets. These naturally carry a far higher risk in that the odds of winning are much lower. You must account for this when you sit down at the table and plan your bankroll management accordingly.

Straight or Single: this is betting on one number. For European roulette, you stand a 2.7% chance of winning and it offers a payout of 35 to 1.
Split: here, you bet on two adjoining numbers (i.e. 1 and 2), which gives you a 5.4% win probability and a 17 to 1 payout.
Street: this is three numbers in a single row (i.e. 4, 5 and 6). You’ve got an 8.1% chance of hitting a winner and it pays out 11 to 1 when you do.
Corners: your chip covers four numbers (i.e. 1, 2, 4 and 5). You stand a better chance of winning, 10.8%, but the payout drops to 8 to 1.
Double Street: covers two rows (six numbers) and payouts 5 to 1 with a 16.2% chance of winning.

A common misconception that many new roulette players have is that certain bets are ‘better’ value than others. This is totally false for European roulette rules. For example:

Imagine you bet €1 on every number including zero. Each spin would cost you €37. You would win each spin. The payout is 35 to 1, so that’s €35 + €1 stake back for the winning number = €36 returned in total. Therefore, a loss of -€1 per spin. A grand loss of -€37 after complete series of 37 spins.
Now, you bet €18.75 on red and €18.75 on black. Assuming the ball landed on each number once, so 37 spins in total. For numbers 1 to 36, you win 1 to 1 on every spin, so the money you lose is equal to what you win. Balance = €0.00. However, on the 37th spin, the ball lands in zero, you lose both bets (€18.75 + €18.75) = -€37 loss.

Tips For Roulette

Now you have a better understanding of the different roulette odds. You should also know that over the long run all roulette bets equate to the same house edge percentage. This allows you to figure out the best way to approach the game based on your style of play and the bankroll you have at your disposal.

We would suggest taking a moment to explore some of the roulette bonuses and promotions our partner casinos are offering players. These can help to reduce the ‘long term’ house edge which is what you’re after.

Aaron Braund 15 Apr 2021 View more