Every chip you place on a roulette table is one of a fixed set of bets, and each bet has a payout the casino will never change. Knowing what those bets are, how many numbers each one covers, and exactly what it pays is the foundation of the whole game. This page maps out every roulette bet type, shows what each pays, and explains how the wheel you play on decides your real odds. It is an overview and a starting point, with links to detailed guides for each part of the table.
Key Points
- Roulette bets split into two families: inside bets (single numbers or small groups — big payouts, long odds) and outside bets (large groups — small payouts, near-even odds).
- A straight-up bet on one number pays 35 to 1; even-money bets such as red/black pay 1 to 1.
- Payout ratios are identical on European and American wheels — only the win chance and house edge change.
- The house edge is 2.70% on a single-zero (European) wheel and 5.26% on a double-zero (American) wheel.
- No bet or combination beats the house edge; the American five-number bet (0-00-1-2-3) is the worst at 7.89%.
How betting works in roulette
Roulette is built around a numbered wheel and a matching betting table. A European wheel has 37 pockets, numbered 0 to 36. An American wheel has 38 pockets because it adds a second green pocket, the 00 (double zero). The dealer spins the wheel, drops a ball, and the pocket it settles in decides which bets win.
Before the ball drops, you place chips on the layout to predict where it will land. You can bet on a single number, on small clusters of numbers, or on large groups such as all the red numbers or all the odd numbers. The more numbers a bet covers, the more often it wins — but the less it pays. That trade-off between how often you win and how much you win is the single most important idea in roulette, and it runs through every bet on the table. If you are still learning where each chip physically goes, our guide to the roulette table layout shows the exact positions.
The two families of roulette bets
All standard roulette bets fall into two groups, named for where they sit on the table:
- Inside bets cover single numbers or small groups of numbers printed in the main grid. They win rarely but pay the most.
- Outside bets cover large groups — a colour, a column, a dozen, or half the numbers — in the boxes around the outside of the grid. They win often but pay the least.
Most players mix the two, and neither is “better” in a mathematical sense: on a single-zero wheel, they all carry the same house edge. The choice is about how you want your money to behave. For a full breakdown of the trade-offs, see our comparison of inside bets vs outside bets.
Inside bets and what they pay
Inside bets are placed on or between the printed numbers. The fewer numbers a bet touches, the higher the payout:
- Straight up – a single number, paying 35 to 1. This is the highest payout on the table and the hardest bet to win. See the exact odds of hitting a single number.
- Split – two neighbouring numbers, paying 17 to 1. Place the chip on the line between them.
- Street – a row of three numbers, paying 11 to 1. The chip sits at the edge of the row.
- Corner (or square) – four numbers meeting at a corner, paying 8 to 1.
- Six line (double street) – two adjacent rows, six numbers in all, paying 5 to 1.
- Five-number bet – exists only on American wheels and covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, paying 6 to 1. It is the one bet to avoid: its house edge is 7.89%, worse than every other American bet.
Outside bets and what they pay
Outside bets cover big blocks of numbers and win close to half or a third of the time, so they pay far less:
- Red or Black – all 18 numbers of one colour, paying 1 to 1 (even money).
- Odd or Even – the 18 odd or 18 even numbers, paying 1 to 1.
- Low or High (1–18 or 19–36) – the bottom or top half, paying 1 to 1.
- Dozens (1–12, 13–24, 25–36) – 12 numbers, paying 2 to 1.
- Columns – one of the three vertical columns of 12 numbers, paying 2 to 1.
The three even-money bets — colour, odd/even and high/low — are the closest thing roulette has to a coin flip, which is why they attract most betting systems. Learn how they really behave, and how one French rule improves them, in our guide to even-money bets in roulette.
Called (French) bets
On European and French tables, you may also see “called” or “announced” bets, which are groups of numbers based on where they sit on the wheel rather than on the layout. The three classics are Voisins du Zéro, Tiers du Cylindre and Orphelins. They do not add any new payout — each part is really a set of splits and corners paying the usual inside-bet ratios — but they let you cover a wheel section with one announced wager. Our guide to French call bets covers the numbers each one hits and the chips required.
Bet types and payouts at a glance
The table below summarises every main bet, what it pays and how often it wins on each wheel. Payout ratios are the same everywhere; only the win chance changes with the number of pockets. For a fuller reference with worked examples, see the complete roulette payouts chart.
Roulette Bet Payouts
| Bet | Family | Numbers covered | Payout | Win chance (European) | Win chance (American) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | Inside | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | Inside | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | Inside | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner (square) | Inside | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Six line (double street) | Inside | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Five-number (American only) | Inside | 5 | 6 to 1 | — | 13.16% |
| Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low/High | Outside | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Dozen or Column | Outside | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
How the wheel sets your real odds
Here is the point most beginners miss: the payouts never change between wheels, but the odds do. A straight-up bet pays 35 to 1 on both wheels, yet it wins 1 time in 37 on a European wheel and only 1 in 38 on an American one. That gap is the house edge — the casino’s built-in margin.
- European (single-zero) wheel: a 2.70% house edge on every bet.
- American (double-zero) wheel: a 5.26% house edge on every bet, rising to 7.89% on the five-number bet.
Because the edge is nearly double on the American wheel, the single most valuable habit in roulette is choosing a single-zero game whenever you can. See the full comparison of the European and American wheels. On French tables, the La Partage rule goes further and cuts the edge on even-money bets to just 1.35%.
What “35 to 1” actually means
Roulette payouts are quoted as “to 1”, which describes profit, not the total you get back. A winning 35 to 1 bet of $1 returns your $1 stake plus $35 profit — $36 in total. A 1 to 1 (even-money) bet of $10 returns your $10 plus $10, for $20. Reading the ratio this way makes it clear why a rare inside bet and a frequent outside bet can add up to similar long-run results: the payout is scaled to how often the bet is expected to land.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Thinking a bigger payout means a better bet. A 35 to 1 straight-up and a 1 to 1 red/black carry the same house edge on a single-zero wheel. Higher payouts simply come with lower win chances.
- Playing the American five-number bet. It is the only wager with a worse edge than the rest of the table — skip it.
- Believing a betting system changes the payouts. Progressions like the Martingale change the size of your bets, not the odds or what each bet pays.
- Ignoring the wheel. The same bet costs you almost twice as much in the long run on a double-zero wheel.
Which bets suit which players
If you enjoy long, slow sessions with frequent small wins, outside bets such as red/black or the dozens will keep you in the game longest. If you are chasing a big payout and accept that most spins will miss, inside bets like straight-ups and splits are built for that. Many players split their chips between a couple of outside bets for staying power and one or two inside numbers for the thrill — but whatever mix you choose, the house edge stays the same, so treat any money wagered as the cost of entertainment rather than an investment.
Responsible Gambling
This page is informational only. It does not offer betting advice or encourage gambling. Roulette is a game of chance with a built-in house edge, and no bet type, combination or system changes the long-term odds in your favour; any single session can lose. You must be of legal age to gamble in your province — 19 across most of Canada and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec (see the legal age by province). If gambling stops being fun, free and confidential help is available across Canada from ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600 and the Responsible Gambling Council.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest-paying bet in roulette?
The straight-up bet on a single number pays the most, at 35 to 1. It is also the hardest to win, landing about once every 37 spins on a European wheel and once every 38 on an American one.
Do European and American roulette pay differently?
No. Every bet pays the same ratio on both wheels — a straight-up pays 35 to 1 either way. What changes is the win chance and the house edge, because the American wheel has an extra double-zero pocket. That makes the American edge 5.26% versus 2.70% on the European wheel.
Which roulette bet has the best odds of winning?
The even-money outside bets — red or black, odd or even, and high or low — win most often, about 48.65% of the time on a European wheel. They pay only 1 to 1, so bigger win frequency comes with smaller payouts.
What does a payout like “17 to 1” mean?
It describes profit, not the total returned. A winning $1 split bet at 17 to 1 gives you $17 profit plus your original $1 stake back, for $18 in total. Every roulette payout is quoted the same “to 1” way.
Can any bet or system beat the house edge?
No. The house edge is fixed by the gap between the true odds and the payout, and it applies to every bet on the table. Betting systems change how much you wager, not the odds or the payouts, so they cannot turn roulette into a long-term winning game.