Roulette bet types & odds

Even if you’ve never played roulette, you can probably attest to it being “that casino game with the spinning wheel”. You might even go so far as to recall its hallmark black-and-red checkered betting board. Indeed, roulette can be found on just about every casino floor – and for good reason (at least from the perspective of the casino). Roulette does not necessarily have the best odds. However, depending on the bet you make (or don’t make), roulette certainly does not give the worst odds either.

In terms of strategy, there are some things you can do as a bettor to keep the house edge down (namely, choosing the right bets to make). However, the so-called guaranteed roulette “systems” should be avoided at all costs. Odds are odds, and no matter how many systems and roulette masters proclaim to offer a guaranteed way of winning thousands each session at the roulette table, there simply is no guarantee. Keep that in mind when searching for tips to optimise your roulette play.

House edge in roulette

The lowest house edge available at American Roulette is 5.3% and covers ALL bets except for the First Five Numbers bet, which returns a 7.9% house edge. The Single 0 version of the game can return 2.7% on all bets while the European Single 0 version (with the addition of a rule called “en prison”), gives a house edge as low as 1.35%. Obviously, it makes sense to play Single 0 and European Roulette (even if you’re a patriotic American). The odds for each roulette wager are listed below.

Roulette bet types and probability

Below we will break down the roulette bet types, into inside and outside bets, and give you their probability of coming out.

Outside Bets:

(pertaining to chip placement near the outside of the table)

Even Money bets are Black/Red, Odd/Even, or Low/High (numbers 1-18 or 19-36), paying 1 to 1 odds with a 47.4% probability.

Inside bets:

(pertaining to chip placements on the inside squares of the roulette board.

• Six Line – aka Double Street. Covering 6 numbers, this bet pays 5 to 1 with a probability of 15.8%.
• Corner – Covering four numbers, Corner bets pay 8 to 1 and have a 10.5% probability of winning.
• Street – A wager on three numbers, the Street bet pays 11 to 1 and has a 7.9% probability.
• Basket – On Double Zero wheels, pays 11 to 1 with 11.7% odds. Wager covers 0, 1, 2 OR 2, 00, 2 OR 00, 2, 3. Click on shared corner between three numbers.
• Split – Covers 2 numbers, the Split pays 17 to 1 and has a 5.26% chance of winning.
• Straight Up – This is a bet on any one number and pays 35 to 1 with 2.63% odds. Click on the number to place the bet.
• Five Number (first five or Top Line) – Pays 6 to 1 with 13.2% probability. Based on the odds and payout, this wager actually has a higher house edge of 7.9%. Wager covers 0, 00, 1, 2, 3. Click on the shared corner between 0, 00 and 2.
• Call & Neighbor bets: These wagers are available on European/French Roulette. They cover a series of numbers and all return the same house edge mentioned above. These are the numbers in the oval section with Voisins du Zero, Orphans and Tiers du Cylindre.

Online roulette odds v land-based casinos

One of the big benefits of online roulette is that you can play many different versions and you won’t be forced to play American roulette, which has a lower probability of you winning.

While some land-based casinos will offer great tables, particularly if you are a low-stakes player, the online realm is much more productive, with plenty of European tables available.

The best online casinos and what roulette variants are available to you will largely be determined by where you are located and what the gambling laws are. For instance, countries like New Zealand don’t really address online gambling, so they are free to play offshore casino games.

In contrast, Chinese players are largely banned from playing at offshore online casinos and while they still do it, it’s much more of a process to find gambling sites willing to accept these players.

Most online roulette games will display their pay tables along with the game, which are always worth having a look at, to ensure you are getting the best odds.