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 wager are listed below:
Roulette bet types and probability
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.