Roulette Odds - Odds, Payouts & House Edge Explained

It is vital that you understand the odds when you play roulette. For that matter, you need to know about the payouts for each bet, too. This page is your guide to the numbers that apply when you decide to play roulette online or in-person.

Roulette payouts

Which bets offer the best payouts for online roulette? Are there bets available only on American Roulette games and not the European version? The following table gives you a full overview of the most common bets in roulette, their payouts, and their odds.

Bet Type	Payouts	Win Probability (American)	Win Probability (European)
Straight	35:1	2.6%	2.7%
Split	17:1	5.3%	5.4%
Street	11:1	7.9%	8.1%
Square/corner	8:1	10.5%	10.8%
Double Street	5:1	15.8%	16.2%
Trio (American only)	11:1	7.9%	n/a
Top Line	6:1	13.2%	n/a
Even/Odd	1:1	47.4%	48.6%
Red/Black	1:1	47.4%	48.6%
Low/High	1:1	47.4%	48.6%
Dozens	2:1	31.6%	32.4%
Columns	2:1	31.6%	32.4%

Insight:

The discrepancy between the probabilities for the two types of roulette wheel stems from the single zero found on the European wheel. With one less zero on the wheel, bettors don't have to fight as many negative outcomes.

Definitions

Straight bet — You bet on a single number and win if the ball lands on that number.
Split — A bet on two horizontally or vertically adjacent numbers, such as 8 and 9.
Street — A bet on three consecutive numbers — for example, 4, 5 and 6.
Square — Bet on four numbers that meet at a corner of the table, such as 17, 18, 20 and 21.
Double street — The double street, or six-line, is a six-number bet placed where two rows overlap.
Trio — Similar to the street bet, only this one has to include one zero — for example, 0, 1 and 2.
Top line — The top line or basket bet is available only in American roulette and involves betting on five numbers in total – 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3.
Even/odd — Bet on whether the number the ball lands in an even or odd slot (zero is neither).
Red/black — Since all numbers, excluding zero, are black or red, you can bet on one of those two colors.
Low bet — A bet that the ball will land anywhere from 1 through 18.
High bet – A bet that the ball will land anywhere from 19 to 36.
Dozens — You’re betting on the ball landing somewhere in the first (1-12), second (13-24) or third dozen (25-36), so you can bet on each one of those.
Columns — Bet on a vertical column of 12 numbers.

Why these payouts?

Calculating the payout odds in roulette isn’t complicated. The only thing you need to observe is the number of pockets on the wheel and how many numbers on it a specific bet covers.

The trick, however, is that payouts are calculated while ignoring the presence of the zero(es) on the wheel. So, for instance, a single number bet pays out at 35 to 1 because there are 36 spaces on the board and only one of them wins.

Thus, the payouts for roulette don’t change because they simply take the number of winning outcomes and divide by the number of losing outcomes. A bet on red or black has 18 wins and 18 losing outcomes, so it pays 1:1. A dozens bet has 12 wins and 24 losses, so it pays 24/12, or 2:1.

The house edge in roulette

The casino game ever so slightly in the house’s favor and ensure that – in the long run – you will ultimately lose more often than you win.

For most bets on an American roulette wheel, the house edge is 5.26% across the board. The only exception is the top line bet, which bears a worse house edge of 7.89%.

Single-zero European wheels nearly chop their edges in half with the loss of the American 00. All bets on these wheels go off at 2.7%.

Some rules in French roulette — which also has just a single green zero pocket — help players cut even further into that house edge. Rules called “la partage” and “en prison” can whittle the edge all the way down to 1.35%.

The good news is that you can test these percentages out without having to surrender any of your own money. You can play roulette online for free at many top US casino sites, including the following:

If you’ve heard about live dealer roulette, you may wonder how the house edge is affected. The short answer is that nothing changes about the edge due to the presence alone of the live dealer. So, assume that whatever variant you find in the live format has the same house edge.

Tips for limiting losses in roulette

Understanding the odds and payouts for each bet is key to understanding roulette. Moreover, you need to understand the odds in order to win at roulette. While the payouts for inside bets may be tempting, the better odds of winning outside bets, even with lower payouts, are generally the way to go.

Also, don’t bet big unless you want to lose big at keep your gambling in check. Moreover, if possible, try to opt for European roulette over American roulette given the difference in the house edges.