Roulette bets and payouts
Ten bets, one pricing rule, and one exception that costs you.
Short answer
Every roulette payout is set as if the wheel had 36 pockets. A bet covering n numbers pays (36 minus n) to n. One number pays 35 to 1, two numbers pay 17 to 1, a dozen pays 2 to 1, red pays 1 to 1. Because the real wheel has 37 or 38 pockets, that formula leaves the house the zeros, and it leaves them by exactly the same proportion on every bet. So no bet on the layout is a better deal than another. The single exception is the American five-number top line, which pays 6 to 1 when the formula calls for 6.2 to 1, and costs 7.89% instead of 5.26%.
Every bet, priced
Payouts are quoted "to 1", which means net winnings per unit staked, with your stake returned on top. All figures below are exact, computed from the pocket counts.Exact
Inside bets
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Win chance (37) | Win chance (38) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 number | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | 2 adjacent numbers | 17 to 1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 numbers in a row | 11 to 1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 numbers in a square | 8 to 1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Six line | 6 numbers, two rows | 5 to 1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Top line (double-zero wheels only) | 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 | 6 to 1 | Not offered | 13.16% |
Outside bets
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Win chance (37) | Win chance (38) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dozen | 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Column | 12 numbers (one column of the grid) | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Red or black | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Odd or even | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| High or low | 18 numbers (1-18 or 19-36) | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
Why the payouts all cost the same
Take a straight-up bet on a single-zero wheel. It wins 1 time in 37 and pays 35, and it loses 36 times in 37. Over 37 unit bets you stake 37 and get back 36, so you lose 1 unit: 2.70%. Now take red. It wins 18 times in 37 and pays 1, and loses 19 times. Over 37 unit bets you stake 37 and get back 36 again. Same 1 unit lost, same 2.70%.
That is not a coincidence, it is the design. Every payout is computed on 36 pockets while the wheel has 37 or 38, so the shortfall is proportional across the whole layout. Spreading chips over more numbers, or fewer, changes only the shape of your results.
The one bet to skip
On a double-zero wheel, the five-number top line covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 should pay 6.2 to 1 to match the rest of the layout. It pays 6 to 1. That shortfall raises its house edge to 7.89%, half again as expensive as every other bet on the same table. It is the only bet in roulette that is strictly worse than its neighbors, and there is no reason to make it.
Announced and call bets
Single-zero tables, especially European ones, often accept bets described by their position on the wheel rather than the layout: neighbours of a number, and the wheel sectors known as voisins du zéro, tiers du cylindre and orphelins. These are not new bets. Each one is a bundle of ordinary splits, corners and straight-up chips placed for you in one instruction. They are priced exactly like their component bets, at 2.70%, and they win no more often than the same chips would placed by hand. They exist for speed and tradition, not value.
What changes when you spread your chips
The cost does not move. The volatility does. Standard deviation per unit staked, computed exactly on a single-zero wheel:Exact
| Bet | Payout | Standard deviation per unit |
|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 35 to 1 | 5.84 |
| Split | 17 to 1 | 4.07 |
| Street | 11 to 1 | 3.28 |
| Corner | 8 to 1 | 2.79 |
| Six line | 5 to 1 | 2.21 |
| Dozen or column | 2 to 1 | 1.40 |
| Red, black, odd, even, high, low | 1 to 1 | 1.00 |
A straight-up bet swings almost six times as hard per unit as red. Same price, very different ride. If you want a long session on a small bankroll, take the even-money bets. If you want the chance of a large result from a small stake, take the numbers. Neither choice is smarter than the other in expectation.
Common questions
Does covering more numbers improve my chances?
It improves how often you win and reduces what you win. The two cancel out exactly. Covering 24 numbers with two dozens wins 64.9% of the time on a single-zero wheel and still costs 2.70% per unit wagered, because you now lose one of your two chips every time the other one lands.
Is red or black better than odd or even?
They are identical. Both cover 18 numbers, both pay 1 to 1, and both carry the same edge. Zero belongs to neither group, which is exactly why they lose.
What about the 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 bet paying 6 to 1?
Skip it. It is the only bet whose payout is short of the layout formula, and it costs 7.89% against the 5.26% you pay everywhere else on the same American wheel.