Roulette Rules, Bets and Odds: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Learn roulette rules, bet types, payouts and odds. Compare European, American and French roulette and see how inside and outside bets really work.
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Key Takeaways
- European roulette has 37 pockets and a standard 2.70% house edge.
- American roulette adds 00, increasing the standard edge to 5.26%.
- French La Partage can reduce the edge on even-money bets to about 1.35%.
- Inside bets pay more because they cover fewer numbers. They do not have a better house edge on a standard European wheel.
- Previous spins do not affect the next result, so staking systems cannot make a number or colour become due.
Roulette Rules, Bets and Odds: A Complete Beginner's Guide
Roulette looks more complicated than it is.
There is a wheel, a ball and a betting table. You place chips on the outcome you want, the dealer spins the wheel, and whichever numbered pocket catches the ball decides the result.
The part worth learning is not how to predict the wheel. You cannot.
It is understanding what each bet covers, what it pays and how the extra zeroes change the house edge.
If you are comparing casinos that offer roulette, our Global casino reviews can be filtered by game type.
How roulette works
A standard roulette round follows the same basic sequence:
- Players place bets on the table.
- The wheel spins in one direction.
- The ball is launched in the opposite direction.
- Betting closes.
- The ball settles into a numbered pocket.
- Winning bets are paid and losing chips are collected.
Online RNG roulette recreates the result digitally. Live dealer roulette streams a physical table and wheel from a studio or casino floor.
The bet types and payouts are broadly the same. What matters most mathematically is which wheel you are playing.
European vs American vs French roulette
European roulette
European roulette has 37 pockets:
- numbers 1 to 36
- one green 0
The standard house edge is 2.70%.
American roulette
American roulette has 38 pockets:
- numbers 1 to 36
- green 0
- green 00
The payouts do not improve to compensate for the extra pocket, so the normal house edge rises to 5.26%.
That is almost double the European edge.
French roulette
French roulette normally uses the same single-zero wheel as European roulette.
The major difference is rules such as La Partage or En Prison on even-money bets.
Under La Partage, if zero lands while you have an even-money bet, half the stake is returned. That cuts the house edge on those bets to about 1.35%.
If a proper French table with La Partage is available, it is mathematically better than standard European roulette for red/black, odd/even and high/low bets.
Roulette bet types, payouts and odds
Roulette bets fall into two broad groups:
Inside bets cover specific numbers or small groups on the numbered grid.
Outside bets cover larger groups such as red, black, odd, even, dozens or columns.
Here are the standard single-zero European figures:
| Bet | Numbers covered | Payout | Win probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35:1 | 2.70% |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | 5.41% |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | 8.11% |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | 10.81% |
| Six line | 6 | 5:1 | 16.22% |
| Dozen | 12 | 2:1 | 32.43% |
| Column | 12 | 2:1 | 32.43% |
| Red / black | 18 | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| Odd / even | 18 | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| 1-18 / 19-36 | 18 | 1:1 | 48.65% |
The higher-paying bets are not "better". They simply hit less often.
On a standard European wheel, all of those normal bets carry the same 2.70% house edge.
Straight-up bet
A straight-up bet covers one number.
Put a chip directly on 17, for example, and you win only if the ball lands on 17.
It pays 35:1.
On a European wheel there are 37 possible pockets, so the true chance is 1 in 37, about 2.70%.
The payout is slightly shorter than the true odds. That difference is where the house edge comes from.
Split bet
A split covers two adjacent numbers on the table grid.
Place the chip on the line between 17 and 20 and both numbers are covered.
It pays 17:1.
Street bet
A street covers one horizontal row of three numbers, such as 7, 8 and 9.
It pays 11:1.
Corner bet
A corner covers four numbers that meet at one point on the layout.
For example, a chip at the intersection of 8, 9, 11 and 12 covers all four.
It pays 8:1.
Six-line bet
A six line covers two adjacent streets, giving you six numbers in total.
It pays 5:1.
Dozens and columns
Dozens divide the main 1 to 36 grid into:
- 1 to 12
- 13 to 24
- 25 to 36
Columns cover one of the three vertical columns on the table.
Both cover 12 numbers and pay 2:1.
Zero is not included.
Red or black
Red and black each cover 18 numbers and pay 1:1.
It feels like a 50/50 bet, but it is not.
On a European wheel, zero is green, leaving you with 18 winning pockets out of 37. Your chance of winning is about 48.65%.
On an American wheel, both 0 and 00 sit outside the red/black bet, dropping the win probability further to about 47.37%.
Odd or even
Odd and even work the same way as red and black.
Each covers 18 of the numbered pockets from 1 to 36.
Zero and double zero are neither odd nor even, which is why they create the casino's edge.
High or low
The low bet covers 1 to 18.
The high bet covers 19 to 36.
Both pay 1:1 and exclude the green zeroes.
Why European roulette is better than American roulette
The simplest roulette decision is made before you place a chip.
Choose the single-zero wheel if you have the choice.
European roulette has a 2.70% house edge.
American double-zero roulette normally has a 5.26% house edge.
You are playing essentially the same game, with the same standard payouts, but paying a much steeper mathematical price for the extra zero.
There is also an American five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. It pays 6:1 and carries an even worse house edge of 7.89%.
We would avoid it completely.
If you are comparing wider casino libraries as well as roulette rules, BitStarz is one example from our Global review catalogue that includes roulette alongside blackjack, live casino and thousands of other games.
Does betting more numbers improve the house edge?
No.
On European roulette, a straight-up number and an even-money red/black bet both have the same standard 2.70% edge.
Covering more numbers changes volatility.
A red bet wins much more often but only pays 1:1.
A single number wins rarely but pays 35:1.
Neither changes the underlying edge.
French La Partage is different because the rule itself changes what happens when zero lands.
Do roulette systems work?
Systems such as Martingale, Fibonacci and Labouchere change how much you stake after wins or losses.
They do not change the probability of the ball landing in a particular pocket.
Doubling your stake after a loss can create long runs of small recoveries followed by one extremely expensive sequence. Table limits and bankroll limits eventually stop the progression even if the maths does not.
The wheel has no memory.
Five reds in a row do not make black "due".
What is the best roulette bet?
That depends on what you mean by best.
If you mean lowest house edge, French roulette with La Partage on even-money bets is normally the strongest mainstream option at about 1.35%.
If you are on a normal European wheel, standard bet types all carry the same 2.70% edge. Choosing red rather than a straight-up number changes the frequency and size of wins, not the long-run expected percentage.
If you mean easiest for a beginner to follow, an outside bet such as red/black or a dozen is simpler than learning the inside layout.
Live dealer roulette vs RNG roulette
The rules can be identical.
Live roulette uses a real wheel streamed in real time. RNG roulette generates outcomes digitally using certified game software.
The important things to check are:
- wheel type
- house rules
- table limits
- game provider
- licence and testing behind the casino
Our casino comparison tool helps compare the operator side, while the game information screen tells you the exact roulette variant you are opening.
Set your limit before the wheel starts
Roulette rounds can stack up quickly, particularly online.
Decide the session budget before playing rather than increasing stakes because of a losing streak.
No pattern on the previous-spin display changes the next spin's probability.
Our responsible gambling guide covers practical spending limits and worldwide support options.
Diego Morales
Global Casino Expert
Diego pays attention to the stuff players actually notice right away. How fast can you sign up? How easy is it to deposit, especially with crypto? Where are the hidden traps in the bonus offers? And does support actually help when something goes wrong, or do they just send generic replies? He's good at taking complicated legal terms and casino rules and turning them into plain English. So you know exactly what you're agreeing to. He also has a sharp checklist for spotting the usual withdrawal problems like endless verification requests, unclear limits, and rules that aren't properly explained. His goal is to help players avoid the typical headaches and frustration.
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