Roulette guide: rules, bets and payouts
Roulette is simple to learn: a ball is spun on a wheel with numbered pockets, and you bet on where it will land. This guide explains the wheel, the bets and what the numbers really mean.
The wheel: European or American
A European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 and a single zero. An American wheel adds a second zero (00) for 38 pockets.
The extra zero makes American roulette worse for the player. The house edge is about 2.7% on a European wheel and about 5.3% on an American wheel. When you have a choice, the single-zero wheel is the better one.
Inside bets
Inside bets are on the numbers themselves. They pay more but win less often. Typical payouts on a single-zero wheel:
- Straight up (one number): pays 35 to 1.
- Split (two numbers): 17 to 1.
- Street (three numbers): 11 to 1.
- Corner (four numbers): 8 to 1.
- Six line (six numbers): 5 to 1.
Outside bets
Outside bets cover large groups of numbers, so they win more often and pay less:
- Red or black, odd or even, 1-18 or 19-36: pays 1 to 1.
- Dozens (1-12, 13-24, 25-36) and columns: pays 2 to 1.
What the zero means
The zero is why the house always has an edge. For example, red covers 18 of the 37 pockets, so it wins 48.6% of the time, not 50%. Some tables have rules that return part of an even-money bet when the ball lands on zero: check the table rules.
No betting system, such as doubling after a loss, changes the house edge. Roulette results are random, and past spins do not tell you what comes next.
Play it safely
Choose a bet size you can afford, set a loss limit, and treat roulette as entertainment. Never chase your losses.