Key Takeaways
- Roulette odds mean your chances of winning your bets
- Even money bets pay 1:1, while straight bets payout is 35:1
- The odds for European Roulette is 48.65%, while the American version has 47.37% odds
- Inside and outside bets have different odds.
Roulette odds are the probability of different bets winning. Most beginners confuse it with terms like payouts and house edge. However, they’re different.
Odds indicate your chances of winning your wager. The house edge means the probability of a bet winning compared to the available payout odd. Lastly, the payout is what you receive for landing a win.
Still confused? This article discusses in detail all you need to know about roulette odds, payouts, and bets.
How Roulette Odds Work
To enjoy a rewarding roulette gambling experience, you need to understand how roulette odds work.
Here’s how odds are calculated for common bets:
Straight-up Bet
A straight-up bet in roulette means placing a wager on one single number. This betting type offers more risk and higher rewards. That’s because your chances of hitting the number are pretty low.
The prospect of a handsome payout makes this bet type popular amongst experienced players. Also, some players combine straight-up stakes with other betting types.
This type of wager typically pays 35:1. However, the odds are 2.7% for European Roulette and 2.6% for the American variant.
Even-money Bets
Most new roulette players assume even-money bets work like the 50/50 payout for sports betting. That’s not true!
When it comes to classic online roulette games, even-money bets mean placing wagers on the red or black numbers. Due to the green zero pocket, there’s a below 50% chance of correctly getting the winning color.
When you place even-money bets, expect a 1:1 payout. The odds for European Roulette is 48.65%, while the American version has 47.37%.
House edge is the probability of winning a bet compared to the available payout odds. Simply put, it’s the amount you lose on average for any bet made. For every payout, there’s always a fraction lower than the actual probability of each betting type winning. This allows for the house edge.
Comparing Odds in Different Roulette Variants
Every roulette variant, including live roulette, offers different odds and payouts. Here are the top variations and what to expect:
European Roulette
Structured after the classic roulette, the European version has 37 pockets (0-36) and a single zero. This one zero is the reason for its low 2.7% house edge.
European Roulette is considered unbiased due to how colors and numbers are distributed evenly across its wheel. This eliminates any doubt and predetermination about game outcomes.
American Roulette
The American Roulette table layout looks like the European version. However, rather than the single zero, you get double zeros.
Also called Double Zero Roulette, this variant has the highest house edge out of the three. The numbers on the table are stacked so that the high numbers are close. This feature is unavailable in European Roulette.
Unlike the European version, American Roulette has 38 pockets (0-00). The additional zero increases the house edge to 5.26%.
French Roulette
This roulette variant is similar to the European version since both contain a single zero. However, unlike European Roulette, the French variant contains special rules like La Partage and En Prison.
From experience, French Roulette has the best house edge due to these rules. This variant is the same as European Roulette except for the additional rules.
However, these extra rules reduce the house edge to 1.34%. That’s because you keep your wager or withdraw half of your money whenever you land a zero.
Types of Bets and Their Odds
Here are the main roulette betting options and their odds:
- Inside Bets: These types of stakes include split, straight, corner, street, and six-line. Inside bets focus on specific combinations or numbers. As such, it has lower winning chances and bigger payouts.
- Outside Bets: These wagers involve a large group of numbers or Columns, Dozens, Red/Black, High/Low, and Odd/Even. The most popular are odd or even and black or red. If you’re new to playing roulette, we recommend starting with outside, as they offer regular wins.
- Call Bets: These stakes are mostly available in European and French Roulette. Call bets are specific wagers based on wheel segments ( Orphelins and Voisins du Zero). You bet on a group of numbers’ position on the wheel rather than only the table.
That said, here’s a table showing roulette bet types, payouts, and odds:
| Roulette bet type | Potential payout | European Roulette odds | American Roulette odds |
| Column | 2:1 | 32.40% | 31.6% |
| Dozen | 2:1 | 32.40% | 31.6% |
| Even/odd bets | 1:1 | 48.60% | 47.4% |
| Single number | 35:1 | 2.70% | 2.60% |
| Two numbers | 17:1 | 5.4% | 5.3% |
| Three numbers | 11:1 | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Four numbers | 8:1 | 10.8% | 10.5% |
| Five numbers | 6:1 | 13.5% | 13.2% |
| Six numbers | 5:1 | 16.2% | 15. 8% |
| Red or black | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| High or low | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Straight bet | 35:1 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Split bet | 17:1 | 5.4% | 5.3% |
| Street bet | 11:1 | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Corner bet | 8:1 | 10.8% | 10.5% |
| Basket bet | 6:1 | N/A | 13.2% |
| Double street bet | 5:1 | 16.2% | 15.8% |
Tips for Using Odds to Improve Gameplay
Here are our top tips for using odds to improve gameplay:
- Favor European or French Roulette for Better Odds: French and European Roulette feature better odds than American Roulette. Therefore, we recommend choosing the former over the latter. You can also play free roulette games in the demo mode to find which variant fits your playstyle the most.
- Focus on Outside Bets for Higher Winning Chances: Outside bets have more winning chances than other betting types. However, note that the payouts are usually small.
- Avoid High-Risk Bets: Stakes like the American basket bet (0,00,1,2,3) have high risks with little rewards. That’s because the house edge is the highest amongst other roulette betting types at 7.9%. Therefore, it’s best to avoid them.