Every roulette bet, catalogued

Real-money roulette is great for its wide choice of bet types: there are high-risk options with a win chance of just 2.63–2.7% but a 35:1 payout, while those who prefer a bird in the hand can place bets paying 1:1 at a 48.65% chance (and combinations let you raise the win chance even further). What to bet on is up to each player, and to weigh the available choices better we offer a detailed look at the main bet types with illustrative tables, clear examples and tips.

All roulette bet types: chances and payouts table

Important for beginners to grasp: different bet types don’t affect the game’s overall RTP, because online roulette works on a balance-of-extremes principle — either more frequent small wins, or rare big ones, or something in between. So there’s no single “most correct” bet.

Inside bets: high payout, low chance

This bet type suits those willing to win relatively rarely but with big payouts. Inside bets are bets on individual numbers or groups of them — no more than six numbers. At comparatively low odds of success on a single spin (2.7–16.2%), a win means a payout 5–35 times the stake.

High-risk bets assume your bankroll has a margin of safety and you’re mentally ready for long losing streaks.

Outside bets: low payout, high chance

Outside bets offer the opposite approach (versus inside bets): win odds per spin are high here (at least 31.6%), but the payout equals the stake or “merely” doubles it. Such bets cover a significant part of the wheel.

Outside bets in online casinos appeal to those who like a cautious roulette strategy with small but regular top-ups to the bank.

The “Five Numbers” (Basket) bet: why you shouldn’t make it

This is a unique bet offered only by American roulette. The Basket covers five numbers: two zeros, 1, 2 and 3, and this is the least favourable bet in all roulette variants. The win chance is 13.15%, but houses pay only six-fold for success: with that math the long-run RTP is 92.11%, whereas for other American-roulette bets the figure is 94.74%, for European 97.3%, and for French (for 1:1 bets) a full 98.65%.

More roulette variants

▶ Play for free

Play at casino →

American Roulette

★ 4.6/5

👍5👎1

RTP: 94.74%

▶ Play for free

Play at casino →

French Roulette

★ 4.9/5

👍9👎0

RTP: 98.65%

▶ Play for free

Play at casino →

Classic Roulette

★ 4.4/5

👍3👎0

RTP: 97.30%

▶ Play for free

Play at casino →

Diamond Roulette

★ 4.5/5

👍4👎0

RTP: 97.30%

How to bet in roulette: a step-by-step placement guide

On a first visit to an online casino a newcomer may be confused about how to place a bet, but there’s really nothing complex about it. Live-dealer roulette and RNG versions offer the same placement principle — let’s go step by step.

Step 1: choose the chip value

The panel at the bottom of the roulette interface sets the chip value. Available chip denominations differ by table, but many providers accept bets under $1, while at high-roller tables a single chip can cost a three-digit dollar sum. We recommend starting your acquaintance with the game at small stakes. If needed, you can spend several chips on one bet.

Step 2: place the chip on the betting field

Roulette uses one click to place one chip; if you’re betting several chips, click the same spot several times:

• straight-up bet — click on a specific number;
• split — click on the line separating two numbers;
• street — click on the edge line of a row/column (the betting field’s orientation differs by provider);
• corner — click on the junction point of four numbers;
• six line — click at the junction of two rows/columns closer to the field’s outer edge;
• outside bets — click on their fields.

The interface highlights the potential bet at the current cursor position — a very useful hint.

How to combine several bets in one spin

Until the roulette is spun again, a player may place two or more bets on the upcoming spin. Say you can put five chips on black and one more specifically on number 14, spending six chips in total. Here the bets don’t overlap (both can’t hit at once), but if one hits, you get its due payout. A partial overlap of bets (e.g. on red overall and on one specific red number) leaves a chance for several bets to hit at once.

Step 3: confirm the bet and wait for the result

In live roulette a player has roughly 30–45 seconds between spins to decide on a bet, whereas the RNG is ready to wait forever. Having decided and placed your chips, confirm with the button that the decision is final (if you misclicked, the bet can be changed before confirmation). Now wait for the spin to finish, and if the bet hits, the payout is credited automatically.

The “Repeat bet” feature: how not to waste time on identical combinations

Many roulette interfaces have a “Repeat bet” (Re-Bet) button: press it and in one click you place everything you placed on the previous spin. Often there are also special buttons to double the bet on the same numbers (Double) or clear wrongly placed bets (Clear).

Inside bets in roulette: types, placement and payouts

Inside bets are so called because they’re placed inside the number grid — one bet on between one and six numbers. Inside bets keep roulette’s general pattern: the fewer numbers a bet covers, the lower the win chance and the higher the potential payout.

Straight-up bet (Straight Up): one number, 35:1 payout

A straight-up bet is an attempt to guess the exact number the ball will stop on, and any alternative result means a loss. European and French roulette leave just a 2.7% chance of success (1/37); in the American version the “extra” zero further reduces the odds — to 2.63% (1/38). But a win will dramatically affect both the player’s pulse and the bank: if you guess right, you get a 35:1 payout — stake $5 and you take back both the stake and the $175 you won! Straight-up bets only make sense with a large bankroll and angelic patience, because on average wins happen only once in 37 spins.

How many straight-up bets you can combine: a multi-number coverage strategy

A straight-up bet covers only one number, but there’s nothing wrong with making several straight-up bets on any numbers you like. If you bet on, say, 6 numbers, such a bet resembles a six line, but unlike a six line you choose which numbers to bet on yourself — they can even be scattered. As for value, both bets are identical: if they hit, you come out five-fold ahead (because with six straight-up bets five chips are guaranteed lost).

Split: two adjacent numbers, 17:1 payout

A split is a bet on two numbers placed side by side (in any configuration) on the betting field, and you can fund this prediction with even one chip. The win chance doubles versus a straight-up bet — to 5.4% — and the payout equals 17:1 (stake $5 and you collect the stake plus a $85 win). For many players this looks like the optimal balance of risk and reward.

Street: three numbers in a row, 11:1 payout

This is a bet on three numbers — either a row, or zero and two numbers from the adjacent row (the latter, a so-called trio, is available only in European and French roulette, not American). The win chance rises to 8.1%; on a win the payout is 11 times the stake.

Corner: four numbers, 8:1 payout

This bet covers four numbers arranged at the corners around the placed chip, giving a 10.8% win chance. On success the casino pays 8× your bet plus returns the stake. The European version of roulette offers a special corner option: 0-1-2-3, a bet usually absent in alternative versions of the game.

Six Line: six numbers, 5:1 payout

A bet on six numbers at once — two adjacent rows (in some interface variants, two columns) on the betting field. A six line hits with a 16.2% chance, the maximum wheel coverage among inside bets. A win provides the stake back plus a five-fold win. This bet is popular among players on a small budget — it wins comparatively often, minimising the chance of long losing streaks and losing the whole bank.

Outside bets in roulette: types, chances and strategic use

Outside bets can be used by experienced players too, but for a roulette newcomer they’re especially useful: there won’t be big wins, but there aren’t overly frequent losses either, which helps preserve the bank. Most roulette strategies build on outside bets.

Even-money bets (Even Money): red/black, even/odd, low/high

The most popular option in roulette is even-money bets — the payout is 1 to 1, and the win chance in the European version is 48.65%. So losses still happen slightly more often because the player also loses when zero comes up — which is why a profit over a long enough run is impossible. The value of even-money bets lies in the simplicity of the rules, frequent if small wins (very useful for a small bankroll), and the chance to use numerous strategies with this approach.

The difference between red/black and even/odd: same odds, different numbers

A fact that’s not obvious to some beginners: although red/black and even/odd bets belong to one type (even money — 1 to 1 payout), they don’t complement each other but partly overlap. If you bet on black and odd at once, you cover not 36 numbers but only 27, with 9 of them covered twice. On one hand that’s a chance for both bets to hit; on the other you can lose both — important to understand if you plan to combine.

Dozens and Columns: 2:1 payout, 32.4% chance

Columns are vertical (in some interface variants horizontal) rows of 12 numbers (e.g. 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34), whereas dozens are groups of 12 numbers but in order (1–12, 13–24, 25–36). The win chance of such a bet is 32.4% in the European version, and the payout is twice the stake (plus the stake back).

The two-dozen strategy: covering 24 numbers at 2:1

Covering nearly ⅔ of the wheel and raising the win chance to the same level is possible by betting two of three dozens or two of three columns. If one such bet hits, the player comes out ahead (bet one chip each on two columns — lose one, the second returns with two more chips of winnings), but on average every third spin will lose for both bets. Betting a column and a dozen at once works the same as betting on colour and even/odd: this doesn’t cover twice as many numbers, but some numbers will be covered twice.

Announced bets in roulette: Voisins, Tiers, Orphelins, Jeu Zéro

Announced bets are an option available on a special field — the racetrack — most typical of French roulette. Such bets are also called sector bets — they cover sectors of the wheel, given that the numbers are placed on it in scattered order. You can’t put a single chip on a sector bet — they have a fixed “cost” in chips.

Voisins du Zéro: “neighbours of zero” — 17 numbers, 9 chips

This bet is taken on the numbers around zero — from 17 to 25 (17 in total). The cost of such a bet equals 9 chips:

• trio with zero — 2 chips;
• five splits — 1 chip each;
• one corner — 2 chips.

In essence this is a combination of several bets, and the payout depends on which one hits:

• trio — 11 to 1, the player is +15 chips;
• any split — 17 to 1, you come out +9 chips;
• corner — 8 to 1, the visitor grows the bank by the same 9 chips.

The variety of possible results makes this bet especially interesting, and the chance of some win is a solid 45.9%.

Tiers du Cylindre: “third of the cylinder” — 12 numbers opposite zero, 6 chips

This sector covers exactly a third of the wheel if you don’t count zero, and the 12 numbers included in Tiers du Cylindre (from 27 to 33 inclusive) sit opposite zero. Such a bet costs 6 chips: essentially, six splits. The win chance of this bet in European roulette is 32.4%, like a dozen or column, and the payout on a winning split is 17:1; on a win we lose the five chips on losing splits, but even so come out +12 units.

Orphelins: “orphans” — 8 numbers not in Voisins and Tiers

The numbers not included in the two sectors above are called Orphelins; you can bet on them too, spending 5 chips: place four splits (number 17 goes into two splits at once) and make a straight-up bet on number 1. Eight numbers is a 21.6% win chance, and the size of the potential payout depends on where the ball stops:

• number 1 — 35 to 1, we’re +31 chips;
• number 17 — 17 to 1, but in two splits at once, so also +31 chips;
• other numbers — 17 to 1, +13 chips.

Like “neighbours of zero”, this bet is interesting for the variety of wins, but the chip count is more modest and the risk higher.

Jeu Zéro: “zero game” — 7 numbers near zero, 4 chips

This is a reduced version of the Voisins du Zéro bet: here too is zero itself, and around it the numbers from 12 to 15. The bet costs 4 chips: one each on three splits and a straight-up bet on number 26. The win chance is 18.9%, and payouts equal 17 to 1 if a split hits (the player is +14 chips), or 35 to 1 if the straight-up on number 26 wins (huge luck of +32 chips). This bet is often used without a racetrack too — casino patrons can place three splits and a straight-up bet by hand.

Table: numbers, chips and payouts for each announced type

For greater clarity on sector bets, here’s a table.

To a beginner the concept of sector bets may seem complex, but with experience you’ll surely come to appreciate them.

Neighbours: a bet on a number + N neighbours on the wheel

If a player believes in the “hot number” concept but allows small deviations in results (and with a worn physical wheel in live roulette this can make sense), bet on a specific number and a certain number of its neighbours. All such bets are straight-up; the stated number of neighbours means you bet that many on each side: e.g. number 7 with two neighbours is actually five numbers. The player chooses the central number and its neighbour count (from one to four): the more bets, the higher the win odds, but the larger the loss on a miss.

Combination bets in roulette: Snake, Finals and more

There are specific chip-placement patterns that don’t need a racetrack and interest experienced roulette players.

Snake: 12 numbers in a zigzag across the table, 2:1 payout

The Snake is a visually pretty bet: with a zigzag of chips the player crosses the whole number field, making straight-up bets on numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, 34. In meaning it’s much like a dozen or column: 12 numbers covered, win chance 32.4%, and on success the payout is effectively 2:1 (11 chips lost, the twelfth returns with a 35-to-1 win) — the player is +24 chips if they bet one everywhere.

Finals en Plein: all numbers with the same last digit

Another “pretty” combination of straight-up bets — on all numbers ending in the same digit. Accordingly, the combination can contain either four numbers (e.g. 2, 12, 22, 32) or three (8, 18, 28 — there’s no 38 on the wheel).

Table of all Finals en Plein: numbers, chips, coverage

The player will have a clearer understanding of how Finals en Plein work thanks to the table.

The value of such a bet depends directly on whether 3 or 4 numbers entered the combination: in the first case the plus is +33 chips, in the second +32.

Finals à Cheval: splits on numbers with two chosen last digits

In meaning this is much like Finals en Plein, only we choose not one last digit but two, and bet splits on them; e.g. if the last digits are 2 and 7, our splits are 2-7, 12-17, 22-27. Depending on the chosen last digits, such a bet needs 3 or 4 chips; accordingly, the win chance in European roulette is 16.2% or 21.6%, and the payout on a win is 17:1 (+14–15 chips).

Bets across roulette variants: what differs in European, French, American

The bets covered in this article are mostly appropriate for all roulette variants, but the three big varieties of the game stand out for a reason — each has specific features.

Bets in European roulette (1 zero, 37 numbers)

This version is considered classic; most bets are available in it, and the average RTP is 97.3%. A racetrack is more often absent, which can complicate placing announced and combination bets that can only be made by hand. There are modifications of European roulette that add the En Prison rule.

Bets in American roulette (2 zeros, 38 numbers)

It differs primarily in having two zeros, which is why the RTP drops to 94.74%, and the win chance of any bet falls somewhat because of the extra cell (e.g. red/black — 47.37% win chance, not 48.65%). The second zero introduces the special Basket bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3), not offered in alternative roulette variants, but because of its relatively low 6:1 payout its RTP is only 92.1% — i.e. it’s unfavourable. A racetrack is absent, and French bets aren’t accepted.

Bets in French roulette: La Partage and En Prison change the rules

Visually the French roulette wheel looks like an exact copy of the European one (plus a mandatory racetrack), but on even-money bets, when zero comes up, the La Partage (half the stake returned) and En Prison (another spin for the same money) rules apply. Thanks to this modification the RTP of 1:1 bets rises to 98.65%, though for all the others the “European” 97.3% remains.

Table: comparing the RTP of identical bets across the three variants

Although over the long run all roulette bets keep some house edge, the favourability of different bets in different versions varies.

For even-money bets (1:1 payout) French roulette is the best choice — the La Partage and En Prison rules deliver the maximum RTP.

Which bets to start with: a guide for roulette beginners

For most visitors roulette is their first casino experience, because everyone has seen it in films and everyone finds it interesting. But if you want to avoid disappointment and appreciate the game right away, it’s important to understand where to begin.

The beginner’s route: 4 steps from first bet to confident play

You can choose a different order of steps, but we recommend playing like this:

1. First, 20–30 spins on even-money bets (even/odd, red/black) at minimum stakes, to get into the rhythm without complex math and keep the game’s charm thanks to frequent wins;
2. Then 20 spins on dozens and columns — you’ll win roughly every third time, but the payout is twice the stake;
3. Then move to straight-up bets on a specific number — the stake stays minimal; even one or a few spins are enough to grasp the concept;
4. Last of all, take on mastering strategies and complex combination bets.

Remember: the ability to play roulette is very conditional, since wins on individual spins depend on luck, and over the long run on math. Roulette is available free in demo mode — that lets you try every approach to the game without material risk.

How much to bet: bankroll management for the first session

There are no guaranteed wins in roulette, so be mentally ready to lose the whole bankroll. To keep that from happening too fast, bet no more than 1–2% of the bank at a time: if you don’t chase only high-risk bets, the bankroll will top up with wins from time to time, so it can be stretched over a long session.

Which bets NOT to make at the start: 3 traps for beginners

There are bets that newcomers to roulette are better off avoiding:

• Basket in American roulette — the lowest RTP (just 92.1%), not recommended for experienced players either;
• straight-up bets — wins that are too rare quickly disappoint, and with a modest bankroll and no readiness for long losses they can drain the bank fast;
• announced bets — they have complex math, can bring a win even to someone who doesn’t understand them, but there’s a big risk of “missing” when placing them by hand.

Follow the sequence of steps above — that way you’ll gradually figure out the rules and get drawn into the game.