As with any casino game, it’s good for the player to know what their chances of winning actually are – especially in a game like roulette, which is all about luck, but each bet has a different mathematical probability.
As any roulette player will know, there are two different edges, depending on whether you’re playing European or American roulette and the odds are more favourable in the former.
Similarly, there are two groups of bets: inside and outside, and we will find, while outside bets have the higher chances of winning, the pay-outs are smaller. When looking at a roulette table, inside bets are bets that can be made on a number, or series of numbers, which are marked on the inside of the table. Outside bets cover everything else and is the bigger section of numbers (or colours) on the table.
So, what are the different bets that can be placed and what are the odds and probability for each one?
Inside bets
There are seven types of inside bet:
Straight – a bet that covers a single number
Split – a bet that covers two numbers which are adjacent on the table
Street – a bet that covers three consecutive numbers on the same line
Double Street – also known as a six line, a bet that covers three consecutive numbers on the same line, across two lines
Corner – also known as a square bet, a bet on the four numbers that make a square on the table
Basket – only available in American roulette, a bet on the 0 (or 00), 1, 2 and 3
Odds and probabilities
| Bet | European roulette odds | American roulette odds | Pay-out |
| Straight | 2.70% | 2.63% | 35:1 |
| Split | 5.41% | 5.26% | 17:1 |
| Street | 8.11% | 7.89% | 11:1 |
| Corner | 10.81% | 10.53% | 8:1 |
| Basket | N/A | 13.16% | 6:1 |
| Double Street | 16.22% | 15.79% | 5:1 |
Outside bets
There are five types of outside bet:
Red or Black – betting on the colour of the winning number
Odd or even – betting on whether the winning number will be odd or even
Low or high – betting on whether the winning number will be low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36)
Dozen – betting on whether winning number will be from the first (1-12), second (13-24) or third (25-36) dozen
Column – betting on whether the winning number will be from the first, second or third column
Odds and probabilities
| Bet | European roulette odds | American roulette odds | Pay-out |
| Red or black
Odd or even Low or high |
48.60% |
47.40% |
1:1 |
| Dozen
Column |
32.40% | 31.60% | 2:1 |
Called bets
Exclusive to European roulette, there are also ‘called’ bets, sometimes known as ‘announced’ bets. These are bets that relate to the position of the numbers on the roulette wheel, rather than the table. These are split into two categories: fixed and variable, and here we will discuss each type of bet, the odds and pay-outs.
Neighbours of zero – a bet that covers 17 numbers on the wheel, all of which are closest to the zero. The odds of winning this bet are 45.9%; however, the pay-out isn’t fixed and depending on the winning number, can be anything up to 24:1.
Thirds of the wheel – a bet that covers the 12 numbers opposite zero. The odds of winning this bet are 32.4% and pay-out is fixed at 17:1.
Zero game – a bet which is similar to the neighbours of zero, but only covers the seven numbers closest to zero. The winnings odds are shorter at 18.9% and although the pay-out is variable, it can be anything up to 26:1.
Now you understand the bets, probabilities and odds, you’re ready to play. Visit: https://casino.betfair.com/ for all your roulette needs.
