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Roulette odds and payouts for every bet on both wheels
Roulette payouts, win probabilities and house edge for every bet on European and American wheels, with the French rule that halves the edge on even-money bets.
- Payouts are the same on both wheels; the odds are not. The extra 00 pocket nearly doubles the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%.
- On a given wheel every standard bet has the same edge, with one exception: the five-number bet on an American wheel costs 7.89%.
- French rules (La Partage or En Prison) cut the edge on even-money bets to 1.35%.
Why the wheel decides the edge
A European wheel has 37 pockets: 1 to 36 and a single zero. An American wheel has 38, adding a double zero. Payouts are set as if there were only 36 pockets, so each zero is a pocket the casino does not pay for. One zero gives an edge of 1/37 = 2.70%; two give 2/38 = 5.26%.
Payout and probability for each bet
| Bet | Numbers covered | Pays | Win chance, European | Win chance, American |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Five-number (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | 5 | 6 to 1 | n/a | 13.16% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Red/black, odd/even, high/low | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
An even-money bet is not a coin flip: it wins 18 times in 37 on a European wheel and 18 in 38 on an American one.
The one bet that is worse than the rest
The five-number bet exists only on American layouts. It covers five pockets but pays 6 to 1, where a fair-to-the-layout payout would be 6.2 to 1. That shortfall lifts its edge to 7.89%. Every other bet on the same table costs 5.26%.
French rules that halve the edge
Some single-zero tables apply La Partage: when the ball lands on zero, even-money bets lose only half. En Prison achieves the same average result by holding the bet for the next spin. Either rule reduces the edge on even-money bets to 1.35%; inside bets, dozens and columns stay at 2.70%.
Before sitting down, check two things: the number of zeros on the wheel and whether La Partage is offered. They matter more than any betting pattern.
Variants that change the maths
- Mini roulette uses 13 pockets (1 to 12 and a zero) and pays 11 to 1 on a single number, an edge of 7.69% unless a half-back rule on zero applies.
- Triple-zero wheels, found on some Las Vegas floors, have 39 pockets and a 7.69% edge on every bet.
- Multiplier games such as “lightning” roulette lower the straight-up payout to fund random multipliers. Their published RTP is listed bet by bet on the live casino pages.
Common questions
What is the best bet in roulette?
An even-money bet on a single-zero table with La Partage or En Prison, at a 1.35% house edge. Without that rule, every bet on a European wheel costs the same 2.70%.
Do roulette payouts differ between American and European tables?
No. A straight-up number pays 35 to 1 on both. The American wheel simply has one more losing pocket, which is why its house edge is higher.
What are the odds of hitting a single number?
1 in 37 (2.70%) on a European wheel and 1 in 38 (2.63%) on an American wheel.
Sources
Checked 11 November 2026. Rules and published figures change; confirm against the current official page before relying on them.
Publication byline. Prepared with AI assistance and checked against the linked sources; see our editorial standards. This page is information, not advice, and contains no affiliate links.