Roulette Bets & Odds
Online roulette can be daunting for someone who has only just started playing casino games on the internet, but it need not be. In fact, once you get the hang of all the different bets it is all relatively straightforward.
To begin with the bets can be divided into two categories:
- Inside bets, which involve betting on the numbers 1-36, zero (also double-zero if you're playing American Roulette) on the inside of the roulette table
- Outside bets, covering the groupings by number or colour that are displayed around the outside of the table.
Straight-up
This is the simplest of all bets in online roulette, or indeed live roulette at a bricks and mortar casino. It involves betting on just one of the numbers that the roulette ball can land on, and the odds of winning are 36:1 in French or European Roulette, or 37:1 in American Roulette
When a straight-up bet comes in, it pays out 35:1. This means if you bet $10 on (for example) number 10, and that's where the ball lands, you win $350 plus your original stake back. Of course, the payout is so high on this because this is the bet which comes in least often on average.
Split
A split is a bet on two numbers adjacent to each other on the roulette table. Examples include 1 and 2, or 35 and 36. Your odds of winning are 35:2 in French or European Roulette, or 18:1 in American Roulette
This bet pays out 17:1 when the bet comes in. Note that in American Roulette you can also make a split bet on zero and double zero, an option which is not available in other variants.
Street
A street bet incorporates three numbers which are all in a row on the roulette table, such as 1, 2 and 3 or 4, 5 and 6. The odds of winning are 34:3 in French or European Roulette, or 35:3 in American Roulette (effectively 11.33:1 or 11:67:1 respectively).
A winning street bet pays out 11:1, and there are also unique three-number bets in American Roulette, incorporating the double zero, which pay out the same. French and European Roulette tables also allow players to make three-number bets on 0, 1 and 2 or 0, 2 and 3.
Corner
A corner bet is fairly self-explanatory. It involves placing a chip on the corner between four numbers, so if any one of those four numbers comes in you win the bet.
The odds of a corner bet being successful are 33:4 in French or European Roulette, or 17:2 in American Roulette, and the payout is 8:1 in both variants.
Top Line Bet
This bet is unique to American Roulette due to the presence of the double-zero. It is a bet covering five slots on the wheel: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
The odds of this bet coming in are 6.6:1, and it pays out six to one. Some American Roulette players like this bet for the novelty value it offers.
Six-Line
Also known as a 'double street' bet, the six-line incorporates two adjacent 'streets' of three numbers. Examples include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 or 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
A six-line bet pays out 5:1. The odds of it hitting are 31:6 in French or European Roulette, or 5.33:1 in American Roulette. This bet is a popular part of some regularly used roulette betting systems.
Column
The first of the 'outside bets' to be mentioned here, the three columns of 12 numbers are usually marked out clearly on the outside of a roulette table. You have three columns to choose from: 1, 4, 7, 10 etc, 2, 5, 8, 11 etc. and 3, 6, 9, 12 etc.
Your chances of this bet coming in are 25:12 in French or European Roulette, or 26:12 in American Roulette, i.e. just over 2:1, and the payout on a winning column bet is exactly 2:1 in all three of these variants.
Dozens
As the name suggests, a dozen also covers 12 numbers. However unlike the column bets, the numbers are sequential (1-12, 13-24 or 25-36). This can make it easier to keep track of your bet, so you don't have to check back again after the ball has landed to find out if you have won.
Seeing as the dozen bet covers the same number of slots as a column bet, the odds and payouts are exactly the same. If the ball lands on zero or double-zero then all dozen bets lose, as do any other outside bets.
Even-money bets
Even-money bets pay out 1:1, so if you bet $10 on an even money chance and win, you get your $10 back and another $10 on top of that. The house edge comes from the fact that occasionally the ball will land on zero or double-zero and all even-money bets will lose.
There are three types of even-money bet:
- Red or black
- Odd or even
- High (19-36) or low (1-18)
Each even-money shot has a 19-18 chance of hitting in French or European Roulette, or 20:18 in American Roulette, which is a little over 1:1 in both cases.
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