Roulette is the most exciting game of chance and one of the most popular in the world. It’s easy to learn, even for beginners, and anyone can start playing right now.
However, there are a few key points about roulette that can help you succeed. So, before you head out to find the best online casinos for roulette, read this strategy guide to refresh your memory on the key factors that will influence your strategy: the house edge, winning odds, and payouts.
You’ll learn about the different roulette bets, how the odds change depending on the different game variations, and how knowing roulette statistics can greatly improve your experience.
Basics of Roulette Strategy
Most people are familiar with the basics of roulette and even place bets the old-fashioned way. There are some differences between American and European roulette. European roulette has 37 pockets with numbers from 1 to 36 and zero. American roulette has an additional pocket with a double zero section, giving a total of 38 pockets.
When you start a new game of roulette, the croupier spins the wheel and drops a metal ball into the spinning mechanism. When the ball lands in a pocket, its position determines whether your bet is successful. The rules of the game state that players must place all bets before the wheel stops spinning.
Many roulette bets are familiar even to novice casino players. For example, bets on red/black, odd/even, and a single number. However, roulette also offers more complex bets, and understanding the odds for them is crucial. This guide to roulette odds will help you understand the different bet types and their odds.
Understanding Roulette Probability
As with any game of chance, betting on roulette involves risking your money. Before you do, study the odds and roulette statistics to make the right decisions. For starters, it’s worth learning about probability theory as a concept.
Essentially, probability is the likelihood of some random event occurring. It’s usually expressed as a percentage or fraction. For example, your chance of winning the lottery this week is 80% (4/5) (of course!). You can create a probability scale by drawing a line and putting two values at its ends, say, from 0 to 1. To the left of the line (closer to 0), a random event is less likely, but in the opposite direction (closer to 1), it’s more likely. The middle of the line would correspond to a 50/50 probability.
So, how does probability relate to odds in roulette? With every spin of the wheel, no matter what your bet, you have a chance of winning. European roulette has 37 possible outcomes, while American roulette has 38. All roulette games are based on random events, and roulette is a game with two possible outcomes: you win or you lose.
The probability of winning can be calculated quite easily by simply dividing the number of possible winning ways by the number of possible outcomes. This is how the probability of winning in roulette is calculated, and we’ll cover this in more detail below in our guide to roulette winning probabilities.
Roulette Betting Odds
Armed with knowledge of the odds of winning at roulette and a basic framework for calculating winning odds, you can now accurately determine your odds of winning at roulette. Start with this formula for calculating the odds of winning at roulette: Odds of Winning = Probability of Winning / (1 – Probability of Winning)
Or, more simply put: Ways to win a bet and ways to lose a bet
Believe me, it’s more difficult on paper than in practice, so it’s better to show a few examples.
In the first example, we’ll consider a standard 50/50 bet, such as a coin toss. There are only two possible outcomes (heads or tails), and the probability of either outcome is equal. Using the roulette odds formula given above, we can calculate the probability of each outcome. For a coin toss, this would be probability = 1 way to win (heads or tails) divided by 1 (way to win) + 1 (way to lose) = 0.50.
If you like, you can multiply 0.50 by 100 to get a percentage result—50%. Of course, you don’t need to tell yourself that the odds of a coin toss are 0.50, 50%, or 50/50. However, this is a good example that can be extended to roulette statistics as well.
In roulette, you divide 36 by the number of lines you’re betting on. Then subtract one from that number to get the roulette odds. For example, if you bet on four numbers, you divide 36 by 4, leaving you with 9. Now subtract one, leaving you with 8, giving you odds of 8:1.
If you bet £100 and win, you will receive winnings of £800.
Basic odds in roulette
If this seems too complicated, try testing the formula on several roulette betting scenarios on a piece of paper. By repeatedly applying the formula to examples, you’ll become more comfortable understanding the odds of winning at roulette and developing a betting strategy. However, since there are different types of roulette, the odds are different for each.
European Roulette Betting Odds
European roulette has 37 pockets on the wheel: numbers 1 through 36 (18 black and 18 red) and one green 0 pocket. You can bet on a single number, meaning the ball will land on a specific number. The odds of winning on a single number roulette are 35/1, meaning a £10 bet will win £350 plus the £10 staked (a total of £360).
American Roulette Odds
The odds of winning in American roulette differ because the game has a double zero, and the wheel now has only 38 pockets. This simple change means that American roulette is cheaper to play, and the minimum bet is lower. It’s worth noting that if the ball lands on the 0 or 00 pocket and you haven’t bet on that number, you lose.
Outside betting odds
Outside bets focus on numbers outside the payout table and offer players significant winning odds. In roulette, these bets cover half of all available bets on the wheel, such as odd/even, red/black, 1-18, or 19-36. Payouts on outside bets are typically not very high because the odds of winning are higher, but if you want to place a decent outside bet, we recommend betting on dozens and columns.
- Red or Black – A roulette bet with even odds (1:1) if the ball lands on the color you bet on, red or black.
- Odd or Even is an alternative to the 1:1 bet in roulette, where you win if you correctly predict whether the ball will land on an even or odd number.
- Low or High – The last bet will be paid 1:1 if you bet low and the ball lands on 1-18, or you bet high and the ball lands on 19-36.
- Column – a bet on the entire column of numbers on the table, divided into three sections of 12 numbers. Column bets pay out at odds of 2:1.
- Dozens are also outside bets in roulette that pay out 2:1 if you can accurately predict that the ball will land on the first dozen numbers (1-12), the second dozen numbers (13-24), or the third dozen numbers (25-36).
| Red/Black | 1:1 | 48,65% | 47,37% |
| Chet/Nechet | 1:1 | 48,65% | 47,37% |
| High/Low | 1:1 | 48,65% | 47,37% |
| Column | 2:1 | 32,4% | 31,6% |
| Dozens | 2:1 | 32,4% | 31,6% |
Inside betting odds
When looking at a roulette table, the numbers on the inside of the wheel are called inside bets. These bets reduce your chances of winning compared to outside bets, which we’ve already discussed in this guide to roulette odds. However, the advantage of betting on the inside is that any win will result in a larger payout.
- A Single Number bet , also known as a Straight Up bet, is a bet on a single number on the roulette wheel that offers the highest possible payout of 35:1. While such a generous payout is certainly attractive, the odds are extremely low, so this bet type offers winners a solid reward for the risk.
- Split – This bet type allows you to bet on two adjacent numbers on a single roll, with the chip placed on the line dividing the numbers. The payout for this bet is 17:1, and while a win isn’t guaranteed, the odds of a split bet are much higher than a bet on a single number.
- Street – a street bet covers three numbers in a horizontal row on the roulette table, for example, 29, 30, and 31. Chips are placed along the outer edge of the number in the row. The payout for a winning street bet is 11:1 if the ball lands on any of your chosen numbers. This bet type offers relatively generous payouts with more reasonable odds.
- Corner – a corner bet with a more reasonable payout of 8:1 involves betting on four adjacent numbers on the board by placing a chip on the intersecting lines connecting these numbers. Corner bets still offer more favorable odds in roulette, although other inside bets with higher odds exist.
- Basket – a bet on the basket is found only on American roulette tables. It covers the top five numbers, including both zeros, 1, 2, and 3. Chips are placed on the corners shared by 0 and 1 or 0 and 3, with the basket covering any “ball” landing on any of the first five numbers on the roulette table. With a payout of 6:1, the odds of winning are undoubtedly favorable and even better than regular bets.
- Double Street — Double Street bets have the lowest possible payout of all inside bets in roulette, at 5:1. This bet involves betting on two rows of three numbers, for a total of six numbers. Chips are placed on the corner shared by two numbers, either left or right. Double Street bets have higher odds and an even greater potential for a big win.
The casino advantage in roulette
The house edge is essentially the source of casino profit and the main source of income for both online and land-based casinos. Even if the house edge may seem small, over a sample of hundreds of thousands of games, it can be significant, and even on an individual basis, it can eat into your bankroll.
The house edge in European roulette
As we discussed in this guide to roulette odds, the odds of winning in European roulette when betting on a single number are 1 in 37. This is because there are 37 numbers on the wheel, but only one potential winning outcome. If you bet £1 on a single number, you’ll get back £36 by spending £37.
This is confirmed by an experiment in which you bet £1 on each number on the table. You’re guaranteed to win, but you’ll only get back £36.
If you spread this out over sessions, weeks, months, and years, every £37 spent will return you £36. It’s important to note that this is an average, but it shows that £1 out of every £37 spent will be returned to the casino. This average is calculated over a long period and can be expressed as a percentage of 2.7% (£1 out of every £37), which is the house edge in European roulette.
Of course, there are no guarantees in roulette, so you might not win on any of the 37 spins, or you might win more than once. But ultimately, given the large sample sizes, the house edge is unavoidable.
The house edge in American roulette
The same applies to American roulette, where the situation is somewhat complicated by the addition of extra 00 slots. Since the payouts in the European and American versions are the same, playing American roulette simply brings the casino additional profit.
If we consider a bet on a single number, the odds of winning in roulette will be as follows:
- European roulette = 1/37
- American roulette = 2/38
The casino can win almost twice as much as when betting on American roulette, as evidenced by the house edge of 5.26%.
Summary: How to improve your odds at roulette
If you appreciate the thrill and classic casino atmosphere, online roulette is the perfect game for you. While you don’t need to be a mathematical genius to become an experienced online roulette player, knowing the odds of winning at roulette can make the difference between the best and worst strategies.
As we’ve already shown, roulette bets and their associated odds vary greatly depending on the bet selected. While there are many variations of roulette, especially online, most are derived from European (or French) or American roulette.
When choosing a game, check the odds for all roulette variations before deciding whether to place a bet. Inside bets are valuable and can yield big wins if the ball lands where you want it to. However, outside bets in roulette are the best option if you want to increase your chances of winning. However, outside bets offer smaller payouts but more frequent wins.
Finally, while American roulette is exciting, playing it gives the casino a significant advantage. If you’re on a budget, American roulette is fine, but for everyone else, the best chances of winning are to choose European roulette.