Roulette odds, explained.
Roulette’s house edge comes down to one thing: how many green zeros are on the wheel. Pick the right wheel and you halve — or double — the cost of playing.
The rules — how a round of roulette works
- A roulette wheel holds the numbers 1–36 plus a green zero. A European wheel has one zero; an American wheel adds a second ‘00’ that doubles the house edge — always choose European or French.
- You bet on where the ball will land. ‘Inside’ bets are on specific numbers (small chance, big payout); ‘outside’ bets cover big groups like red/black or odd/even (near even-money).
- Every number except the green zero is coloured red or black, is odd or even, and is high (19–36) or low (1–18) — those are the even-money bets.
- The green zero is where the edge lives: on a single-zero wheel it is 2.70% on every bet. French rules (‘la partage’ / ‘en prison’) return half your even-money stake when the ball hits zero, halving the edge to 1.35%.
- The wheel has no memory — past spins tell you nothing about the next, so no pattern or betting system changes the odds.
How to play, step by step
The bets & their odds
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up (1 number) | 35:1 | 2.70% | biggest payout, longest odds |
| Split · Street · Corner | 17:1 · 11:1 · 8:1 | 2.70% | groups of 2–4 numbers |
| Dozen · Column | 2:1 | 2.70% | 12 numbers at once |
| Red/Black · Odd/Even · High/Low | 1:1 | 2.70% · 1.35% French | the lowest-edge bets |
| American wheel (any bet) | — | 5.26% | the double zero — avoid |
House-edge figures are the standard, well-established odds for roulette on typical rules — not operator-specific. A lower edge means less lost over time; none of these is a winning bet. 18+.
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One zero, or two
Inside vs outside: same edge, different ride
On a European wheel, every bet has the same 2.70% house edge — a straight-up number paying 35:1 is no better or worse, mathematically, than red/black paying 1:1. What changes is volatility: inside bets (single numbers, splits) pay rarely but large; outside bets (red/black, odd/even, dozens) pay often but small. Choose based on the ride you want, not on a belief that one is “better odds” — they aren’t.
Why systems don’t beat the wheel
Every spin is independent — the wheel has no memory, so “due” numbers and hot/cold streaks are illusions. Staking systems like Martingale (doubling after a loss) don’t change the 2.70% edge; they just trade many small wins for the occasional catastrophic loss, and hit table limits fast. The only real decision that moves your odds is the one before you bet: which wheel you sit at. As with every casino game, the expected result is a loss. 18+.
House-edge figures are the standard published odds for each wheel type — July 2026. Informational, not advice. 18+.
Frequently asked questions
What is the house edge in roulette?
It depends on the wheel. A European (single-zero) wheel has a 2.70% house edge. An American (double-zero) wheel has 5.26% — nearly double — because of the extra 00. A French wheel is single-zero and, on even-money bets, the La Partage or En Prison rule roughly halves the edge to about 1.35%.
European or American roulette — which should I play?
European, every time. The only real difference is the extra 00 pocket on the American wheel, and it almost doubles the house edge (5.26% vs 2.70%) for no benefit to you. If a French wheel with La Partage is available, its even-money bets are better still.
Do inside bets have better odds than outside bets?
No. On a European wheel every bet — a single number (35:1) or red/black (1:1) — carries the same 2.70% house edge. What changes is volatility: inside bets pay rarely and big, outside bets pay often and small. The one exception is the American 'five-number' bet (0-00-1-2-3), which is worse at 7.89%.
Do roulette systems like Martingale work?
No. Doubling after a loss (Martingale) or any other staking system doesn't change the house edge — it just reshapes the wins and losses, and runs into table limits and your bankroll. Each spin is independent; the wheel has no memory.