Roulette offers a wide range of bets, from single numbers to large groups, each with its own odds and payout. Understanding them helps you read the table and know what you are betting on. This guide explains the roulette bets, covering inside and outside bets and how they pay. It is general information and not betting advice, so always gamble responsibly and only stake money you can comfortably afford to lose.
The wheel and layout
Roulette bets are placed on a table layout that mirrors the numbers on the wheel. European roulette has numbers 1 to 36 plus a single zero, with numbers coloured red or black and the zero green. Our guide on how to play roulette covers the basics. Understanding that the layout reflects the wheel, and that you bet by placing chips on or around the numbers, is the foundation for understanding the different bet types available to you.
Inside bets
Inside bets are placed directly on the numbers in the main grid and cover one or a few numbers. They offer bigger payouts but lower chances of winning, because they target specific results. Understanding that inside bets are the higher-risk, higher-reward options, focused on particular numbers or small groups, helps you see one half of the roulette betting picture. The various inside bets differ by how many numbers they cover and where you place your chips on the layout.
Straight up
A straight up bet is on a single number, placed directly on it. It is the hardest inside bet to win but pays the most, at 35 to 1. So a one pound winning straight up returns thirty-six pounds in total. Understanding the straight up bet, the riskiest single bet with the biggest payout, helps you see the extreme of the risk-reward scale in roulette, where backing one number from many offers a large reward but a small chance.
Split, street and corner
Other inside bets cover small groups by placing chips on lines between numbers. A split covers two adjacent numbers and pays 17 to 1. A street covers three numbers in a row and pays 11 to 1. A corner covers four numbers meeting at a point and pays 8 to 1. Understanding these grouped inside bets, which cover two, three or four numbers for progressively smaller payouts, shows how you can spread an inside bet across more numbers for a better chance but a lower return.
Line bets
A line bet, or six line, covers six numbers across two adjacent rows, placed on the line at the edge. It pays 5 to 1, offering a better chance than smaller inside bets but a lower payout. Understanding the line bet, which covers six numbers, completes the range of inside bets, showing how each step from a single number up to six numbers trades a bigger payout for a better chance of winning, all within the inside section of the layout.
Outside bets
Outside bets are placed in the areas around the number grid and cover large groups of numbers. They offer better chances of winning but smaller payouts, making them popular with beginners. Understanding that outside bets are the lower-risk, lower-reward options, covering up to half the numbers at once, shows the other half of the roulette betting picture. They include the even-money bets and the dozens and columns, each covering a different large group.
Red or black, odd or even
The simplest outside bets are red or black, odd or even, and high (19 to 36) or low (1 to 18). Each covers eighteen numbers and pays even money, or 1 to 1, so a winning bet returns double your stake. These are the most popular roulette bets. Understanding these even-money outside bets, which cover nearly half the numbers and pay 1 to 1, helps you see why they appeal to beginners, though the zero means they are not a true coin flip.
Dozens and columns
Dozens and columns each cover twelve numbers and pay 2 to 1. A dozen bet covers the first, second or third group of twelve numbers, while a column bet covers one of the three vertical columns on the layout. Understanding the dozens and columns, which cover a third of the numbers for a 2 to 1 payout, gives you outside bets between the even-money options and the inside bets in terms of risk and reward, broadening the choices on the layout.
How payouts reflect odds
Roulette payouts reflect how likely each bet is: the fewer numbers you cover, the bigger the payout but the lower the chance. A straight up pays 35 to 1, while an even-money bet pays 1 to 1. Understanding that payouts are set in inverse proportion to the chance of winning helps you see that no bet offers better value than another in terms of the house edge, which is the same across almost all bets because of the zero.
The zero and the house edge
The zero (and the double zero in American roulette) is where the house edge comes from. Even-money bets lose when the ball lands on zero, giving the casino its advantage. Our guide on European vs American roulette compares the edges. Understanding that the zero gives the house its edge, applied across all the bets, explains why no roulette bet beats the others for value, and why European roulette, with one zero, is better value than American.
Betting systems do not work
You may hear of systems, like doubling your stake after a loss, that claim to beat roulette. None can overcome the house edge, which applies to every spin regardless of past results, and they can lead to fast, large losses. Understanding that no betting system works on roulette, because each spin is independent and the zero gives a fixed edge, protects you from a common and costly myth, whichever bets you choose to place on the table.
Announced and call bets
Some roulette tables, particularly French and European ones, offer announced or call bets, which are special combinations covering sections of the wheel rather than the layout, such as bets on neighbouring numbers. These are more advanced and not available everywhere. Our guide on European vs American roulette covers the variants. Understanding that these wheel-based bets exist, covering groups of numbers that sit together on the wheel, rounds out the full range of roulette bets, though beginners can happily ignore them and stick to the standard inside and outside bets.
Betting responsibly
Roulette is fast and easy to get drawn into, so treat it as entertainment, not a way to make money. Set a budget, only stake what you can afford, and walk away at your limit. Our guide on how to gamble responsibly has practical tools. Understanding the bets helps you play knowledgeably, but keeping roulette within your means matters far more than any bet type.
In short
Roulette bets fall into inside bets, on single numbers or small groups for bigger payouts and lower chances, and outside bets, on large groups for better chances and smaller payouts. A straight up pays 35 to 1, while even-money bets like red or black pay 1 to 1, with dozens and columns at 2 to 1. Payouts reflect the odds, the zero gives the house its edge across all bets, and no system beats it, so always gamble responsibly.
Explore more in our Casino Games guides.