How Roulette Pays
Every roulette bet has a payout ratio that reflects how many numbers it covers. The fewer numbers a bet covers, the less often it wins and the more it pays. Understanding the ratios helps you see what you are buying with each chip, and it shows why no single bet is a secret best choice.
Inside Bets
Inside bets are placed on the numbers themselves. These are the standard payouts:
- Straight-up, one number: 35 to 1.
- Split, two adjacent numbers: 17 to 1.
- Street, three numbers in a row: 11 to 1.
- Corner, four numbers that meet at a point: 8 to 1.
- Six line, two adjacent rows: 5 to 1.
A payout of 35 to 1 means you receive 35 units of profit for each unit staked, and your original stake is returned as well. A winning 1 unit straight-up bet therefore hands back 36 units in total.
Outside Bets
Outside bets cover big groups and sit around the edge of the layout.
- Red or black, odd or even, low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36): 1 to 1.
- Dozens (1 to 12, 13 to 24, 25 to 36) and columns: 2 to 1.
On a single-zero wheel, an even-money bet wins 18 times out of 37, or about 48.65%. On a double-zero wheel it wins 18 times out of 38, or about 47.37%. The zero or double zero is the reason those bets are slightly worse than a fair coin toss.
Why the House Edge Stays the Same
Here is the maths for a single-zero wheel. Stake 1 unit on a number for 37 spins. On average the number comes up once, paying back 36 units in total, for 37 units staked. The shortfall is 1 unit in 37, or 2.70%. The same calculation on a double-zero wheel gives a shortfall of 2 units in 38, or 5.26%.
You can run the same test with any other standard bet and reach the same figure. A split, a corner or a dozen all lose the same share of the money staked on average. This is why the wheel matters more than the bet. For a comparison of the wheels, read European vs American vs French Roulette.
So What Differs Between Bets
The difference is variance, meaning how widely your results swing. A straight-up bet wins rarely and pays a lot, so a session can be quiet and then suddenly jump. An even-money bet wins almost half the time, so results move in small steps until a zero arrives. Neither is a better value. Choose the one that suits how long you want your budget to last.
Betting Systems
Systems such as doubling your stake after every loss promise to recover losses, but they do not change the house edge. They increase the amount you stake after a bad run, and they eventually meet the table maximum. Each spin is independent, so a long run of red does not make black more likely.
Practical Tips
- Set a session budget before you start, and split it into units.
- Decide which bets you will use and stick to them.
- Check the roulette table limits so the bets you want are allowed.
- Prefer a single-zero wheel when you have the choice.
For a quick reference of the ratios, see our roulette bets and odds page. Players must be 19 or older, or 18 or older in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec, and Rexbet is an offshore operator. If gambling stops being fun, visit responsible gambling for Canadian help lines.
Mia Palmer writes about online casino and sports betting for Canadian players. She works through the details most guides skip — wagering requirements, payout timelines, deposit limits and the fine print attached to a welcome offer — and explains them in plain language. Her reviews describe what a site actually does rather than what its marketing claims, and every guide she writes assumes the reader plays for entertainment and sets a budget first.