Roulette Odds – Which Version to Play
One of the things that can make understanding Roulette odds difficult, is how different the odds are between the three main versions of the game. The main versions that can be found at casino sites and land-based casinos are American Roulette, European Roulette, and French Roulette. Two of these versions are quite similar, while the third has much worse odds.
European and French versions of the game offer much better odds than American Roulette, as the are single zero wheel games. As such, these are the two versions players should stick to, if they have the chance. Both of them have 36 numbers and a single green 0 pocket.
European Roulette has a house edge of 2.63%, making it much better than American Roulette. The American version of the game has a house edge of 5.26%, nearly twice as worse.
French Roulette is almost identical to European Roulette, but there are a few changes to certain rules that improve the players’ odds. There are two main rules that change the player’s odds, so check which one is being used, as they are not both in effect. The first is La Partage. If you place an even-money bet, like Red or Black, and the ball lands on the Green 0, half your bet is returned to you.
The other is the En Prison rule. It also applies to even money bets and the green 0 coming up. However, instead of half your bet being returned, your bet is held, and the wheel is spun again.
If your original bet wins, your bet is returned to you. These rules lower the house edge to 1.35%.
Outside Bets Odds and Pay Outs
If you want the best chance to win when playing Roulette, Outside Bets are the way to go. The most popular outside bets are known as Even Money Bets. They are called this because these bets cover almost half the Roulette wheel, with the exception of the Green 0 in European and French Roulette and the Green 0 and 00 in the American version.
These even money bets are Red or Black, Odds or Evens, and 1-18 or 19 – 36. These bets give a player a near 50:50 chance of winning.
In the European version, your odds of winning are 48.65%, while the odds worsen to 47.37% on the American wheel. Because your odds are so good, the payout is 1:1. So if you bet $5 and you win, you’ll double your money and win $10.
Other Outside bets include Column Bets and Dozen Bets. Both of these betting options cover 12 numbers on the wheel, a third of the numbers.
There are three column betting options, and three Dozen betting options (1-12, 13-24, 25-36). The odds of winning one of these bets on the European wheel is 32.43% and 31.58% on the American wheel. The payout is 2:1.
Inside Bet Odds and Payouts
Inside bets in Roulette offer much higher payouts, but significantly worse bets. They are classified by betting on a single number, or a small group of numbers. This makes them much harder to win, but the added risk comes with a bigger potential reward. There is a much larger selection of Inside Bets, so we’ve laid them out below, including their odds and payout.
- Straight Bet – This is when a player bets on a single number on the wheel. This is the most difficult bet to win, but comes with the biggest payout. The payout is 35:1, which will make you a significant amount of money if you get lucky. The odds of winning with European Roulette is 2.7%, and 2.63% in American Roulette.
- Split Bet – A split bet is when a player bets on two numbers on the wheel, however, the numbers need to be next to each other on the table. The payout for this bet is 17:1, and the odds are 5.41% on the European wheel and 5.26% for the American version.
- Street Bet – A street bet sees players bet on three consecutive numbers, like 7, 8, 9 for example. The chance of winning is 8.11% or 7.89% for European and American Roulette respectively. The payout is 11:1.
- Corner Bet – With a corner bet, players bet on four numbers, and it pays out 8:1. The odds in European Roulette are 10.81% and 10.53% in American Roulette.
- Double Street Bet – As the name suggests, instead of betting on three numbers, you bet on six. The payout is 5:1 with odds of 16.22% for European and 15.79% for American.
- Basket Bet – This bet is only available in American Roulette, and players bet on five numbers. This is a bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 and pays out 6:1. The odds of winning are 13.15%
This is a lot to take in, so to help out our readers, we’ve created a table with all the main bets, their odds, and payouts.
| Bet | Payout | European Roulette Odds | American Roulette Odds |
| Red/Black | 1:1 | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| Odd/Even | 1:1 | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| 1-18/19-36 | 1:1 | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| Column | 2:1 | 32.4% | 31.6% |
| Dozen | 2:1 | 32.4% | 31.6% |
| Straight Bet | 35:1 | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Split Bet (2 Numbers) | 17:1 | 5.4% | 5.3% |
| Street Bet (3 Numbers) | 11:1 | 8.1% | 7.9% |
| Corner Bet (4 Numbers) | 8:1 | 10.8% | 10.5% |
| Basket Bet (5 Numbers) | 6:1 | N/A | 13.2% |
| Double Street (6 Numbers) | 5:1 | 16.2% | 15.8% |
Roulette Odds FAQs
What is the best bet in Roulette?
The best bet in Roulette is subjective and depends on what the player wants. The main thing a player might look for is regular wins or massive wins.
If you’re looking for regular wins, stick to Outside bets, like betting on Red or Black. These bets have the best odds, but smaller payouts. Inside bets offer much bigger payouts, at the cost of being much harder to win.
Are Roulette odds good?
This depends on the version of Roulette you are playing. The odds in American Roulette are significantly worse, with a house edge of over 5%. However, European and French Roulette are much better. They’re still not the best out there, but they’re pretty good.
Can you really win at Roulette?
Yes, you can. Always remember that Roulette is not a game of skill. It all comes down to luck. But, if luck is on your side, then you can absolutely win real money when playing Roulette.
Do Roulette strategies improve your odds?
No, they don’t. As we said, it is a game of luck, not skill. Once you have placed your bet, there is no way to influence where the ball lands.
No strategy will be able to influence whether you win or lose. However, betting systems and strategies can make your bankroll last longer and hopefully, your luck will change, and you can win some money.
Which Roulette game has the best odds?
As we’ve said, the best odds in Roulette can be found in French Roulette. However, French Roulette is more difficult to find. European Roulette also has very good odds and is significantly easier to find than the French version. American Roulette should be avoided at all costs, as the odds are significantly worse than the other versions of the game.
Which Roulette bet has the best odds?
The bet with the best odds are the Even Money Outside bets. These are Red/Black, Odd/Even, or 1-18/19-36. These bets have a near 50:50 chance of winning.
However, the payouts are the smallest at 1:1. Bet $5, and you’ll get our original bet back plus an extra $5.