Learn · Roulette
Roulette: the rules, the odds and the house edge
One ball, 37 or 38 pockets, every bet the same price.
| Bet | House edge | How we know |
|---|---|---|
| Any bet, European wheel | 2.703% | exact |
| Any bet, American wheel | 5.263% | exact |
| The top line (0, 00, 1, 2, 3), American | 7.895% | exact |
One price for everything
A bet on n numbers pays 36 ÷ n − 1 to one, as if there were only 36 pockets. The zeros are what the house keeps: 1 pocket in 37 on a European wheel (2.70%), 2 in 38 on an American one (5.26%). The American top line, 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, pays 6 to 1 for five numbers and costs 7.89%.
What a bet covers and pays
| Bet | Numbers | Pays | Wins on a European wheel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.41% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.11% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.81% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.22% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% |
| Red, black, odd, even, low, high | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
Checked against: Wizard of Odds, roulette.
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