Different Types of Roulette Bets

There are plenty of ways to bet on roulette. In fact, there are so many that it could make your head spin! Although roulette is largely a game of luck, with little to no strategy involved, there are a large handful of betting scenarios to take advantage of, creating a host of ways to increase your chances of winning big! In our review, we will cover all types of bets along with payouts, house edge, and roulette odds.

Roulette Bets Explained

Outside Bets

They are called outside bets because they cover wagers placed on the perimeter of the wheel. These are bets that are not placed on one specific number. Instead, they revolve around a group of numbers or colors.

Red/Black

This is the simplest and most popular bet made on the roulette wheel. You are betting on whether the ball will land on a red or a black number. This is what is known as an even money bet with odds of 1:1.

The odds of winning this bet are not quite a 50/50 shot, though. In European Roulette, there is the presence of the 0 on the wheel, while American Roulette features an additional 00 spot. These two numbers qualify as losses in the case of the red/black bet.

Odd/Even

This is like the red/black bet concept. You are betting on hitting an odd or an even number.

The odds are 1:1 (an even money bet) with the odds of winning under 50% because of the 0 or 00 on the roulette wheel.

High/Low

You are betting on the ball landing on a low number (1-18) or a high number (19-36). An even money bet with 1:1 odds, the odds of winning are under 50% with the 0 and 00s.

Columns

These are bets placed on the ball landing in one of three designated columns of the wheel. Each column consists of 12 numbers. This kind of bet will double your money with odds of 2:1.

• Column 1: The ball lands on 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34
• Column 2: The ball lands on 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35
• Column 3: The ball lands on 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36

Dozens

This bet in placed on the ball landing on a patch of a dozen numbers, but this time it is in order! The bet will double you money with odds of 2:1.

• Dozen #1: The ball lands on 1-12
• Dozen #2: The ball lands on 13-24
• Dozen #3: The ball lands on 25-36

Inside Bets

These are bets that consist of any picks from inside the number rectangle.

Straight Up

This is a bet on any given number on the wheel. If the ball lands on that number, you win. You lose if it does not. These bets pay out at odds of 35:1.

Split

This is placing a bet on a line that separates two numbers. For example, you could bet on 13/14 or 25/26 or 4/5. If you land on one of the two number, you win! This bet pays 17:1.

Street

Sometimes, these are called “trio bets” or “steam bets.” You are wagering on the ball landing in a sequence of three numbers like 1, 2, 3 or 30, 31, 32. This pays 11:1.

Corner

Sometimes, these are called “four-number bets” or “square bets.” They pay 8:1, and you are betting on one of four numbers to show up. The numbers need to touch to form a square, hence, where the name of the bet is derived.

Line

Sometimes, these are called “six-number bets.” They pay 5:1, and you are betting on the ball covering two rows of three numbers. This could look like 24-29 or 11-16. The numbers need to be on two consecutive rows.

Five-Number Bet

This is sometimes referred to as the “top-line bet,” but nothing could be further from the truth. The chance of winning this bet is 13.16% and has a 6:1 payout. This is a bet solely placed on the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. The ball must land on one of these in order to win.

Basket

This is called the “first four” bet and pays out 6:1. This bet is based on the ball hitting number 0, 1, 2, or 3.

Snake Bet

This bet pays 2:1 and is named after the serpentine pattern it makes on the roulette wheel. It specifically covers numbers 1, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 23, 27, 30, 32, and 34.

Call Bets

These may not be found at all online casino because they are specific to European or French Roulette. Instead of placing your money or chips down at the table, the betting is conducted by people “calling out.”

Voisins du Zero

This is a bet that covers all the numbers closest to 0, the numbers that lie between and include 22 and 25. The translation for this call bet is “Neighbors of Zero” so this includes 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, and 25.

Nine chips at least are required for placing the Voisins du Zero bet.

• 0, 2, 3 trio: 2 chips
• 4/7 split: 1 chip
• 12/15 split: 1 chip
• 18/21 split: 1 chip
• 19/22 split: 1 chip
• 25/26/28/29 corner: 2 chips
• 32/35 split: 1 chip

Jeu Zero

This is placing a bet on the numbers closest to 0. This includes 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, and 15.

The bet requires at least four chips to play.

• 0/3 split: 1 chip
• 12/15 split: 1 chip
• 32/35 split: 1 chip
• 26 straight up: 1 chip

Tiers du Cylindre

This is a bet placed on “thirds of the wheel” which are 12 numbers on the other side of the wheel between and including 27 and 33. Wheels with single zeros would have these numbers to make up this bet: 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, and 33.

At least six chips need to be wagered. One chip must be bet at each of the following slips: 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, and 33/36.

Orphelins

Outside of the Tiers and Voisins bets, there are two slices of the wheel that comprise the basis for this bet. These eight numbers are 17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9.

Five chip are needed to place the bet.

• 1 straight-up: 1 chip
• 6/9 split: 1 chip
• 14/17 split: 1 chip
• 17/20 split: 1 chip
• 31/34 split: 1 chip

Neighbors

This is a bet on a number that is backed up by two numbers on either side in a five piece set. The neighbors bets can be combined with any of the call bets formerly listed. For instance, the “0 and the neighbors” bet is comprised of five pieces and contains one straight-up piece on 3, 26, 0, 32, and 15.

Final Bets

These are bets that are placed on all numbers ending in a “final” digit. For example, you can place a final bet consisting of all numbers ending in 6 making the applicable numbers 6, 16, 26, and 36. There is the opportunity to split between two numbers as well. A bettor could do a final bet on numbers 4 and 4 making the applicable numbers, 4/7, 14/17, 24/27, and 34.

Imprisonment Bets

This bet is specific to the roulette variation, French Roulette, and involves getting back half of your bet! The concept is simple. If a bettor makes an even money bets such as odd, even, red, black, 1-18, or 19-36 and their ball lands on 0, the bettor will get back half their bet!

Depending on which casino you play at, the rules can change and fluctuate. At some casinos, players can choose to “imprison” their bets which means that if that player wins on the next spin, they can gain some of their winnings, though not as much. There are options to “double imprison” which means the bet would have to pass one round of winning to go back to being a “single imprisonment” and, from there, it can be redeemed by another win.

Complete Bets, Full Complete Bets, and Maximum Bets

These bets are great for all the high rollers out there. The concept of this bet can be difficult to understand but it takes all inside bets and puts them on a particular number.

One of the most popular scenarios is the Complete Bet on 17. It would include every betting situation with the number 17 involved and this bet would require forty units or about $40,000. This is sometimes called “17 to the Maximum” and this is what things would look like if all the bets were manually entered:

Type of Roulette Bet	Numbers to Bet On
Straight	17
Split	17, 14
Split	17, 16
Split	17, 18
Split	17, 20
Street	17, 16, 18
Corner	17, 16, 13, 14
Corner	17, 18, 14, 15
Corner	17, 18, 20, 21
Line	17, 16, 18, 13, 14, 15
Line	17, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21

Although the set up of the bet is complicated, the actual betting is not! Most casinos know what bettors need when they want to execute a Complete Bet on 17 so there is nothing that is placed on the table as far as bets go! It is done much in the style of a regular call bet.

Roulette Odds and Payout Information

Bet Type	Payout	European Roulette Odds	European Roulette House Edge	American Roulette Odds	American Roulette House Edge
Red/Black	1:1	48.65%	2.7%	47.37%	5.26%
Even/Odds	1:1	48.65%	2.7%	47.37%	5.26%
Low/High	1:1	48.65%	2.7%	47.37%	5.26%
Dozens	2:1	32.43%	2.7%	31.58%	5.26%
Columns	2:1	32.43%	2.7%	31.58%	5.26%
Line	5:1	16.22%	2.7%	15.79%	5.26%
Five Number	6:1	–	–	13.16%	7.89%
Corner	8:1	10.81%	2.7%	10.53%	5.26%
Street	11:1	8.11%	2.7%	7.89%	5.26%
Split	17:1	5.41%	2.7%	5.26%	5.26%
Stright	35:1	32.43%	–	31.58%	–

How to Play Roulette

Are you ready to hit the tables at a local casino near you? We thought so! Before you head out, here are some things to keep in mind and some things you should be expecting when you try your hand at that roulette wheel!

How to Play Roulette in a Casino

Find a Roulette Table

Find the table that is right for you. There are two different pieces of information posted at each table, one being important and the other being good to know but is ultimately a temptation and should not be paid any mind. The first thing you will find is a placard or sign showing the minimum and maximum bets for the table.

This information is good to know unlike the second set of information, that being a board or sign that features the previous numbers that the ball landed on. This is interesting to know, but it is rare for the numbers to repeat themselves. The odds of hitting on any number remain the same.

Give Your Money to the Dealer for Chips

Because the dealer handles the chips in roulette, the chips are all different colors, signifying the player they belong to. If there are five people playing, there will be five different chips, so the dealer or croupier can distinguish each player. The dealer will ask each player which denominations they would like their chips in and, once this is decided by the player, the dealer will place one chip on the top rail with a marker to indicate the value of each color.

Start Playing Roulette

Once the table has been cleared from the previous round, the dealer will give bettors a small window of time to begin placing their wagers. The dealer will then toss the ball out onto the wheel and bettors can continue to place wagers up until the moment the ball hits the wheel. The dealer will call out “no more bets!” and the ball will settle, determining the winner. The dealer will set a marker on the winning number, clear the losers’ bets, and then the winner is paid.

How to Play Online Roulette

The process to play roulette for real money at online casino sites is much easier to describe. Because there is no interaction with a live dealer or other players, there is much less involved with the game experience and process. The pace of the game is all set to the schedule and needs of the individual who is playing on the desktop PC or on their smartphone.

Roulette Bets FAQ