Roulette Strategy: Odds and Payouts

Dean Ryan

March 16th, 2020

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Roulette might seem simple when you’re at the casino or playing at one of the top online roulette sites, but there’s far more to this casino classic. There are plenty of bets outside of placing a single number bet on one of the 37 around the wheel. Each of these betting combinations even comes with its own odds.

We’ve gathered the full run-down on each of these essential roulette strategies and provided them right here for you. If you want to make the most out of this game, check out this useful guide to the odds and payouts that exist in the complicated world of roulette.

Basic Odds

Payouts in online roulette or land-based roulette are based on the range of numbers you choose, as represented by a fraction of the total numbers without the zero. The house has the edge in roulette regardless of whether the table has a single zero or a double zero. Consider this before picking a which type of roulette to play.

Again, there are various bets you can make, and they all have their own odds. For example, if you place a simple straight-up bet the odds are 35 to 1. Meaning that if you place a single number bet of £1 and win, you’ll earn £35 plus your original stake.

RELATED: What is the Martingale System?

Even Bets

Bets for red or black, odd or even, 1 to 8 and 19 to 36 are all even bets. They will pay out at even money – the same odds as a coin toss. This means these bets give you a chance at doubling your money. The existence of a double zero increases the house edge on these bets.

When playing with double zeros, your odds of winning with an evens bet are at 47.37%. That’s pretty high for any casino game. Even bets technically give you the best chance of making money on roulette. Although the odds are stunning, you’ll have to put a great deal at stake to make a decent return.

Dozens

This is a bet on a group of 12 numbers on the table. These groups consist of three sections of numbers – 1-12, 13-24 and 25-36. Each dozen will pay out winning bets at odds of 2 to 1, meaning a £10 bet will give you a total return of £30, including your original stake

The actual odds of winning a roulette bet on a dozen bet is 31.58%, so there is a house edge built-in, but you have a much better chance of a winning spin this way as opposed to betting on a single number.

Double Street

When betting the double street, rows positioned between two rows, your bet covers all six numbers in that row. Your chips are supposed to be placed on the corner shared by the two numbers on the left or the two numbers on the right. The payout for a winning double street is 5 to 1, which is pretty good.

The actual chances of winning your double street bet are 13.16%. Providing the third-best shot to score a payout at the roulette table.

Basket

This bet covers the first five numbers at the top of the table, including 1, 2, 3 and both zeros. The chips are supposed to be placed at the corner shared between the 0 and 1 or 0 and 3. The basket covers the ball landing in either of the first five numbers in the table.

With the payout for the basket bet being 6 to 1, it’s a lucrative one. The actual chances of winning a first five roulette bet, at 13.16%, are pretty decent and worth betting on.

Corner

The roulette corner bet divides the bet by four numbers that are touching. To place a corner bet just put your chips in the middle of the four numbers. If this bet wins, it pays out 8 to 1. Those are good looking odds to us but just know the odds of it happening aren’t super high.

The chances of your corner bet winning are 10.53%, which are more than decent odds for a potential payout of 8 to 1.

Street

Street bets cover 3 numbers that are in a horizontal row. The chips are supposed to be placed on the outer edge of each number in the row. The payout of a winning street bet is 11 to 1. Again, that’s a relatively large payout with decent odds, too.

The chances of you scoring a successful bet on a street in roulette are 7.8%, which is an okay play for a potentially big payday.

Split

A split bet lets you bet on two different numbers in the same roll. This bet is an inside bet, with all the numbers that have intersecting lines being located on the inside of the table. This bet placed over two numbers will potentially give you a payout of 17 to 1 if it wins.

The odds of your split bet winning and giving you a payout is 5.26%. The odds of winning a split bet are solid but in no way a guarantee that you’ll win one on your next spin at the roulette table.

Straight Up

This is bet on just one number for your roll. Betting on a single number is the most exciting option on the roulette table. Winning a straight-up bet provides you with an absolute mega payout of 35 to 1, the largest payout in roulette. A £10 bet could potentially return an enormous £360 payout.

This big payout is definitely attractive but the odds of you being lucky enough to accurately predict a single number bet as low as 2.63%. The straight-up bet provides winners a really big reward for taking a huge risk.

Summary

There is a variety of betting strategies for roulette. Some bring huge payouts, while others offer the chance of smaller, more consistent returns. Comparing odds like this is a great way to improve your roulette strategy when you're betting at a table or your favorite online casino.

There are roulette games offered at all the top online casinos. Put your new roulette knowledge to the test at an online casino and see if you can really roll with the best of them.