Roulette bets and payouts: the full chart, bet by bet
Each bet costs about the same over time, but each one shapes your risk and your swings differently.
Betting on single numbers pays big and hits rarely. Betting on large blocks, such as colour or parity, pays little and hits often. One number returns 35 to 1, a dozen returns 2 to 1, and red or black returns 1 to 1. With a single zero, each of these costs the same 2.70 per cent.
Roulette offers plenty of ways to bet, all resting on the same arithmetic. Only the frequency of wins and the size of swings change. We re-check every month, so keep the top Canadian casino sites handy.
Each bet appears below with its payout and its chance on a European wheel. Players must meet their province's legal age.
Inside bets
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Chance per spin (single zero) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 number | 35 to 1 | 2.70% |
| Split | 2 numbers | 17 to 1 | 5.41% |
| Street | 3 numbers | 11 to 1 | 8.11% |
| Corner | 4 numbers | 8 to 1 | 10.81% |
| Six line | 6 numbers | 5 to 1 | 16.22% |
Place chips on a number, across a line between numbers or on a corner point.
Outside bets
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Win chance, European |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dozen or column | 12 numbers | 2 to 1 | 32.43% |
| Red or black | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
| Odd or even | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
| Low or high (1 to 18, 19 to 36) | 18 numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
Zero is what shaves even-money bets below fair value, and that sliver is the casino's margin.
Does any bet beat the rest?
With one zero, every standard bet costs 2.70 per cent. Add the 00 and most bets cost 5.26 per cent, with the five-number basket (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) at 7.89 per cent, so skip that one. Some French tables apply La Partage or En Prison: after a zero, even-money stakes lose only half or stay locked for another spin, bringing the cost on those bets down to roughly 1.35 per cent.
Matching bets to temperament
Outside bets give calmer sessions. Inside bets give a shot at a big payout and long dry spells. Mixing them leaves the long-run cost unchanged. Pick a unit your budget can carry and hold it steady. More on the roulette odds page.
Special bets online
Certain tables add announced bets (Voisins du Zero, Tiers du Cylindre, Orphelins), each a fixed bundle of chips. Convenient, yet priced exactly like the bets inside them. Multiplier tables at live studios alter some straight-up payouts, so study the paytable. See also the live casino page.
What a session costs in numbers
Put CAD 2 on red: roughly 48.65 per cent of spins return CAD 2 profit, the rest cost CAD 2. The average loss works out near CAD 0.054 per spin, about CAD 5.40 per 100 spins, although any real session may land far away from that figure. The slot session simulator illustrates how variance behaves.
Reading the layout
Numbers sit in a grid of twelve rows by three columns. A chip centred on a number is straight up, one straddling two numbers is a split, one at the end of a row is a street. Boxes around the edge carry dozens, columns and the even-money options. Online tables usually light up the covered numbers on hover, which makes a final check easy.
Common questions
Which bet is statistically best?
With a single zero they are all equal at 2.70 per cent, so none beats another. Even-money bets win often, straight-up bets pay most. La Partage tables make even-money bets cheaper, and on double zero wheels you should avoid the five-number bet.
What does 35 to 1 actually mean?
A winning CAD 1 straight-up bet returns CAD 35 in profit plus your CAD 1 back. With 37 pockets the fair price would be 36 to 1, and that one-unit shortfall is the casino's edge.
What is La Partage?
A rule from French tables: when zero comes up, an even-money bet gets half its stake refunded. That drops the cost to about 1.35 per cent on those bets. Confirm the rule in the table help, as many online tables skip it.