The payout you receive is fixed, but the wheel you are on changes the price of playing
When someone asks how much American roulette pays, they are usually standing at a table or looking at a screen and trying to work out what a winning bet returns. The answer has two layers. The first is simple: every bet on the layout pays a fixed multiple of the stake, and that multiple is printed on the table or shown in the game information panel. The second layer is where the American wheel differs from other layouts, and it is the reason the same bet can feel different in the long run even when the payout looks identical.
An American roulette wheel has 38 pockets: the numbers 1 through 36, a single zero, and a double zero. A European wheel has 37 pockets and no double zero. The payouts for the main bet types are the same on both wheels. A straight-up bet on one number pays 35 to 1 on either layout. What changes is not the payout but the probability behind it, because the American wheel has one extra pocket that loses for most bets. That extra pocket is the entire story of American roulette.
How the payouts are calculated
Roulette payouts are expressed as odds: the amount you receive in winnings for each unit you stake, with your original stake returned on top. A straight-up bet on a single number pays 35 to 1. If you wager one unit and win, you receive 35 units in winnings plus your original unit back, for a total of 36 units returned. If you wager ten units, you receive 350 units in winnings plus your ten back.
The payout is not the same as the true odds of the event. A straight-up bet on an American wheel has one winning number out of 38, so the true odds against winning are 37 to 1. The payout is 35 to 1. The gap between those two numbers is where the house edge lives. The same arithmetic applies to every bet on the layout: the payout is fixed, the probability is set by the wheel, and the difference between them is the operator's mathematical advantage.
American roulette bet types and what they pay
The layout groups bets by how many numbers they cover. Covering more numbers pays less per win but wins more often. Covering fewer numbers pays more per win but wins less often. Neither choice changes the house edge on an American wheel for the standard bets; it changes the shape of the session.
| Bet type | Numbers covered | Payout | What it means on a 38-pocket wheel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | 1 | 35 to 1 | One winning pocket out of 38; the longest odds on the layout |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | Two adjacent numbers; the chip sits on the line between them |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | A row of three numbers; the chip sits at the end of the row |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | Four numbers meeting at one corner |
| Five-number bet | 5 | 6 to 1 | 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 only; the worst standard bet on the layout |
| Line | 6 | 5 to 1 | Two adjacent rows of three numbers |
| Column or dozen | 12 | 2 to 1 | A full column or a block of twelve numbers |
| Red, black, odd, even, low, high | 18 | 1 to 1 | Even-money bets; the zero and double zero lose on all of them |
Two details on that table deserve attention. The five-number bet is unique to the American layout because it is the only standard bet that covers both zero pockets together with the 1, 2 and 3. It pays 6 to 1, but because it covers five numbers on a 38-pocket wheel, its house edge is worse than any other standard bet on the table. The even-money bets also behave differently on an American wheel: red, black, odd, even, low and high each cover 18 numbers, but the zero and double zero are neither red nor black, neither odd nor even, and neither low nor high, so all 18-number bets lose on both zero pockets.
The double zero is the difference
House edge and RTP are complements: they sum to 100% for the same bet under the same rule set. On a European wheel with 37 pockets, a straight-up bet pays 35 to 1 against true odds of 36 to 1. On an American wheel with 38 pockets, the same bet pays 35 to 1 against true odds of 37 to 1. The payout did not change. The probability did. The extra pocket moves the edge further toward the house on every standard bet.
That does not mean an American wheel is unwinnable in any given session. Roulette is a high-variance game, and short-run results can swing far from the long-run average. It means the expected rate of loss on each wager is higher on the American layout than on the European one, for the same bet, under the same payout. A player choosing between tables is choosing between two different prices for the same game.
The sequence of a round, from buy-in to settlement
Knowing the payouts is only part of sitting down correctly. The round itself follows a fixed sequence, and most procedural mistakes happen because a player acts out of turn or misunderstands when a bet is final.
You buy in at the table by placing cash on the layout; the dealer exchanges it for roulette chips. Roulette chips are typically colour-coded to the player rather than denominated, so two players at the same table can hold chips of the same colour but different value. The dealer places a marker on the rail showing the value of each player's colour. When you leave the table, you exchange those chips back for cash-value chips at the table; roulette chips are not redeemable at the cashier.
Bets are placed on the layout while the wheel is not spinning. The dealer announces that betting is open, players place chips on the layout, and the dealer announces that no more bets are accepted before launching the ball. Once the call is made, the layout is frozen. Touching or moving chips after that point is not permitted, even if the ball is still travelling.
The ball lands in a pocket, the dealer places a marker on the winning number, losing bets are cleared first, and winning bets are paid. The marker stays on the number until the next round's bets are settled, which is why you cannot place a new bet on the number that just won while the marker is still there. When the dealer removes the marker, betting opens again.
Where players get the procedure wrong
The first mistake is reaching for the layout after the no-more-bets call. It feels harmless because the ball may still be visible and moving, but the call closes the round for everyone. The second is placing chips directly on a line or intersection and assuming the dealer will know which bet was intended; a chip that straddles two bets is ambiguous, and the dealer will ask rather than guess. The third is leaving the table with colour chips still in hand. Those chips have no value at the cashier, and the only place to convert them is the table where they were issued.
A less visible mistake is assuming that a strategy chart or progression system changes the payout. No betting pattern changes the fixed payouts on the layout or the 38-pocket wheel behind them. A progression changes the size and sequence of wagers, not the edge on each one. The only structural choices a player makes are which bet type to place, how much to stake, and how long to stay at the table.
How to read the table's own payout information
Every roulette table displays its payout schedule, either printed on the layout itself or available in the game information panel on a digital table. The schedule lists each bet type and its payout ratio. Before you sit down, read it. If the table offers a rule variant such as surrender on even-money bets when a zero lands, that rule changes the effective edge on those bets, and the table rules or the game panel will state it. Strategy charts for roulette are not like blackjack basic strategy: there is no decision tree that changes the house edge on a standard roulette bet. What varies is which bets you choose and how much of the layout you cover.
For a player who wants the structural comparison, the question is not only what a bet pays but what the wheel costs. The payout schedule tells you the first. The wheel type tells you the second. On an American wheel, the answer is that every standard bet pays the same as it would on a European wheel, while the extra pocket makes each one cost slightly more in expected loss over a very large number of spins.
FAQ
Does the five-number bet on American roulette pay more than other bets?
It pays 6 to 1, which is more than the even-money bets but less than a line bet. The problem is not the payout size but the probability behind it. Covering five numbers on a 38-pocket wheel gives the five-number bet a worse house edge than any other standard bet on the American layout, so the higher payout does not make it a better choice.
Why does a straight-up bet pay 35 to 1 when there are 38 pockets?
The payout is fixed by the game's design, not by the true odds. With 38 pockets, the true odds against a single number winning are 37 to 1. The payout is 35 to 1. The difference between those two figures is the house edge on that bet, and it exists on every bet type on the layout.
Can I get my colour chips cashed at the main cashier?
No. Roulette colour chips are issued at a specific table and are only redeemable there. When you finish playing, ask the dealer to exchange them for standard cash-value chips, which you can then take to the cashier. Leaving the table with colour chips means you will have to return to that table to convert them.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.