The wheel you sit down to is one of two layouts
Before you buy in, the single most useful thing to know is that not every roulette wheel carries the same number of pockets. A European layout has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 through 36 plus a single zero. An American layout has 38: the same 1 through 36, a single zero, and a double zero. That one extra pocket is not a cosmetic difference. It changes the arithmetic on every bet you can place, because the house edge on an American wheel is higher across the board than on a European wheel with otherwise identical rules.
The numbers themselves run 0 to 36 on both layouts. The zero is not a neutral tile that sits outside the game; it is a losing pocket for most bets, and its presence is precisely what gives the house its mathematical advantage. When a ball lands in zero, the even-money outside bets such as red or black, odd or even, and high or low all lose on a standard layout. Some tables soften that with a rule that returns half the stake or holds it for the next spin, but that is a table-specific variation you should confirm before betting.
How the numbers are arranged on the wheel
The sequence of numbers around the wheel is not the same as the sequence on the betting felt. On the felt, the numbers sit in three neat columns running 1 to 36 in ascending order, with the zero or zeros placed at the head of the layout. On the wheel itself, the numbers are scattered in a fixed pattern designed so that high and low, red and black, and odd and even are interleaved rather than clustered. The European wheel follows one standard sequence; the American wheel follows another because it must accommodate the double zero.
The betting felt is where you place chips. It is divided into two zones. The inside area holds the individual numbers, arranged in the three columns and twelve rows. The outside area wraps around it with the grouped bets: red or black, odd or even, high or low, dozens, and columns. Every bet you can make is a wager on where the ball will land among the numbered pockets, expressed through a different grouping of those numbers.
| Layout | Pockets | Zero pockets | Effect on house edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| European | 37 | 1 (single zero) | Lower edge on equivalent bets |
| American | 38 | 2 (single and double zero) | Higher edge on equivalent bets |
From buy-in to settlement: the sequence of a round
You sit down, place cash on the table, and the dealer exchanges it for roulette chips. These are not the standard casino chips used at other games; roulette chips are colour-coded per player so the dealer can tell whose bets are whose when chips overlap on the felt. The value of each chip is set when you buy in and is not printed on the chip itself. You cannot take these chips to the cashier; you must cash them out at the roulette table.
Once all players have chips, the dealer opens betting. You place chips directly on the felt, either on a single number, on a line between numbers, or on one of the outside boxes. You may place multiple bets on the same spin. When the dealer calls an end to betting, the ball is launched around the wheel in the opposite direction to the wheel's spin. From that moment the outcome is fixed by physics and the wheel's construction; nothing you do at the table changes it.
The ball slows, drops, and settles into a pocket. The dealer marks the winning number on the felt, clears all losing bets, and pays winners according to the posted odds. Losing chips are swept first, so never reach for your bet while the dealer is clearing the layout. Winning inside bets are paid at their fixed multiples; winning outside bets are paid at even money or the posted column and dozen rates. The next round begins only after every winning bet is settled and the marker is removed.
What each decision point means
Your only decision in roulette is which bets to place before the ball is released. There is no decision after the spin, no way to influence the ball, and no choice that changes the odds of the pocket the ball will find. The decisions are therefore about bet selection: which numbers or groups you cover, how many chips you place, and how those chips are distributed across the felt.
Inside bets cover specific numbers or small groups of them. A straight-up bet is a single number. A split covers two adjacent numbers on the felt. A street covers a row of three, a corner covers four, a six-line covers two adjacent rows. Each of these pays a higher multiple because it covers fewer pockets. Outside bets cover larger groups and pay less. Red or black, odd or even, and high or low each cover 18 numbers on a European wheel. Dozens and columns each cover 12.
The trade-off is direct: the more pockets a bet covers, the more often it wins, but the less it pays when it does. The house edge, however, does not come from the payout multiples being slightly short. It comes from the zero pockets, which are not covered by the outside bets and which sit inside the inside-bet layout as losing numbers for any bet that does not include them.
Main bet types and how their edges differ
On a given wheel, almost every bet carries the same house edge, because the zero pockets are unclaimed by all of them. On a European wheel, a straight-up bet on one number and a red-or-black bet both face the same edge, even though one pays 35 to 1 and the other pays even money. The edge is identical because both bets are short by the same unclaimed pocket. On an American wheel, that shared edge is higher because there are two unclaimed pockets instead of one.
The exception is a small group of bets on the American layout that cover the zero, the double zero, and the numbers adjacent to them: the five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. Because it covers five pockets but is paid as if it covered fewer, its house edge is worse than every other bet on the table. If a table offers this bet, it is the single most expensive wager on the felt.
| Bet type | Pockets covered (European) | Payout multiple | House edge relative to other bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | 1 | 35 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Six-line | 6 | 5 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Red or black | 18 | 1 to 1 | Same as most bets on the wheel |
| Five-number (American only) | 5 | 6 to 1 | Worse than every other bet on the table |
Where strategy charts come from
Roulette does not have a strategy chart in the way blackjack does, because there is no decision to make after the ball is released and no way to alter the odds of any pocket. What roulette does have is a set of rule variations that change the arithmetic. The most important is the wheel type: European or American. The second is the treatment of the zero on even-money bets. Some tables return half the stake when zero lands, which reduces the effective edge on those outside bets only. Some hold the stake for the next spin, which delays the loss rather than removing it.
Any published figure for a roulette bet's house edge assumes a specific wheel and a specific zero rule. A chart that quotes an edge for red or black is only accurate for the layout and rule set it was built from. Before you rely on any figure, read the table's posted rules: how many zeros the wheel carries, what happens to even-money bets when zero lands, and whether any special bets carry different terms. The felt itself usually prints the payout multiples, but the zero rule is often on a placard at the table or in the venue's game guide.
Procedural mistakes that cost new players
The first mistake is buying in and then not knowing the value of your own chips. Because roulette chips are colour-coded and unmarked, a player who forgets their per-chip value cannot tell the dealer how much they are betting or how much they should be paid. Tell the dealer your buy-in amount, note the value you are given, and keep that value in mind for the entire session.
The second is reaching for chips after the dealer has announced the winning number. Losing bets are cleared before winning bets are paid, and the dealer's hand moves quickly. A hand that enters the layout at the wrong moment can be mistaken for a late bet or disrupt the settlement. Wait until the marker is removed and the dealer has finished paying before you touch anything.
The third is assuming a bet that covers more numbers is somehow safer in a way that changes the long-run cost. Covering 18 numbers wins more often than covering one, but the payout is proportionally smaller, and the house edge is unchanged. The only bet on the table with a materially different edge is the American five-number bet, and it is worse, not better.
FAQ
Why does the American wheel have more numbers?
The American layout adds a double zero pocket to the same 1 through 36 sequence and single zero found on the European wheel. The extra pocket exists to give the house a larger mathematical advantage on every bet, because there is one more unclaimed pocket on the wheel.
Does the zero count as a number in roulette?
Yes. The zero is a numbered pocket on the wheel and a betting option on the felt. It is not covered by the outside even-money bets, which is why those bets lose when the ball lands in zero unless the table has a specific rule that returns or holds the stake.
Can I bet on all the numbers at once?
You can place chips across the felt to cover many numbers, but you cannot cover every pocket and come out ahead. If you bet on every number, the payout on the winning number is smaller than the total amount you wagered, because the house keeps the difference. The zero pockets make a full-coverage bet a guaranteed loss on every spin.
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