The payout is printed on the table before you sit down
Roulette does not hide its payouts. Every bet you can place has a fixed multiple attached to it, written on the layout itself and repeated in the game information panel of any online version. What you win on a single spin is that multiple times your stake, and nothing else. The wheel does not pay more for a lucky number, a hot streak, or a bet placed at the last second. The only thing that changes what you are paid is which bet you chose and which wheel you are playing on.
That last point matters more than most new players expect. The same bet can pay the same multiple on two different wheels while still being worth less on one of them, because the wheel itself has an extra pocket. Before you think about what you might win, you need to know which layout you are facing.
What a payout is
A roulette payout is expressed as a ratio of winnings to stake, written as "X to 1". A winning straight-up bet on a single number pays 35 to 1. That means the casino returns your original stake plus 35 times that stake. If you wagered one unit, you receive 36 units back in total: the 35 units of winnings and your own unit returned. The payout multiple never includes the returned stake, which is why the number on the table is always one less than the total you are handed.
Because the payout is fixed, your only variable is the stake. The game does not multiply anything based on how long you have been playing, how much you have lost, or what the previous spins produced. Each spin is an independent event, and the payout for a given bet is identical on the first spin and the ten-thousandth.
European and American wheels pay the same but are not the same
Two wheel layouts dominate roulette. A European wheel has 37 pockets, numbered 0 through 36, with a single zero. An American wheel has 38 pockets, adding a double zero alongside the single zero. The payouts for each bet type are identical on both wheels. A straight-up number pays 35 to 1 on either layout. A split pays 17 to 1 on either. A red or black bet pays even money on either.
What changes is the chance of winning. On a European wheel, a straight-up number has one winning pocket out of 37. On an American wheel, the same bet has one winning pocket out of 38. The payout did not change, but the probability did. The extra pocket is not a neutral addition; it belongs to the house on every bet that does not cover it. The result is that the American layout keeps a larger share of each wager over the long run, despite printing the same payout ratios on the felt.
| Wheel type | Pockets | Zero pockets | Straight-up payout | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 37 | One (single zero) | 35 to 1 | One winning pocket in 37 |
| American | 38 | Two (single and double zero) | 35 to 1 | One winning pocket in 38; larger house edge on most bets |
Some venues offer rule variations that soften the effect of the zero, such as returning half a losing even-money bet when the ball lands in zero. These are table-specific rules, not a different payout structure. When you sit down, the posted table rules or the game information panel will state whether any such variation applies, and it changes the long-run cost of the even-money bets only under that specific rule set.
The bet types and what each one pays
Roulette bets fall into two broad groups: inside bets, placed on the numbered grid, and outside bets, placed on the surrounding boxes for categories like red or black, odd or even, and high or low. Inside bets pay larger multiples because they cover fewer numbers. Outside bets pay smaller multiples because they cover many numbers at once.
The following table lists the standard bet types and their payouts. These multiples are the same on European and American layouts; what differs is the underlying probability, as described above.
| Bet type | Numbers covered | Payout | Where it sits on the layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | One single number | 35 to 1 | Chip placed fully inside one number's square |
| Split | Two adjacent numbers | 17 to 1 | Chip placed on the line between two numbers |
| Street | Three numbers in a row | 11 to 1 | Chip placed at the end of a row |
| Corner | Four numbers forming a square | 8 to 1 | Chip placed on the intersection of four numbers |
| Six line | Six numbers in two adjacent rows | 5 to 1 | Chip placed at the intersection of two rows |
| Column | Twelve numbers in one vertical column | 2 to 1 | Chip placed in the box at the foot of a column |
| Dozen | Twelve numbers (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36) | 2 to 1 | Chip placed in one of the three dozen boxes |
| Red or black | Eighteen numbers of one colour | 1 to 1 | Chip placed on the red or black box |
| Odd or even | Eighteen numbers | 1 to 1 | Chip placed on the odd or even box |
| High or low | Eighteen numbers (1-18 or 19-36) | 1 to 1 | Chip placed on the low or high box |
Some layouts also allow announced or call bets, which are groups of numbers placed according to their position on the wheel rather than on the grid. These are more common in European venues and on certain online tables. Their payouts are built from the same underlying straight-up, split, and other multiples, because each call bet is really a bundle of standard bets placed together. The table rules or the game's help screen will list exactly which numbers a call bet covers and what each component pays.
Why the payout is not the same as the true odds
If a European wheel has 37 pockets and a straight-up bet covers one of them, the true odds against winning are 36 to 1: there are 36 losing pockets and one winning pocket. But the payout is only 35 to 1. The gap between the true odds and the payout is where the house edge lives. It is not a fee added to your bet; it is the difference between what a bet mathematically should pay if the game were perfectly fair and what it pays.
The same logic applies to every bet on the layout. The payout is always slightly short of the true odds, because the zero pockets are losing pockets for most bets that do not cover them. On an American wheel, the double zero widens that gap further. The payout table never changes to reflect this. That is the core of roulette as a commercial game: the multiples are fixed, the probabilities are fixed, and the shortfall between them is the operator's mathematical advantage on every spin.
This does not mean you cannot win on a given spin or over a session. Short-run outcomes are dominated by variance, and a single winning straight-up bet returns a large multiple. But the payout structure itself is set so that, over a very large number of spins, the total returned to players is less than the total wagered. No bet selection changes that, because every bet on the layout carries the same structural shortfall relative to its true odds, with only small differences between bet types on some rule variants.
The sequence of a round, from buy-in to settlement
Understanding what you win also means understanding when a win becomes yours. At a physical table, you exchange cash for roulette chips at the table itself. These chips are often colour-coded to you and are not the same as the cash-value chips used at other tables. You place them on the layout before the dealer closes betting. The dealer spins the wheel and launches the ball in the opposite direction. Once the ball drops, the dealer marks the winning number, clears the losing bets, and pays the winners. Only then do you collect your chips. Taking chips off the table before the dealer has settled the round is a procedural mistake that will at best confuse the table and at worst forfeit a payout you were entitled to.
Online, the sequence is compressed but the same in structure. You select a chip value, place it on the layout, and press spin. The outcome is determined by a random number generator, and the interface credits your balance immediately after the spin resolves. The payout multiple shown in the game's paytable is the same one the table layout uses.
One common new-player mistake is placing a bet after the dealer has announced that bets are closed. At a physical table, late bets are returned or refused. Another is misunderstanding that outside bets lose when the ball lands in zero on a standard layout, unless the table rules state a special rule for zero. A third is assuming that because a number has not appeared for many spins, it is more likely to appear next. The wheel has no memory, and each spin starts from the same set of probabilities. None of these mistakes changes the payout table, but all of them change whether you are paid at all on a given round.
Where to find the exact payouts for your table
The payout table above covers the standard bets, but individual tables can vary. Some online games offer a racetrack layout for call bets. Some physical venues use a rule that changes how even-money bets settle on a zero. Some tables have a minimum and maximum stake printed on a plaque, and those limits determine the largest multiple you can receive on a winning bet.
Before you play, check the game information panel or the posted table rules. That is where the operator states the exact payouts, any special zero rules, and the stake limits. Reading it takes less than a minute and tells you more about what you can win than any general payout list, because it describes the specific wheel and rule set in front of you.
The payout multiples themselves are not a secret and do not vary by operator in any meaningful way. What varies is the wheel layout, the zero rule, and the table limits. Those three details determine the real value of every bet you place, and they are always stated somewhere on the table or in the game's information screen.
FAQ
What is the best-paying bet in roulette?
The straight-up bet on a single number pays the highest multiple, at 35 to 1. It also covers the fewest pockets, so it wins least often. A high payout multiple is not the same as a better bet; it is a trade-off between the size of a rare win and the frequency of smaller wins on other bets.
Do you get your original stake back when you win?
Yes. The payout multiple is the winnings only, and your original stake is returned separately. On a winning straight-up bet of one unit, you receive 35 units in winnings plus your one unit back, for a total of 36 units.
Does the payout change between online and live roulette?
The standard payout multiples are the same. What can differ is the wheel layout, any special zero rule, and the stake limits, all of which are stated in the game information panel or on the table. Always check those details for the specific game you are playing.
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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.