Where the Top Line Sits on the Layout
You are standing at an American roulette table, chips in hand, looking at a felt layout that has one extra pocket compared with the European game you may have seen online. The top line bet is the wager that covers the first five numbers on that layout: 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. On most tables it is placed by setting your chips on the corner where the line separating 1, 2 and 3 meets the line separating 0 and 00. Some layouts show a dedicated marked area for it; on others the dealer recognises the position from where the chips sit.
The name comes from the position of those numbers. On an American layout the zero and double zero sit above the numbers 1, 2 and 3, and the bet spans that top row and the two green pockets at once. It is sometimes called a basket bet or a five-number bet, and all three names describe the same wager. It exists only on the American wheel because it needs the double zero. A European wheel has a single zero, so there is no five-number combination laid out in that shape.
This matters more than it first appears. The top line is not just another inside bet with a larger coverage; it is the only bet on the American layout whose payout does not match the probability of winning in the same way as the other inside bets. That gap is what makes the bet worth understanding before you use it, and it is the reason experienced players tend to look at it carefully rather than treat it as a harmless way to cover five numbers at once.
How the Bet Pays and Why the Edge Differs
Roulette payouts are built around the number of pockets a bet covers. A straight-up bet on one number pays a fixed multiple of the stake; a split covering two numbers pays a smaller multiple; a street covering three pays smaller still. The top line covers five numbers, and the payout the table offers for it does not follow the same arithmetic as the bets around it.
On an American wheel there are 38 pockets. A five-number bet covers five of them, so the chance of winning on any single spin is 5 in 38. If the payout were scaled to that probability in the same way as the other inside bets, a winning top line bet would return a slightly larger multiple than the table pays. Instead the table pays a smaller multiple, which means the operator keeps a larger share of each wager on this bet than on any other bet on the layout. That is the mechanical reason the top line carries the highest house edge on an American table.
House edge and RTP are complements: they sum to 100% for the same bet under the same rule set. A higher house edge means a lower RTP, and the top line sits at the bottom of the American table's return scale. The exact figures are printed in the game information panel of whatever online roulette title you are playing, and a physical table's posted rules or the casino's own game guide will state the payout for the five-number bet. Read that before you place it, because the payout is the number that tells you the edge.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Payout structure | What it means for the player |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | Highest single-number multiple | Rare wins, largest payout per unit |
| Split | 2 | Half the straight-up multiple | More frequent wins, smaller payout |
| Street | 3 | One-third the straight-up multiple | Covers a row of three numbers |
| Corner | 4 | One-quarter the straight-up multiple | Covers a block of four numbers |
| Top line | 5 | Lower than the five-number probability would imply | Highest house edge on the American layout |
The table above shows the relationship in structure rather than in exact multiples, because the payout for each bet is printed on the table layout and in the game rules of the software you are using. What stays constant is the shape of the relationship: as a bet covers more numbers, the payout per unit falls. The top line is the exception to the pattern, because its payout falls by more than the added coverage would suggest.
Top Line Versus a Five-Number Coverage Without It
If your goal is simply to have chips on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, you can build that coverage without using the top line bet at all. You could place a straight-up bet on each of the five numbers, or combine a basket on 0 and 00 with a street on 1, 2 and 3. The difference is in how each losing spin and each winning spin is settled.
When you place five separate straight-up bets, each unit you stake is divided across five positions. A win on one number pays the straight-up multiple on that position, while the other four positions lose. When you place a single top line bet, the entire stake wins or loses as one unit, and the payout is the five-number multiple the table states. The total amount you have at risk on a spin can be the same in both cases, but the settlement and the edge attached to each unit are not.
This is the decision point that matters. Covering the same five numbers with separate bets means each unit of your stake carries the edge of the bet type you used. Covering them with the top line means every unit carries the top line's higher edge. The choice does not change which numbers win; it changes how much of each losing wager the house retains on average over a large number of spins. If you want that five-number coverage, the separate-bet route is the one that keeps the edge on each unit lower, and it is the reason the top line is often described as a bet to avoid.
The Sequence of a Round from Buy-In to Settlement
Understanding the bet is easier when you see where it sits in the full rhythm of a roulette round. At a physical table you buy in by placing cash on the felt; the dealer exchanges it for roulette chips, which are colour-coded to you and have no cash value away from that table. At an online table the buy-in is the deposit you make into your account, and the chips are units of that balance.
Once you have chips, you place them on the layout before the dealer calls for no more bets. For a top line bet you set the chips on the corner between the 0, 00 line and the 1, 2, 3 line. The dealer then spins the wheel and launches the ball in the opposite direction. When the ball settles, the dealer marks the winning number, clears losing bets first, and then pays winning bets. At an online table the same sequence is handled by the software, and the result is determined by the random number generator that the game runs on.
Two procedural mistakes repeat themselves with this bet. The first is placing the chips slightly off the corner, so the dealer reads the wager as a split on 0 and 00 or a street on 1, 2 and 3 instead of a five-number bet. If you want the top line specifically, place the chips so they clearly bridge both lines, and watch how the dealer confirms the bet before the spin. The second is assuming the top line pays like a corner bet with one extra number. It does not, and the payout printed on the layout is the number to read before you commit chips to it.
American and European Wheels: Why the Bet Only Exists on One
The top line is a product of the American wheel's extra pocket. A European wheel has 37 pockets and a single zero; an American wheel has 38 pockets and both a zero and a double zero. Because the top line requires the two green pockets to sit above 1, 2 and 3, it cannot be placed on a European layout. On a European table the equivalent area of the felt covers 0, 1, 2 and 3, and that is a four-number bet rather than a five-number one.
The extra pocket on the American wheel does more than create the top line. It changes the house edge on every bet on the layout, because the payout multiples for the other inside bets are the same as on a European wheel while the wheel itself has one more losing pocket. That is why the American game is generally the more expensive version to play, and why the top line, which compounds that extra pocket with a payout that does not scale to five-number coverage, sits at the bottom of the table's return scale.
If you are playing online, the game's information panel will state whether the wheel is European or American and will list the payout for each bet type. If you are at a physical table, the layout itself tells you which wheel you are on: a green 00 next to the 0 means the top line is available, and the payout for it is printed on the felt or in the venue's posted rules. Read that before you decide whether the bet belongs in your session.
FAQ
Is the top line bet the same as a basket bet?
Yes. The top line, basket bet and five-number bet are three names for the same wager on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The name varies by region and by casino, but the bet itself is identical.
Can I place a top line bet on a European roulette table?
No. The bet requires a double zero, which only exists on the American wheel. On a European table the closest equivalent is a four-number bet covering 0, 1, 2 and 3, which is a different wager with a different payout.
Why do experienced players avoid the top line bet?
Because its payout does not scale with its five-number coverage in the same way as other inside bets, it carries the highest house edge on the American layout. Covering the same five numbers with separate bets keeps each unit of stake on a lower-edge wager.
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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.