The street bet is a row of three numbers
A street bet in roulette sits on the outside edge of a row of three numbers on the layout. You place one chip on the line at the end of the row, and that single wager covers all three numbers in that row. On a standard layout, a street might cover 1-2-3, 4-5-6, or any other horizontal row of three consecutive numbers. The bet is an inside bet, which means it is placed on the numbered section of the table rather than on the outside boxes for red or black, odd or even, or high or low.
The payout for a street bet is 35:1. That is the same payout as a straight-up bet on a single number, even though the street covers three numbers instead of one. The reason lies in the difference between the payout and the true odds of winning. A street bet has three winning numbers out of the wheel's total pockets. On a European wheel with 37 pockets, the true odds against winning are 34:3, which reduces to about 11.33:1. On an American wheel with 38 pockets, the true odds are 35:3, or about 11.67:1. The casino pays 35:1 either way, which means the payout is expressed per unit staked on the winning number, not per unit spread across the row.
When a street bet wins, the dealer pays the winning amount and leaves the original bet on the layout unless you choose to remove it. The payout is calculated on the single chip or unit placed on the street, not on the three numbers individually. If you place a 10-unit chip on a street and one of the three numbers hits, you receive 350 units in winnings plus your original 10-unit stake back, unless the table rules state otherwise.
How the payout compares with other inside bets
All inside bets in roulette are priced differently from their true odds, and the street is no exception. The table below compares the main inside bet types by the numbers covered, the payout, and the true odds on a European wheel with 37 pockets. The payout column is the standard figure printed on most layouts; the true odds column shows what a fair payout would be if the casino took no edge.
| Bet type | Numbers covered | Standard payout | True odds (European wheel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | 1 | 35:1 | 36:1 |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | 17.5:1 |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | 11.33:1 |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | 8.25:1 |
| Six line | 6 | 5:1 | 5.17:1 |
The street bet's 11:1 payout is slightly below the true odds of 11.33:1 on a European wheel, and further below the 11.67:1 true odds on an American wheel. That difference is the house edge on the bet. On a European wheel, a street bet carries the same house edge as every other bet on the layout except one: the five-number bet on an American wheel, which covers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 and carries a materially higher edge than the rest of the table. The street's edge is not worse than a straight-up bet or a corner; it is the same percentage of each wager, because the payout scale is built around the same margin on most of the layout.
What changes between bet types is not the edge but the variance. A street bet wins more often than a straight-up bet because it covers three numbers, but it wins less often than a six line or a dozen. The payout is correspondingly smaller than a straight-up win and larger than a six-line win. None of this changes the long-run expected loss per unit wagered on a European wheel; it changes how the wins and losses are distributed across a session.
Where the payout is stated
The payout for a street bet is printed on the table layout itself, usually in the form of a small table or a label near the inside betting area. Some layouts print the payout next to the bet name, and some print it on a placard at the side of the wheel. The dealer can also state the payout if you ask before placing the bet. In an online roulette game, the paytable is normally available from the game's information or help panel, and the payout for each bet type is shown there.
The printed payout is the amount the operator will pay on a winning bet, but it is not the same as the true odds. The gap between the two is the house edge, and it is built into the payout scale rather than applied as a separate charge. You do not pay a fee to place a street bet; the edge is taken through the fact that the payout is slightly short of the true odds.
One procedural point worth noting: a street bet must be placed on the line at the end of the row, not on the numbers themselves. If you place chips on the individual numbers, you have made three straight-up bets, not one street bet. The payout is the same per winning unit, but the amount at risk is different, because a street bet risks one unit across three numbers while three straight-up bets risk three units. The dealer will usually clarify the bet if the placement is ambiguous, but the cleanest way to avoid a dispute is to place the chip on the line and announce the bet if the table is busy.
How the wheel type changes the street bet
The payout for a street bet is the same on a European and an American wheel: 11:1. What changes is the probability of winning, because the American wheel has one extra pocket. A European wheel has 37 pockets, of which three are covered by a street bet. An American wheel has 38 pockets, of which three are covered by the same street. The extra pocket is the double zero, and it is not covered by any street bet on the standard layout.
The practical effect is that the house edge on every bet, including the street, is higher on an American wheel than on a European wheel. The payout scale is the same, but the true odds are longer on the American wheel because there is one more losing pocket. If you have a choice between two tables and one uses a European wheel while the other uses an American wheel, the European wheel carries the lower edge on the street bet and on most other bets. The exception is the five-number bet, which exists only on the American layout and carries a higher edge than any other bet on that table.
The wheel type is usually visible on the layout or on the wheel itself. A European wheel shows a single zero at the top of the layout, while an American wheel shows both a zero and a double zero. Online games state the wheel type in the game information panel, and many titles put the wheel type in the game name.
What the street bet does and does not change
A street bet is one of the standard inside bets, and it sits between a split and a corner in terms of coverage and payout. It is not a special bet with a different edge from the rest of the layout on a European wheel; it is a standard bet with a standard payout. The choice between a street and a corner, or between a street and two splits, changes the distribution of wins and losses, but it does not change the expected loss per unit wagered on the same wheel.
The main procedural mistakes new players make with street bets are placement and payout confusion. Placing the chip on the corner of a number instead of on the line at the end of the row can turn a street bet into a straight-up bet or a split, depending on where the chip lands. Asking for a payout based on the number of chips on the layout rather than the printed payout is another common error; the payout is per unit staked, not per number covered. Finally, some players assume that a street bet pays more than a straight-up bet because it covers more numbers. It pays the same 35:1 on the winning number, but it wins more often because three numbers are covered instead of one.
If you want to know exactly what a street bet pays at a particular table, the answer is on the layout in front of you. The printed payout is the operator's stated term for that bet, and it is the figure that governs the settlement. The true odds and the house edge are derived from the wheel type, and they are the same for a street bet as for most other bets on the same layout.
FAQ
Does a street bet pay 11:1 or 35:1?
A street bet pays 11:1 on the winning number. The 35:1 figure is the payout for a straight-up bet on a single number. The confusion arises because the street bet covers three numbers, and some layouts print the straight-up payout prominently. The street's 11:1 payout is the standard figure for a three-number row bet.
Is a street bet the same as a basket bet?
No. A street bet covers a row of three consecutive numbers, such as 1-2-3. A basket bet is a five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3, and it exists only on American wheels. The basket bet carries a higher house edge than a street bet or any other standard bet on the layout.
Can I place a street bet on the zero row?
On a European wheel, the zero sits at the top of the layout and is not part of a standard three-number street. Some layouts allow a bet on 0-1-2 or 0-2-3, but these are not standard street bets and their availability depends on the table rules. On an American wheel, 0 and 00 are not part of any standard street bet. The payout and coverage for any non-standard bet should be confirmed with the dealer or the game's paytable before placing the wager.
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