The Situation at the Table
You sit down, trade cash for coloured chips, and the layout in front of you is covered in numbered boxes and labelled sections that do not look like the bets in any other game. A roulette bet is called by the pattern it covers on that layout. The name tells you two things at once: which numbers win for you, and what the payout will be if one of them lands. Once you can read the layout, the rest of the game is just timing.
Every wager at the table belongs to one of two families. Inside bets sit on the numbered grid itself and cover a small group of numbers, sometimes a single one. Outside bets sit around the edge of the grid and cover broad categories: red or black, odd or even, a whole column, a whole dozen. The names are not decorative. A "street" is not a vibe; it is a row of three numbers. A "corner" is exactly four numbers that meet at one point. The name describes the shape the bet makes on the felt.
Inside Bets: The Numbered Grid
Inside bets are placed directly on a number or on a line shared by several numbers. They pay more because they cover less. The highest-paying single wager in the game is the straight-up bet, which is one chip on one number. If that number comes in, the operator pays at the rate printed on the table, which is typically a fixed multiple of the stake. The exact multiple is printed on the layout or in the game's information panel, and it differs between European and American wheels because the wheel itself has a different number of pockets.
The other inside bets are combinations built from adjacent numbers on the grid. A split covers two numbers and is placed on the line between them. A street covers three numbers in a horizontal row and is placed on the outer edge of that row. A corner, sometimes called a square, covers four numbers that meet at a single intersection. A six-line, sometimes called a double street, covers two adjacent rows and is placed on the outer corner where they meet.
| Bet name | What it covers | Where the chip goes |
|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | One single number | Fully inside the number's box |
| Split | Two adjacent numbers | On the line between them |
| Street | Three numbers in a row | On the outer edge of the row |
| Corner / square | Four numbers meeting at a point | On the shared corner intersection |
| Six-line | Six numbers across two rows | On the outer corner where the rows meet |
There are also announced or call bets on some layouts, mostly on European tables, which cover sections of the wheel rather than sections of the grid. They carry names that describe wheel geography, and they are handled differently from table to table. If a table offers them, the layout or the dealer will state the minimum and the coverage; if it does not, the standard inside bets above are the whole menu.
Outside Bets: The Perimeter
Outside bets sit in the labelled boxes around the numbered grid. They cover large groups and pay less per unit staked, because a larger share of the wheel wins for you on any given spin. The even-money outside bets are red or black, odd or even, and low or high. These are not all identical in coverage on an American wheel: the zero and double zero are neither red nor black, neither odd nor even, and neither low nor high, so every even-money outside bet loses when a zero pocket lands.
The dozen and column bets cover twelve numbers each. A column bet is placed in the box at the foot of one of the three vertical columns of numbers. A dozen bet is placed in a box marked for the first, second, or third group of twelve numbers in sequence. They pay at a higher rate than the even-money bets because they cover roughly a third of the numbered grid rather than roughly half of it.
How the House Edge Differs by Bet
The house edge on roulette is not one single number for the whole table. It depends on the wheel and on the bet. On a European wheel with a single zero, the even-money outside bets and the inside bets on the numbered grid all lose to the zero in the same structural way. On an American wheel with both a zero and a double zero, the extra pocket increases the house edge on the American layout as a whole, and it does so for every bet that does not cover the zeros.
One exception sits on the American layout: a five-number bet covering zero, double zero, one, two and three, sometimes called the basket. It covers five pockets but is paid at a rate that leaves it with a materially higher house edge than the other standard bets. If a table offers it, the payout is printed on the layout, and comparing that payout to the coverage shows why it is the weakest standard wager on the board.
| Bet type | Coverage on a European wheel | Coverage on an American wheel | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Even-money outside | 18 of 37 pockets | 18 of 38 pockets | Zeros lose; extra zero raises the edge |
| Dozen or column | 12 of 37 pockets | 12 of 38 pockets | Same structure, different wheel size |
| Straight-up | 1 of 37 pockets | 1 of 38 pockets | Payout multiple differs by wheel |
| Five-number basket | Not offered | 5 of 38 pockets | American-only, highest standard edge |
RTP and house edge are complements: for the same bet under the same rule set, they sum to 100%. A straight-up bet on a European wheel returns a long-run statistical average that reflects one winning pocket out of thirty-seven, and the house keeps the difference. That is an average over a very large number of spins, not a promise about any single session. On any given spin, the ball lands where it lands.
The Sequence of a Round
A round moves through four stages. First, the dealer closes betting, usually with a spoken call or a hand motion. Second, the ball is launched against the direction of the spinning wheel. Third, the ball drops into a pocket and the dealer marks the winning number on the layout, often with a clear marker called a dolly. Fourth, losing bets are cleared, winning bets are paid, and only then may new bets be placed for the next spin. Placing a chip after the dealer has called no more bets is the most common procedural mistake at the table; the bet will not count, and it will be returned or pushed back to you.
The second common mistake is mixing chip values. Roulette tables often use non-value coloured chips that are assigned to a single player at buy-in and have no printed denomination. Those chips must be exchanged back at the table before you leave, because they have no value at the cage or at another table. The third mistake is reaching into the layout after the ball has dropped. Once the dolly is down, the layout is live; let the dealer clear and pay before you touch anything.
Where the Numbers Are Posted
The payout for every bet is printed on the table layout itself, and the game's information panel usually repeats the wheel type, the minimum and maximum stake, and the payout schedule. If you are playing online, the same information sits in the game's rules or paytable screen. The wheel type is the single most important thing to confirm before you bet, because it changes the number of pockets and therefore the house edge on every wager you can place.
Strategy charts for roulette do not exist in the way they do for blackjack, because roulette has no decision after the bet is placed. The only choices are which bet to make and how much to stake, and the payouts are fixed by the layout. What varies is the wheel and the bet type, and those two things determine the long-run rate of loss on any wager.
FAQ
What is a single number bet in roulette called?
A wager on one individual number is called a straight-up bet. The chip is placed fully inside the number's box on the layout, and it pays at the highest standard multiple of the stake, with the exact figure printed on the table.
What is the difference between a column bet and a dozen bet?
Both cover twelve numbers, but they cover different groups. A column bet covers one of the three vertical columns on the layout and is placed in the box at the foot of that column. A dozen bet covers the first, second or third group of twelve numbers in numerical sequence and is placed in the corresponding labelled box.
Why do inside bets pay more than outside bets?
Inside bets cover fewer numbers, so they win less often and therefore pay at higher multiples. Outside bets cover larger groups and win more often, so they pay less per unit staked. The house edge is not the same across every bet, and on an American wheel the five-number basket carries a higher edge than the other standard wagers.
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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.