Two Inside Bets That Cover a Small Group of Numbers
A roulette layout is crowded with betting areas, and two of the most commonly confused are the line and the street. They are both inside bets, meaning they sit on the numbered part of the felt rather than on the outside sections for red or black, odd or even, or high or low. The difference is simple once you see it: a street covers three numbers in a horizontal row, and a line covers six numbers across two adjacent rows.
If you have stood at a table and watched someone place chips on the outer edge of a row of numbers, you have probably seen a street bet. If you have seen a chip placed on the corner where two rows meet the outside line, that is a line bet, sometimes called a six-line or double street. Both bets pay more than the even-money outside bets because they cover fewer numbers, and both lose more often than they win for the same reason.
Where Each Bet Sits on the Layout
The street bet is placed on the line at the end of any row of three numbers. The row 1-2-3 is one street, 4-5-6 is another, and so on up to 34-35-36. A chip placed on the boundary line at the end of that row covers all three numbers. If any of the three comes up, the bet wins.
The line bet is placed on the corner where two rows meet, at the point where the outside line of the layout touches the boundary between those rows. Placing a chip there covers all six numbers in both rows. For example, a chip on the corner between the 1-2-3 row and the 4-5-6 row covers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. A win pays if any of those six numbers appears.
Both bets are resolved purely by the winning number. There is no decision to make after the ball is released, no drawing of cards, no second stage. You place the bet before the spin, the wheel is spun, the ball lands, and the croupier settles every bet on the layout.
How the Payouts Compare
A street bet pays 11 to 1. A line bet pays 5 to 1. Those payouts are printed on the table or available in the game information panel, and they are fixed by the structure of the wheel rather than chosen by the casino. The payout is lower than the true odds of winning because the zero pocket or pockets sit on the wheel but are not covered by either bet.
On a European wheel, a street covers three numbers out of 37 pockets. The true odds against winning are 34 to 3, but the bet pays 11 to 1, which is 33 to 3. The difference between the payout and the true odds is the house edge on that bet. On an American wheel, the same street covers three numbers out of 38 pockets, so the gap is wider.
The same logic applies to the line bet. It covers six numbers, so the true odds against winning are 31 to 6 on a European wheel, but the payout is 5 to 1, which is 30 to 6. The house keeps the difference as its edge on every spin, win or lose. The edge is built into the payout, not applied afterwards.
Street and Line Against Other Inside Bets
Roulette offers several ways to cover small groups of numbers, and the payout rises as the group shrinks. A straight-up bet on a single number pays 35 to 1. A split covers two numbers and pays 17 to 1. A street covers three and pays 11 to 1. A corner covers four and pays 8 to 1. A line covers six and pays 5 to 1.
What changes across these bets is how often you expect to win and how much you receive when you do. A straight-up bet wins rarely but pays a large multiple. A line bet wins more often but pays a smaller multiple. The house edge on all of these inside bets is the same on a given wheel, because the payout is reduced in proportion to the number of pockets covered.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Payout | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | Rare wins, largest payout |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | Small group, high payout |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | One row of three |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | Four numbers in a square |
| Line | 6 | 5 to 1 | Two adjacent rows |
The table above shows the basic structure. The exact house edge for each bet depends on whether the wheel has one zero or two. A European wheel has 37 pockets and a single zero; an American wheel has 38 pockets and a double zero. The extra pocket on the American layout increases the house edge on every bet, including the street and the line.
What the Edge Means in Practice
The house edge is a long-run statistical property of the bet, not a charge deducted from your chip stack after each spin. It expresses the average share of each wager the operator expects to retain over a very large number of spins. On any single spin, you either win the full payout or lose the bet. The edge only becomes visible across thousands of spins.
A street bet and a line bet both carry the same house edge as other inside bets on the same wheel. What differs is the pattern of wins and losses. A line bet wins on roughly six spins out of every thirty-seven on a European wheel, so it produces more frequent but smaller wins than a street, which wins on roughly three. Neither bet changes the edge; they change the rhythm of the session.
Volatility works the same way. A straight-up bet is more volatile than a line bet because the wins are rarer and larger. A line bet is less volatile than a street because it wins more often. Volatility does not change the house edge or the long-run expected loss rate. It changes how long a given bankroll tends to last and how the session feels.
Procedural Mistakes New Players Make
The first common mistake is placing a chip in the wrong spot and thinking it covers a different group of numbers. A chip that sits on the corner between two rows is a line bet, but a chip that sits on the end line of a single row is a street bet. The croupier will settle the bet according to where the chip sits, not where the player intended it to sit. If you are unsure, place the chip and tell the croupier what you mean before the spin.
The second mistake is assuming that a line bet covers two streets. It does cover two rows of three, but it pays 5 to 1, not the 11 to 1 that two separate street bets would each pay. If you place two separate street bets on adjacent rows, you have wagered two units and each bet pays 11 to 1 on its own row. A line bet is one wager covering both rows at 5 to 1. The total at risk and the payout structure are different.
The third mistake is moving chips after the ball has been released. Once the croupier calls no more bets, the layout is fixed. Touching or moving chips after that point will draw a correction, and repeated attempts can get a player removed from the table. Place the bet, confirm it, and leave it alone until the spin is settled.
Reading the Table Rules Before You Sit Down
Before you buy in, check the table's posted minimum and maximum for inside bets. Some tables set a lower minimum for inside bets than for outside bets, and some require that the total of all your inside bets meets the table minimum. The croupier or the table signage will state the rule in force. The same applies to the wheel type: a table with a double zero has a higher house edge on every bet, and the wheel type is printed on the layout or shown in the game information panel.
If you are playing an online roulette game, the same information is available in the game's help or information section. The payouts for each bet type are listed there, along with the wheel type and the minimum and maximum stakes. Read that panel before you place a street or line bet, because the payout for a given bet is fixed but the wheel type and the table limits are not.
FAQ
What is the difference between a street bet and a line bet in roulette?
A street bet covers three numbers in a single horizontal row and pays 11 to 1. A line bet covers six numbers across two adjacent rows and pays 5 to 1. The street is placed on the end line of one row; the line is placed on the corner where two rows meet the outside boundary.
Do street and line bets have the same house edge as other roulette bets?
On a given wheel, all inside bets carry the same house edge, because the payout is reduced in proportion to the number of pockets covered. The edge differs between a European wheel with one zero and an American wheel with two zeros, but within a single wheel it is the same for a straight-up, split, street, corner or line bet.
Can I place a line bet that covers two rows of my choosing?
Yes. Any two adjacent rows on the layout can be covered by a single line bet placed on the corner where those two rows meet the outside line. The bet covers all six numbers in both rows, and it pays 5 to 1 if any of them wins.
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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.