Roulette Rules, Bet Types and Payouts
The rules of Roulette are rather simple. The dealer will spin the numbered wheel and throw in a tiny ball once you’ve put your bets on the table. The winning number is the one on which the ball rests. If you had placed a wager on this number, you will win and get paid as per the payout structure. You can play multiple bets on every round; you are not limited to a single bet.
To play online Roulette efficiently, you must first understand the various bets available, as well as their payoff ratios and odds. You should also be familiar with the Roulette glossary terms so that you can comprehend what transpires at the table and act accordingly.
Roulette Bet Types
Roulette bets can be categorized primarily into inside bets and outside bets. Additionally, the game of French Roulette also offers an exclusive category of bets called French Bets. The best way to understand the types of bets, how they work and how much they pay is by playing online roulette using the demo mode or play for fun mode where you don’t play for real money. A few rounds of demo mode roulette and you will begin to understand the rules, bet types, table layout and the overall flow of the game. Below, we have brief descriptions of the various bet types for your reference. Inside bets and outside bets, as the names suggest, can be distinguished by where the bets are laid on the table, either on the inside or the outside of the demarcations/borders.
Inside Bets
Inside bets pay the best but are also the hardest to land in terms of odds. Inside bets basically refers to all bets placed within the layout border of the roulette table.
Here is a summary of the different inside bets:
- Split bet – The chip is split between two numbers in a split bet. You bet on 2 and 5 in this case.
- Street bet – The chip is put at the end of the row’s edge line, signifying that you’re betting on all three numbers on a horizontal line. In this case, you’re betting on the numbers 7, 8, and 9.
- Corner bet – The chip is put in the midst of four digits that meet at their corners in a corner bet. You can wager on numbers 8, 9, 11, and 12 in this game.
- Top line bet – The chip is put in the bottom corner of 1, on the line between the 1 and the 0. As a result, you bet on 0,00, 1, 2, and 3.
- Six-line bet — The chip is put on the edge of the betting area at the intersection of two lines, indicating that you are betting on two horizontal rows that are adjacent. Effectively, you are betting on the following numbers – 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6.
| Bet |
Definition |
Payout Ratio |
Odds In American Roulette |
Odds In European/French Roulette |
| Straight / Single Bet |
A bet on a single number |
35:1 in European and French Roulette, and 36:1 in American Roulette and European Roulette. |
2.70% |
2.60% |
| Split Bet |
Bet on two adjacent numbers |
17:1 |
5.26% |
5.41% |
| Street Bet |
A bet on three consecutive numbers. E.g 9-10-11 |
11:11 |
7.89% |
8.11% |
| Corner/Square Bet |
A bet on four numbers that meet in their corners. E.g 10-11-13 and 14. |
8:1 |
10.5% |
10.8% |
| Top Line Bet/ Five number Bet |
A bet on 0,00,1,2,and 3. |
6:1 |
13.5% |
Not applicable |
| Six Line/Double Street Bet |
A bet on six consecutive numbers that form two horizontal lines across the table. E.g 31,32,33,34,35 and 36. |
5:1 |
15.8% |
16.2% |
Outside Bets
Outside bets have a smaller payout ratio when compared to inside bets. However, they do offer far better odds. This is due to the fact that you are betting on considerably more numbers and so the chances of the ball landing on one of the numbers you have covered is naturally higher.
| Bet |
Definition |
Payout Ratio |
Odds In American Roulette |
Odds In European/French Roulette |
| Odd/even |
Bet on all even or add numbers |
1:1 |
47.37% |
48.65% |
| High/Low |
Bet on whether your selected number will fall in the low range (1-18) or high range (19-36). |
1:1 |
47.37% |
48.65% |
| Columns |
Bet on one of three 12-number columns that span the longest side of the table. |
2:1 |
31.6% |
32.4% |
| Dozens (1st , 2nd and 3rd) |
A bet that covers a dozen numbers. You can bet on 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. These numbers are referred to as the 1st, 2nd and 3rd dozen. |
2:1 |
31.6% |
32.4% |
| Red/Black |
Bet on all red or black numbers |
1:1 |
47.37% |
48.65% |
French Bets
French bets are played within the racecourse part of the table layout. In French Bets, instead of betting on specific numbers, you essentially bet on which part or section of the wheel the ball will land.
Usually, as the name implies, French bets placed on French Roulette versions of roulette. However, they are infrequently seen in European and American variants too.
French bets are a series of numbers on the Roulette table that are near to each other and are offered in addition to the existing inside and outside bets.
The below are the various French wagers:
- Voisins du Zéro (neighbors of zero)
- Le tiers du Cylindre (Third of the wheel)
- Orphelins (Orphans)
- Jeu zéro (Zero Game)
- Neighbours Bet
Voisins du Zéro (neighbours of zero)
Here, you basically bet on 17 different numbers that are placed between the digits 22 and 25 on the roulette wheel. If you look at the wheel, you will see that the numbers are as follows – 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25.
This bet will cost you nine chips and is essentially a combination of the following specific inside bets.
When you take a closer look at this bet, you will realize that it is the same as place a combination of the following inside bets:
- 2 chips on the 0-2-3 triplet
- 1 chip on the 4-7
- 1 chip on 12-15
- 1 chip on 18-21
- 1 chip 19-22
- 2 chips on 25-26-28-29
- 1 chip on 32-35
By the above inside bets breakdown, you know that placing a Voisins du Zéro bet will entail placing nine chips. If the ball lands in this part of the wheel, you are going to win at a 11:1 payout ratio.
Le tiers du Cylindre (Third of the wheel)
This bet covers one third of the wheel and costs you six chips. You are going to be betting on 12 different numbers placed between 27 and 33 on the roulette wheel. Essentially, you are betting on the following numbers – 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33.
Since you are betting on 12 numbers as opposed to 17 in Voisins du Zéro bet, the odds of winning are lower and therefore the payout ratio is better at 17:1.
A closer look at this bet will reveal that it is combination of the following specific six split bets:
- 2 chips on the 0-2-3 triplet
- 1 chip on the 4-7
- 1 chip on 12-15
- 1 chip on 18-21
- 1 chip 19-22
- 2 chips on 25-26-28-29
- 1 chip on 32-35
Orphelins (Orphans)
Unlike the prior to French Bets we have looked at, the Orphans bet does not cover one section of the roulette wheel, but two. It basically sweeps up and covers all the numbers on the wheels left out by the Voisins du Zéro and Le tiers du Cylindre bets (therefore these numbers are called Orphans). The following numbers are covered in this bet – 17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31 and 9. In order to place an Orphans bet, you will need to spend 5 chips. The payout ratio of this bet is the same as Le tiers du Cylindre bet at 17:1.
Four of the five chips are placed on split bets and one chip is placed on a Straight bet as listed below:
- 1 chip on 6 – 9 split
- 1 chip on 14 – 17 split
- 1 chip on 17 – 20 split
- 1 chip on 31 – 34 split
- 1 straight bet on 1
Jeu zéro (Zero Game)
The Jeu Zero bet is also referred to as Zero Spiel which is German for ‘Zero Game’. When you place a Jeu Zero bet, you are covering numbers that lie in close proximity to the zero pocket on the roulette wheel. More specifically, the following 7 numbers are covered in this bet – 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15.
The bet offers a payout ratio of 11:1 and will entail spending four chips on the following four inside bets:
- 1 chip on 0 – 3 split
- 1 chip on 12 – 15 split
- 1 chip on 32 – 25 split
- 1 chip on 26 straight
Neighbours Bet
When you place a neighbours bet, you are essentially betting on five numbers. Depending on which number you place your chip on, the two numbers to the left and right of that number are covered in this bet. Your bet is divided in equal parts amongst the 5 numbers and each number offers a payout ratio of 35:1.