A roulette odds chart shows four things that matter: how many numbers a bet covers, how often it should hit, what it pays, and what the house edge is. On a European wheel, most standard bets carry a 2.70% edge. On an American wheel, most standard bets carry a 5.26% edge. The chart exposes the price behind the felt.
Quick Facts
- European roulette has 37 pockets: numbers 1–36 plus one zero.
- American roulette has 38 pockets: numbers 1–36 plus zero and double zero.
- A straight-up number hits 1/37 on European roulette and 1/38 on American roulette.
- Standard roulette payouts are usually quoted “to 1,” meaning 35 to 1 profit plus your stake back.
- Even-money bets hit 18/37 on European roulette and 18/38 on American roulette.
- Standard European house edge is 2.70%; standard American house edge is 5.26%.
- The American top-line basket bet can be worse than the normal 5.26% edge, depending on rules.
Plain Talk
This page is the reference sheet. If the roulette odds page explains the idea, this page gives you the working table.
Roulette looks busy because the layout offers many places to put chips. Underneath that noise, every bet is just a count:
How many pockets help you?
How many pockets beat you?
How much does the casino pay if you win?
That is it.
The trap is that hit frequency feels like safety. Red/black wins much more often than a single number. Dozens win more often than a straight-up number. But on a standard wheel, that does not mean those bets are cheaper. The payout is reduced to match the coverage, and the zero or double zero creates the casino edge.
The Wizard of Odds roulette guide breaks roulette into the same basic ingredients: pockets, payouts, and house edge. Gaming rule documents such as the Nevada roulette rules of play and the Massachusetts roulette rules also show how formal rules define legal wagers and settlement.
How It Works
Use the chart in two passes.
First, look at covered numbers. That tells you the chance of a hit.
Second, look at the payout and house edge. That tells you the price.
| Bet type | Numbers covered | Payout | European hit rate | American hit rate | Normal edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.63% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.41% | 5.26% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.11% | 7.89% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.81% | 10.53% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Six-line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.22% | 15.79% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Dozen | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Red/black | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| Odd/even | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| High/low | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% | 2.70% EU / 5.26% US |
| American top line | 5 | 6 to 1 | Not standard | 13.16% | Often 7.89% |
The top-line bet is the warning label. It covers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 on an American wheel. It can look attractive because it covers five outcomes near the zero area, but the 6 to 1 payout does not compensate the player properly. That is why this page links naturally to roulette house edge and roulette payouts, not just to “how often does it hit?”
Roulette Table Example
You sit at a $10 minimum European roulette table and compare two choices:
| Choice | Bet | Covered pockets | Payout | Win chance | Loss pattern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $10 on 17 | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | Long dry spells, big hit if lucky |
| B | $10 on red | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | Frequent small wins and losses |
If 17 hits, you win $350 profit and get your $10 stake back. If red hits, you win $10 profit and get your $10 stake back.
These bets feel completely different. But on the same European wheel, the built-in long-term price is usually the same 2.70%. The experience changes. The edge does not.
Now move the same red bet to an American wheel. The red numbers are still 18 pockets, but the wheel has 38 pockets. Your chance becomes 18/38, or 47.37%. The payout is still only 1 to 1. That extra double zero is not decoration. It is the second bite.
From the Casino Side:
A casino does not care whether you personally love 17, red, corners, or dozens. The casino cares about:
- correct chip placement,
- clean settlement,
- posted limits,
- table pace,
- dealer accuracy,
- surveillance visibility,
- total action handled per hour.
The odds chart is the game manager’s comfort blanket. If payouts are correct and the wheel is approved, the math does the work. A single player can win. A table can have a losing hour. A casino can still trust the game because the edge sits inside every resolved wager.
For the floor supervisor, the chart also helps in disputes. If a player says, “I should be paid more,” the answer is not emotional. The layout and payout schedule decide the result.
Common Mistakes
- Reading the hit-rate column and ignoring the house-edge column.
- Thinking an even-money bet is close to 50/50 on American roulette.
- Forgetting that zero and double zero usually beat red, black, odd, even, high, and low.
- Treating “35 to 1” as the same thing as true odds on a wheel with zeros.
- Believing a dozen or column is safer because it covers twelve numbers.
- Playing the American top-line bet without understanding its higher cost.
- Comparing bets across different wheels without checking the number of pockets.
Hard Truth
A roulette odds chart does not tell you which number is coming. It tells you how much the casino charges you for guessing.
FAQ
What is the most important column in a roulette odds chart?
The house edge column. Hit frequency tells you how often a bet wins. House edge tells you the long-term price of the bet.
Why do most roulette bets have the same house edge?
Because the payout changes with the number of covered pockets, while the zero or double zero remains unpaid in the player’s favor. The casino edge comes from that payout gap.
Is red/black safer than a single number?
It is less volatile, not cheaper on a standard wheel. Red/black hits more often and pays less. A single number hits rarely and pays more.
Is European roulette always better than American roulette?
Yes, mathematically, when stakes and speed are comparable. European roulette normally has a 2.70% edge, while American roulette normally has 5.26%.
Why is the American top-line bet different?
Because it covers five numbers but usually pays only 6 to 1. That creates a worse edge than most other American roulette bets.
Does the chart help with betting systems?
It helps expose them. A system may change bet size, but it does not change the probability, payout, or house edge shown in the chart.
Where should a beginner start?
Start with the roulette guide, then read roulette odds and use the roulette odds calculator before risking real money.
Deeper Insight
The most useful part of an odds chart is not memorization. It is comparison.
Players often ask, “Which bet wins more?” That question is easy. Larger coverage wins more often.
The better question is, “What am I paying for that win frequency?”
Roulette pricing is elegant because the payouts look fair at first glance. A one-number bet pays 35 to 1 because there are 36 losing numbers on the classic numbered layout. But the wheel has an extra zero, and sometimes a double zero. Those green pockets are the edge.
A dozen bet covers 12 numbers and pays 2 to 1. If the wheel had only 36 numbers, that would be fair: 24 losing outcomes against 12 winning outcomes means true odds of 2 to 1. But European roulette has 25 losing outcomes because of zero. American roulette has 26 losing outcomes because of zero and double zero.
That is why the chart should be read as a truth table, not a menu of lucky shapes.
The same logic applies to session cost. If you use the expected loss calculator, you will see that total amount wagered matters more than the number of chips you bought in for. A $200 buy-in can create $1,500 of action if you keep recycling wins and losses.
Formula / Calculation
Probability:
$$P(event) = \frac{favorable\ pockets}{total\ pockets}$$
European straight-up probability:
$$P(1\ number) = \frac{1}{37} = 2.7027%$$
American straight-up probability:
$$P(1\ number) = \frac{1}{38} = 2.6316%$$
Expected value for a European $1 straight-up bet:
$$EV = \left(\frac{1}{37} \times 35\right) - \left(\frac{36}{37} \times 1\right)$$
$$EV = \frac{35}{37} - \frac{36}{37} = -\frac{1}{37} = -2.70%$$
Expected loss:
$$Expected\ Loss = Total\ Amount\ Wagered \times House\ Edge$$
If you wager $1,000 total on European roulette:
$$Expected\ Loss = 1000 \times 0.0270 = 27$$
If you wager $1,000 total on American roulette:
$$Expected\ Loss = 1000 \times 0.0526 = 52.60$$
Formula Explanation in Plain English
Count the pockets that help you. Divide by all pockets on the wheel. That gives you the chance of a hit.
Then compare the payout to the real losing outcomes. If the payout is smaller than the true odds, the difference is the casino’s edge. In roulette, the zero pockets are the reason the payout is short.
Related Reading
Use this chart with the main roulette odds page, then compare the price difference in European vs American roulette. For payout language, read roulette payouts. For the long-term cost, go to roulette house edge or test your own numbers with the house edge calculator. If you are thinking about “safe” outside bets, read why roulette systems fail before you start doubling bets.