Roulette Odds – Calculating the Likely Outcome of a Win

Our roulette guide now turns its attention to the odds surrounding the numerous bets that you can make with this table game. This is all about the numbers and predicting where the ball lands on the wheel. Very simple to play but is it easy to make a winning fortune from the #1 casino game?

Roulette Payouts

When playing roulette, you can wager any number of bets for a winning return but what are your chances of being really successful? Those that play have a multitude of table choices to bet on. There are three main variants of the game, European roulette, American roulette, and French roulette. When it comes to betting with these various options, betting is not too dissimilar. The house edge only slightly varies between the three, so your probability remains fairly consistent throughout.

Roulette bets, the payout and the probability

If you are a new player to roulette and looking to win big, then you will firstly need to familiarize yourself with the rules. With roulette, there are two forms of betting. These are the inside bets and the outside bets. These constitute the position of the bets placed on the table’s layout.

The outside ones have a higher odds factor and chance of winning but come with a smaller payout. For inside bets, they carry less probability, yet the payout is considerably bigger.

• Single Number = 35 to 1, with odds of 2.07% on Euro roulette and 2.60% on US roulette.
• 2 Number Combination = 17 to 1, with odds of 5.4% on Euro roulette and 5.3% on US roulette.
• 3 Number Combination = 11 to 1, with odds of 8.1% on Euro roulette and 7.9% on US roulette.
• 4 Number Combination = 8 to 1, with odds of 10.8% on Euro roulette and 10.5% on US roulette.
• 5 Number Combination = 6 to 1, with odds of 13.5% on Euro roulette and 13.2% on US roulette.
• 6 Number Combination = 5 to 1, with odds of 16.2% on Euro roulette and 15.8% on US roulette.
• Column = 2 to 1, with odds of 32.40% on Euro roulette and 31.6% on US roulette.
• Dozen = 2 to 1, with odds of 32.40% on Euro roulette and 31.6% on US roulette.
• Even / Odd = 1 to 1, with odds of 48.60% on Euro roulette and 47.4% on US roulette.
• Red / Black = 1 to 1, with odds of 48.60% on Euro roulette and 47.4% on US roulette.
• High / Low = 1 to 1, with odds of 48.60% on Euro roulette and 47.4% on US roulette.

Examining the outside bet

Playing safe is a strategy that suits those with a lesser bankroll. Those with more money to bet with will tend to opt for the inside bets. The system of outside betting requires players to play longer games as they slowly accumulate a profit from the casinos they join. The margin of outside bets will consist of those that are near 50/50 bets. These are labeled as the red/black, odd/even and 1-18 and 9-36 bets.

All these even money bets really carry a 48.65% chance of winning on the European table and not 50%. On the American wheel, the spin will decrease the odds further at 47.37% and this is due to the extra number on the wheel that the ball has to avoid.

The other outside bets that you can place your wagers on include the column and dozen sections. Both covering the opportunity to hedge your bet across 12 numbers, means a third of possible numbers are secured with your chips. Your options online give you the chance to bet on the first, second or the third dozen. The result of this is a probability of 32.43% on the European game and 31.58% in the American version. Though the payout is higher with these options at 2 to 1.

Examining the inside bet

Within the inside betting options, you have a single number or those that couple number and group them. Here is a look at the ways the inside betting works across the table layout.

• Straight: The straight wager is a specific single number bet. It comes with the lowest probability and has the best high payout of 35 to 1.
• Split: The split means picking two numbers of those available. These must be numbers that are neighboured on the table and the pay for this comes in at 17 to 1.
• Street: The street wager performs over three numbers; this could mean rows of numbers. An example of this would be 4, 5 and 6 or if you wanted 19, 20 and 21. This pays at 11 to 1.
• Corner: The corner bets allow your chips to cover four numbers on the table. Another example would see your money covering 1, 2, 4 and 5. Should this land, your win pays out at 8 to 1.
• Double Street: The double street bet is all about placing your bet on two rows of numbers, so 6 in total. The winning payout is 5 to 1.
• Basket: As you may have seen the pattern, this bet is on 5 numbers which can only be made with the American roulette wheel games. This allows players to place money on zero, double zero and numbers 1, 2 and 3. The win from this should the ball land in any socket of these numbers is 6 to 1.

Knowledge is the key to success

The number of times that players approach a game without knowing the rules and then wonder why they lose is staggering, but it happens in every casino. A player should only take on the house with both a comprehension of the rules, what the house edge is and with that can play with the strategy of knowing the odds in these casinos.

Yes, there is an amount of luck on the spins, but the system of preserving money and hedging your bets will help you to play longer games and at best, raise the number of winning streaks you have and cut the number of times you lose.

Common question about online roulette

• Are the French tables better than European tables? Both are indeed similar and play with 36 numbers and a single zero spot. The French tables, however, have an additional section that covers sectioned bets, that the European table doesn’t.
• What are the odds with zero spots? These are still considered as single numbers, so winning on zero or double zero pays 35 to 1.
• Is the online casino wheel rigged? There are two types of wheels to play on. There are live dealer games and virtual machines. The machines are programmed to be random and the live casino uses real roulette tables which you are able to watch. No rigging takes place online because casinos are regulated and regularly checked by authorities making sure they are complying with the fair play rules.