Roulette Complete Guide
European, French, and American roulette — rules, odds, every bet type, and the house edge for each wheel.
Which Roulette Wheel?
European Roulette
Best ChoiceThe standard version in UK and European casinos. A single zero gives the house a 2.70% edge, roughly halving the American version. Always prefer European over American when given the choice.
- •La Partage rule (some versions): half your even-money bet returned on zero — cuts house edge to 1.35%
- •En Prison rule: even-money bet stays locked for next spin on zero — same 1.35% effective edge
French Roulette
Lowest EdgeIdentical wheel to European but with La Partage built in as standard. When zero lands, you recover half your even-money stake. This drops the house edge to just 1.35% on outside bets — the best available in a casino.
- •La Partage is standard (not optional)
- •Best for even-money bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low)
- •Inside bets still have 2.70% house edge (La Partage doesn't apply)
American Roulette
AvoidAdds a double-zero (00) pocket to the wheel, nearly doubling the house edge to 5.26%. The extra zero means the casino keeps almost twice as much per £ wagered as European roulette. Avoid unless no alternative exists.
- •Five Number bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) has the worst edge of 7.89%
- •All other bets share the 5.26% house edge
- •No La Partage or En Prison available on any American wheel
All Roulette Bets
| Bet | Type | Covers | Payout | EU Win% | US Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight Up | Inside Bet | 1 number | 35:1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Split | Inside Bet | 2 numbers | 17:1 | 5.41% | 10.53% |
| Street | Inside Bet | 3 numbers | 11:1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner / Square | Inside Bet | 4 numbers | 8:1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Five Number (Top Line) | Inside Bet | 0,00,1,2,3 | 6:1 | N/A | 13.16% |
| Six Line | Inside Bet | 6 numbers | 5:1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Red / Black | Outside Bet | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Odd / Even | Outside Bet | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Low / High (1–18 / 19–36) | Outside Bet | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Dozen (1st/2nd/3rd 12) | Outside Bet | 12 numbers | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Column | Outside Bet | 12 numbers | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Voisins du Zéro | Call Bet | 17 numbers | Varies | 45.9% | N/A |
| Tiers du Cylindre | Call Bet | 12 numbers | 17:1 (splits) | 32.4% | N/A |
| Orphelins | Call Bet | 8 numbers | Varies | 21.6% | N/A |
Win% = probability of winning that single bet. House edge is uniform across all European bets (except the Five Number on American).
6 Key Strategy Points
Roulette Myths Debunked
How to Play — Basic Rules
- 1.Place your chips on the table layout before the croupier calls "No more bets"
- 2.The wheel is spun in one direction, the ball launched in the opposite direction
- 3.The ball eventually lands in a numbered, coloured pocket
- 4.All bets covering that number/colour/range win; all others lose
- 5.Winnings are paid and the next round begins
- 6.In French roulette: if the ball lands on 0, even-money bets recover half their stake (La Partage)
Roulette Guide FAQ
What is the difference between European and American roulette?
The key difference is the number of zero pockets. European roulette has one green zero pocket (0), giving the casino a 2.70% house edge. American roulette has two green zero pockets (0 and 00), which nearly doubles the house edge to 5.26% on most bets. The extra 00 pocket in American roulette adds no player payouts — it only increases casino profit. Always play European or French roulette. French roulette with La Partage or En Prison rules (which return half your even-money bet when zero hits) reduces the house edge further to 1.35% — the lowest available in standard roulette.
What is the La Partage rule in roulette?
La Partage is a rule in French roulette that applies to even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low). When the ball lands on zero, instead of losing your entire bet, you receive half of it back. This effectively halves the house edge on even-money bets from 2.70% (European) to 1.35% (French with La Partage). The En Prison rule is a variant of La Partage: instead of returning half your bet on zero, your bet is 'imprisoned' — it stays on the table for the next spin, and you win it back in full if your bet wins, but lose it if it loses or zero hits again. Both rules apply only to even-money outside bets, not to straight-up or other inside bets.
What are the different types of roulette bets?
Roulette bets divide into two categories. Inside bets cover specific numbers and have higher payouts but lower win probability: Straight Up (1 number, 35:1 payout), Split (2 numbers, 17:1), Street (3 numbers, 11:1), Corner/Square (4 numbers, 8:1), Six Line (6 numbers, 5:1). Outside bets cover larger sections with lower payouts: Column (12 numbers, 2:1), Dozen (12 numbers, 2:1), Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low (18 numbers each, 1:1 payout). All bets in European roulette have the same 2.70% house edge — the higher payouts on inside bets are exactly offset by their lower win probability. No bet type has a mathematical edge over any other.
Can any betting system beat roulette?
No betting system can overcome the mathematical house edge in roulette. The Martingale (doubling after each loss), Fibonacci, D'Alembert, Labouchere, and other progression systems all produce identical expected value per spin as flat betting. The casino advantage is built into the payout structure, not the order or size of bets. Betting systems do redistribute how wins and losses cluster — Martingale produces frequent small wins with rare large losses (risking table limit or bankroll depletion). The only things that change your expected loss per session are: choosing European over American roulette, choosing French with La Partage, and reducing your total bet volume.
What are call bets in roulette and how do they work?
Call bets are predefined groups of bets that cover specific sections of the physical roulette wheel — they are 'called' to the dealer or placed on a special oval racetrack layout called the French Cloth. The three main call bets in European/French roulette are: Voisins du Zéro ('neighbours of zero') — 17 numbers surrounding zero on the wheel, requiring 9 chips placed across multiple splits and a trios bet; Tiers du Cylindre ('third of the wheel') — 12 numbers on the opposite side of the wheel from zero, covered by 6 split bets; Orphelins ('orphans') — 8 numbers not covered by the first two bets, requiring 5 chips. Call bets carry the same 2.70% house edge as standard bets — their appeal is thematic coverage of the wheel rather than mathematical advantage.
What is Lightning Roulette and how does it differ from European Roulette?
Lightning Roulette is a live dealer variant by Evolution Gaming that uses a standard European wheel (single zero) but adds 1–5 random 'lucky numbers' each round assigned multipliers of 50×, 100×, 200×, 300×, 400×, or 500×. If the ball lands on a lucky number and you bet on it, you win the multiplied amount instead of the standard 35:1. The trade-off: straight-up wins on non-lightning numbers only pay 29:1 (reduced from 35:1 in standard European roulette). The 6-chip reduction funds the lightning feature. Effective house edge on straight-up bets in Lightning Roulette is approximately 3.8%, compared to 2.7% in European roulette. Outside bets (red/black, etc.) carry the same 2.7% edge as European roulette.
How does roulette probability work for consecutive spins?
Each roulette spin is an independent random event — the probability of any outcome does not change based on previous results. The probability of red on European roulette is 18/37 ≈ 48.6% on every single spin, regardless of what happened on the prior 10, 100, or 1,000 spins. For streaks: the probability of red occurring 5 times in a row is (18/37)⁵ = approximately 2.7% — uncommon but certainly possible in normal play. The probability of the 6th spin being red is still 48.6%, not higher because black is 'overdue.' This is the Gambler's Fallacy — past independent events carry no information about future probabilities in a fair, unbiased roulette wheel.