Every bet on the felt — straight up to six line, dozens to red-and-black — with its payout, its coverage, and the honest house-edge numbers the table mat leaves off.
| Bet | Covers | Pays | How you place it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35:1 | One number, chip in the middle |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | Line between two numbers |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | Edge of a row of three |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | The cross where four meet |
| Six line | 6 | 5:1 | Edge shared by two rows |
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Bet | Covers | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dozen (1st/2nd/3rd 12) | 12 | 2:1 | Red / Black | 18 | 1:1 |
| Column | 12 | 2:1 | Odd / Even | 18 | 1:1 |
| Low 1–18 / High 19–36 | 18 | 1:1 |
Every roulette payout follows one formula: the table pays as if the zero didn't exist. A straight-up number is a 1-in-37 shot on a European wheel but pays 35:1 — that missing gap is the entire house edge, applied identically to every bet on the felt.
Place chips on any mix of bets before the dealer closes betting; the wheel spins, one number wins, and every bet covering it pays per the chart. Inside bets (on the number grid) pay big and hit rarely; outside bets (the perimeter) hit nearly half the time and pay even money or 2:1. You can bet as many positions as you like in one spin.
The payouts on this chart are identical on both wheels. The difference is the American wheel's extra 00 pocket: same 35:1 on a straight-up, but now 38 pockets instead of 37. That one pocket doubles the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26%. If you have the choice, the single-zero table is strictly better, always.
Because every bet carries the same edge, no combination of bets changes what you give up — a Martingale, a dozen ladder, a favourite-number ritual all pay the same 2.7% tax over time. Outside bets don't lose less; they lose slower, in smaller and more frequent settlements. That's a fine reason to prefer them for a long session — just not a mathematical one.
What does a corner pay? 8:1, covering four numbers that meet at a cross.
Is there a best bet in roulette? On a European wheel they're all equally "good" at 2.7%. The only genuinely better bet is choosing that wheel over an American one.