Bet on numbers, colors, and groups. Learn the odds and play with confidence.
Roulette is the classic casino wheel game. You place chips on a number, group of numbers, or color, the dealer spins the wheel, and a ball settles into a numbered pocket. If it lands where you bet, you win. The key thing to understand is that every bet on an American wheel carries the same 5.26% house edge.
An American roulette wheel has 38 pockets: numbers 1–36 plus a 0 and a 00. The two green zero pockets are the entire source of the casino's advantage — without them, the game would be a fair coin flip on even-money bets. You can bet on a single number ("inside" bets, big payouts) or on large groups like red/black or odd/even ("outside" bets, frequent small wins).
Inside bets pay more because they're less likely to hit. Crucially, the house edge is identical across all of them on a double-zero wheel:
| Bet | Covers | Pays | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | 1 number | 35:1 | 5.26% |
| Split | 2 numbers | 17:1 | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 numbers | 11:1 | 5.26% |
| Corner | 4 numbers | 8:1 | 5.26% |
| Six Line | 6 numbers | 5:1 | 5.26% |
| Column / Dozen | 12 numbers | 2:1 | 5.26% |
| Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 5.26% |
Because no bet has a mathematical advantage, "strategy" in roulette is really bankroll management, not bet selection:
On an American roulette wheel with both 0 and 00, the house edge is 5.26% on every bet — the two green pockets are where the casino's advantage comes from. A European wheel with a single 0 has a lower 2.70% edge.
No. On an American wheel, every standard bet — from a single number to red/black — carries the same 5.26% house edge. Betting on red is no safer in the long run than betting a single number; only the payout and volatility change.
A straight-up bet on a single number pays 35:1. Splits pay 17:1, streets 11:1, corners 8:1, dozens and columns 2:1, and even-money bets like red/black pay 1:1.
No betting system overcomes the house edge. Strategies like the Martingale can produce short-term wins but eventually hit the table limit or your bankroll. Every spin is independent, so the 5.26% edge always applies.
The wheel you play changes your odds more than any bet you make: see American vs European roulette (5.26% vs 2.70%).