Roulette
One wheel is twice as costly. Every bet on a European wheel (37 pockets) charges 2.70%. Every bet on an American wheel (38 pockets) charges 5.26%. The only exception is the five-number basket on American wheels — that one's 7.89%.
With La Partage or En Prison rules on even-money bets, the European edge drops to 1.35% — standard in French casinos, very rare in the US.
Inside bets
Straight up (single number)
Lowest probability (1/37 or 1/38), highest single payout. Edge identical to every other bet on the same wheel.
Split (two adjacent numbers)
Bet on the line between two numbers. Twice the win probability, half the payout.
Street (three numbers in a row)
Place at the outer edge of the row.
Corner (four numbers)
Bet at the intersection of four numbers.
Six Line (six numbers)
Bet at the outer edge between two rows.
Outside bets
Red / Black
Not a coin flip — 18 winning numbers out of 37 (Euro) or 38 (Amer). 0 / 00 belong to neither color.
Odd / Even
Same odds as Red/Black, same edge. 0 / 00 are neither odd nor even.
High (19–36) / Low (1–18)
Same odds again. 0 / 00 are neither high nor low.
Dozen (1–12, 13–24, 25–36)
12 of 37/38 pockets. Lose on the other 25 or 26.
Column (12 numbers)
12 numbers vertically. Same edge as Dozen.
Worst bets — American only
Top Line (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) — American only
Only available on American wheels. Worst bet on the table — pays 6:1 against true odds of 6.6:1.
Five-Number (basket) — American only
Same as Top Line. Same edge. Same advice: don't.
The wheel-vs-wheel cost
$100 bet at $5 a spin for an hour at 50 spins/hr = $250 in action.
- European wheel: 2.70% × $250 = $6.75 expected loss
- American wheel: 5.26% × $250 = $13.15 expected loss
- La Partage on even-money: 1.35% × $250 = $3.38
More math: American vs European: one wheel is twice as bad · Practice at /train/roulette.