We don’t need to point out that roulette is one of the most beloved games on the casino floor. It’s an exciting, fast-paced game about luck – something every casino fan enjoys. However, figuring out how to win roulette has a lot to do with crunching numbers and statistics. That’s what we’re here to talk about.
Roulette odds depend on a number of factors, starting with what kind of wheel you’re playing on and how you’re betting. All of this further ties into roulette RTP, house edge, and how the game was designed in the first place. This article will cover all of this, starting with roulette statistics and how this affects strategy.
Roulette Odds Explained
We’ll start by considering how roulette works in the first place. Note – this isn’t a beginner’s guide to the game. We’ll assume you already know the basics of roulette betting and how it works.
Another thing to note is that we’ll be talking strictly about European roulette with one green zero. It’s the vastly superior version, and we’ll explain why in this article.
Odds in roulette come depend on how likely a certain bet is to win. A standard roulette wheel consists of 37 pockets/numbers, all of which are possible outcomes. The more numbers a bet covers, the more likely it is to win.
As a base, every number has a one in 37 chance to be the outcome, which amounts to around 2.7%. If you want to get roulette odds for every type of bet, simply multiply that number by the number of outcomes the bet covers.
For example, a Corner bet wins if one of 4 numbers wins. That means that Corner bets statistically win 10.5% of the time (4 x 2.7%).
And before you ask, yes – every number has exactly a 2.7% chance to win on every spin. This simple fact never changes, no matter how long you play. Hot and cold numbers don’t really exist because the results of previous rounds of roulette do not affect future results in any way.
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Roulette Payouts
Payouts in roulette are always inversely proportional to the probability of winning. In other words – the more likely you are to win, the smaller the payout. Conversely, riskier bets have bigger payouts.
The riskiest wager you can make in roulette is a Straight Up bet – betting on a single number. It rewards the biggest payout of 35:1, and roulette statistics tell us that it has a 2.7% shot at winning.
On the flip side, so-called Even Money bets are the least risky bets. Red, Black, Even, Odd, and 1-17/18-36 all fall into this category. They essentially double your stake, which is the lowest prize in roulette, with a 48.60% chance to win.
You can find the odds for all bets in roulette on the table below.
Roulette Odds Table
The roulette statistics table below provides ample info on all types of bets in the game. The table includes the number of possible outcomes that win the bet (numbers covered), the payout, and the probability of winning that bet.
| Bet | Numbers Covered | Payout | Probability of Winning |
| Inside Bets | |||
| Straight Up | 1 number | 35:1 | 2.7% |
| Split | 2 numbers | 17:1 | 5.3% |
| Street | 3 numbers | 11:1 | 7.9% |
| Corner | 4 numbers | 8:1 | 10.5% |
| Line | 6 numbers | 5:1 | 15.8% |
| Outside Bets | |||
| Dozen/Column | 12 numbers | 2:1 | 32.4% |
| Red/Black | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| Even/Odd | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.6% |
| Low/High | 18 numbers | 1:1 | 48.6% |
The RTP for all bets in roulette is 97.30%. Assuming, of course, you’re playing on a European/French wheel. Let’s explain why that’s important.
Roulette RTP and House Edge
Our sharp-eyed readers may have noticed something a bit off about these roulette odds. We already mentioned that the payouts in roulette are proportional to the risk. Wouldn’t that mean that Even Money bets should have a 50% chance to win?
That difference in roulette odds is called a house edge. Basically, the chances of winning are always slightly smaller than what you’re getting paid for. Why? Because of the green zero pocket.
The house edge in roulette exists because the green zero exists. Let’s think about the Even Money bet we mentioned. A Red or Black bet wins if the ball lands on a pocket of the corresponding colour. However, the Zero is neither red nor black. It’s green, so both bets would lose on a result of 0.
As such, even-money bets in roulette have a 48.6% chance to win but pay as if the probability was exactly 50%. That’s the house advantage in Roulette, and it amounts to 2.7%. One green pocket means that the probability of all other bets winning is changed by the 2.7% chance of that green pocket being the outcome.
You can apply this logic to every other bet in roulette, too. The house edge is consistent across all Inside and Outside bets. In the long run, this advantage means that the house will always win slightly more than it loses.
Also, that’s why American roulette is so much worse than European. Two green pockets mean that the house advantage is doubled.
While we’re on the topic, the formula to calculate roulette RTP is just 100 minus the house edge. The RTP of all European wheels is always 97.3% on all bets.
Conclusion – Best Casinos to Play Roulette
We can safely conclude a few things from all of the above.
First of all, roulette strategy is irrelevant to your choice of bets or numbers. No matter what you go with, you’re always facing the same statistics in roulette. And you can’t beat statistics.
Secondly, winning roulette is all about picking the right tables and knowing the odds you’re facing. After all, you don’t want to be stuck with a double-zero roulette game. Our advice is to pick the right casinos first – start with our pick of the best casinos to play roulette.
Alternatively, kick here to check out Betandyou, one of the industry leaders hosting top roulette tables and games.