Roulette Bets Explained: Inside, Outside, Payouts and Probability
Roulette bets split into inside bets on the numbers and outside bets on big groups. Inside bets pay more and win rarely; outside bets pay less and win often. Here is every bet with payouts and win probabilities.
- Inside: 35:1 down to 5:1
- Outside: 2:1 and 1:1
- Same edge per wheel
Inside bets cover one to six numbers and pay from 35:1 (straight up) to 5:1 (six line); outside bets cover 12 or 18 numbers and pay 2:1 (dozens, columns) or 1:1 (red/black, odd/even, high/low). On a given wheel the house edge is identical across all of them - what differs is variance. Inside bets are high-variance long shots; outside bets are low-variance and win close to half the time.
Inside bets
- Straight up: one number, pays 35:1.
- Split: two adjacent numbers, pays 17:1.
- Street: a row of three, pays 11:1.
- Corner: four numbers meeting at a corner, pays 8:1.
- Six line: two rows (six numbers), pays 5:1.
Outside bets
- Column: 12 numbers in a vertical column, pays 2:1.
- Dozen: 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36, pays 2:1.
- Red / Black: 18 numbers by colour, pays 1:1.
- Odd / Even: 18 numbers, pays 1:1.
- High / Low: 1-18 or 19-36, pays 1:1.
Payout and probability table
| Bet | Numbers | Payout | European win % | American win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35:1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Six line | 6 | 5:1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Column / Dozen | 12 | 2:1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Red/Black, Odd/Even, High/Low | 18 | 1:1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
Which bet should you choose?
It depends on the variance you want, not the edge - which is the same for all bets on a single wheel (except even-money under La Partage). Even-money bets suit most betting systems because they win often; inside bets suit players chasing rare big payouts. Run any bet through the odds calculator to see its probability and expected value.
Related guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Inside bets cover one to six numbers and pay more but win rarely; outside bets cover 12-18 numbers and pay less but win far more often.
A straight-up bet on a single number pays 35:1, the highest payout but the lowest win probability.
Even-money bets - red/black, odd/even, high/low - win just under 50% of the time, the highest hit frequency.
No, except even-money bets under La Partage. On a standard wheel the edge is identical; only the variance differs.
A bet on two adjacent rows of numbers - six numbers in total - paying 5:1.