How to play roulette
Put chips on a number, a group of numbers or an outside bet like red, then the dealer spins the wheel. A single number pays 35 to 1, red or black pays 1 to 1. A European wheel has 37 pockets and a 2.70% house edge; an American wheel adds 00, making it 5.26%.
Checked 2026-11-07. Source: payouts and odds below.
Step by step
- Choose a wheel. European (single 0) gives better odds than American (0 and 00) at the same payouts.
- Place your chips. Inside bets go on the numbers (one number, two, three, four or six); outside bets go on the boxes around them (red/black, odd/even, low/high, dozens, columns).
- The spin. The dealer spins the wheel and the ball and calls "no more bets" shortly before it drops.
- Payout. Bets covering the winning pocket are paid at the odds in the table below and keep their stake; all other bets lose. 0 and 00 make every outside bet lose.
Try it: place bets on the board
19+ in most of Canada (18+ in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec), 21+ in most US states. A calculator shows what a bet pays, not how likely it is to win. Free help: 1-800-GAMBLER (US), ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600 (Ontario), 211 (Alberta). More help.
Roulette bets, payouts and odds
| Bet | Covers | Pays | Chance (European) | Chance (American) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | One number | 35 to 1 | 1 in 37.00 | 1 in 38.00 |
| Split | Two adjacent numbers | 17 to 1 | 1 in 18.50 | 1 in 19.00 |
| Street | A row of three | 11 to 1 | 1 in 12.33 | 1 in 12.67 |
| Corner | Four numbers that meet | 8 to 1 | 1 in 9.25 | 1 in 9.50 |
| Top line | 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 (American wheel only) | 6 to 1 | – | 1 in 7.60 |
| Six line | Two rows | 5 to 1 | 1 in 6.17 | 1 in 6.33 |
| Dozen or column | 1–12, 13–24, 25–36 or a column | 2 to 1 | 1 in 3.08 | 1 in 3.17 |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1–18/19–36 | Even-money bets | 1 to 1 | 1 in 2.06 | 1 in 2.11 |
Every bet on a European wheel has a 2.70% house edge and every bet on an American wheel 5.26%, except the American top line. Work out a payout at your stake in the roulette payout calculator.
European, American and French rules
The European wheel has one zero; the American wheel adds a double zero, so the same bets win less often. Some European tables use la partage (or en prison): when zero comes up, even-money bets lose only half, cutting their house edge to 1.35%.
Questions
How do you play roulette?
Place chips on a number, a group of numbers or an outside bet such as red or black. The dealer spins the wheel and a ball; when it lands, bets covering that pocket are paid and the rest are collected.
How many numbers are on a roulette wheel?
European wheels have 37 pockets (0 to 36); American wheels have 38 (0, 00 and 1 to 36). The payouts are the same, so the extra 00 raises the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%.
What is the best bet in roulette?
On a European wheel with la partage, even-money bets (red, black, odd, even, 1–18, 19–36) have a house edge of 1.35%. Otherwise every bet on the same wheel has the same edge; outside bets just win more often and pay less.
How do you win at roulette?
Over time you cannot: each spin is independent and the house edge applies to every bet. Systems such as Martingale only change how often you win a session and how badly the losing ones end; test that in the simulator above.