Key points
- You bet on the number where the ball will stop, and a win pays out.
- Bets range from a single number to red or black, and the fewer numbers a bet covers, the more it pays (a single number pays 35:1, red or black 1:1).
- Zero is neither red nor black, so even-money bets such as red, black, odd and even lose when it comes up.
- The house edge is 2.70% at a single-zero table and 5.26% at a double-zero table (0 and 00).
How a spin goes
- Place chips on the layout. Players are responsible for placing them correctly
- The dealer spins the ball against the direction of the wheel
- While the ball is spinning the dealer calls “No more bets”. No bets after that
- The winning number is announced and a marker (the dolly) is placed on it
- Losing bets are collected, then winners are paid
The numbers are 1 to 36 (18 red, 18 black) and a green 0. Tables differ in how many zeros the wheel has and in what happens when zero comes up (Zeros and zero rules).
Signals and etiquette
- Roulette chips have no printed value. Each player gets a color, worth the buy-in divided by the number of chips. You cannot use the same color as another player at the table
- Once “No more bets” is called while the ball spins, do not place bets
- A marker (the dolly) goes on the winning number, losing bets are collected, then winners are paid
- Check yourself that your chips are placed where you intend
Bets and payouts
A bet pays “36 ÷ numbers covered − 1”. Every bet has the same house edge; only how often it wins and how much it pays differ.
| Bet | Numbers | Pays | Chance to win (single zero) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | 1 | 35 | 2.70% |
| Split (two neighbors) | 2 | 17 | 5.41% |
| Street (one row) | 3 | 11 | 8.11% |
| Corner (four at a corner) | 4 | 8 | 10.81% |
| Six line (two rows) | 6 | 5 | 16.22% |
| Dozen, Column | 12 | 2 | 32.43% |
| Red/Black, Odd/Even, 1-18/19-36 | 18 | 1 | 48.65% |
Example. A corner covers 4 numbers, so it pays 36 ÷ 4 − 1 = 8 (8 to 1). Bet 10 and a win gives you 80 (and your 10 back).
Exception: the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 that exists only at double-zero tables (first five, TOP LINE on the table) pays 6 to 1 and has a 7.89% house edge, more than the 5.26% of the other bets.
What happens when zero comes up differs by table (Zeros and zero rules). Betting systems (such as doubling after a loss) cannot overcome the zero.
Zeros and zero rules
- La partage: when zero comes up, even-money bets such as red or black get half the stake back.
- En prison: when zero comes up, even-money bets such as red or black go in prison. If the next spin wins, the stake comes back; if it loses or zero comes up again, it is lost.
The number of zeros on the wheel, and what happens to even-money bets (red, black and so on) when zero comes up, differ by table. The two right-hand columns are house edges.
| Table | Pockets | Even-money bets | Other bets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single 0 | 37 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| Double 0 | 38 | 5.26% | 5.26% |
| Triple 0 | 39 | 7.69% | 7.69% |
| La partage | 37 | 1.35% | 2.70% |
| En prison | 37 | 1.39% | 2.70% |
At Single 0, Double 0 and Triple 0 tables, even-money bets lose when zero comes up. The en prison rule is explained below.
Triple 0
With three zeros every bet costs the most (3/39 = 7.69%). A bet on the three zeros 0, 00, 000 (Green) pays 11 to 1.
Example. A bet of 10 on a straight loses 0.27 per spin on average at a Single 0 table, and 0.77 at a Triple 0 table. About three times as much.
Check the actual order on the casino’s wheel.
En prison
When zero comes up, even-money bets are not lost but go “in prison” (left on the table with a marker). If the bet wins on the next spin, the stake comes back (no payout); if it loses, it is lost. A second zero on that spin also loses it.
Example. 10 on red, and zero comes up: the bet goes in prison. If red comes next, the 10 comes back. If black or zero comes, the 10 is lost.
A bet in prison is worth 18/37 of the stake (the chance of winning the next spin), so the house edge is about 1.39%, a little more than la partage (1.35%). Some tables keep sending the bet back to prison on every further zero, which costs a little less (about 1.37%).
Call bets
Call bets cover a section of the wheel (an area) in one go. They are used at single-zero tables: you name the bet and the dealer lays out the chips in a fixed pattern.
| Name | Area | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| Voisins du Zéro | The 17 pockets around zero (22 to 25) | 9 |
| Tiers du Cylindre | The 12 pockets opposite zero (27 to 33) | 6 |
| Orphelins | The remaining 8 pockets | 5 |
| Jeu Zéro | The 7 pockets right by zero (12 to 15) | 4 |
| Neighbours | A number and two on each side | 5 |
Placement.
- Voisins du Zéro: 2 on 0-2-3, splits 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, 32/35, and 2 on the 25-26-28-29 corner
- Tiers du Cylindre: splits 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30, 33/36
- Orphelins: a straight on 1 and splits 6/9, 14/17, 17/20, 31/34
- Jeu Zéro: splits 0/3, 12/15, 32/35 and a straight on 26
- Neighbours: 5 straights
They are all combinations of standard bets (straights, splits, corners and so on), so the house edge is the single-zero 2.70%. It stays the same at la partage and en prison tables, because no even-money bet is involved.
Example. Six chips of 1 on Tiers. If 27 comes up, the 27/30 split pays 17 to 1 for +17, the other five chips are lost, and the total is +12.
Betting an area does not make winning any more likely.
How to play casino table games for the first time, and what to know before you sit down