Three variants, one game
The principle stays the same: a ball, a wheel, 36 red and black numbers. What changes is the number of zeros and a few rules, which change the house edge.
-
European
Europe
- 37 pockets: numbers 1 to 36 and a single zero
- The most played in Europe
- One zero: the lower edge of the two wheels
House edge: 2.70%
-
American
United States
- 38 pockets: 1 to 36, 0 and 00
- Very common in the United States
- Two zeros: the house edge almost doubles
House edge: 5.26%
-
French
France
- The same wheel as the European: 37 pockets
- Table and calls in French (rouge, pair, manque…)
- La partage rule on even-money bets
1.35% on even-money bets
Game rules
- “Place your bets”Players put their chips on the table: a number, a group of numbers, a colour…
- The ball is launchedThe croupier spins the wheel, then sends the ball the other way.
- “No more bets”Shortly before the ball stops, nobody can bet or take chips back any more.
- The number comes upThe ball lands in a pocket. Winning bets are paid, the others are collected.
Zero is green: it is neither red nor black, neither even nor odd, neither low nor high. When it comes up, all outside bets lose (unless la partage applies). That is what gives the house its edge.
“35 to 1” means: for €1 staked, you win €35 and get your stake back.
The main bets
Tap a bet, or a spot on the table: the numbers covered light up, with the payout and your chance of winning.
Inside bets
Outside bets
Your bet
Red
- Numbers covered
- 18
- Payout
- 1 to 1
- Chance of winning
- 18 in 37 · 48.65%
- House edge
- 2.70%
French roulette: with la partage, the edge drops to 1.35% on this bet.
Odds and house edge
Payouts are calculated as if there were only the 36 numbers. The zero — and the double zero in American roulette — makes the difference: that is the house edge, the share the casino keeps on average from every bet.
| Variant | Pockets | Zeros | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| European | 37 | 1 (0) | 2.70% |
| French | 37 | 1 (0) | 2.70%1.35% on even-money bets |
| American | 38 | 2 (0 and 00) | 5.26%7.89% on the five-number bet |
| Bet | Numbers | Payout | Chance · 37 pockets | Chance · 38 pockets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 2.63% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 5.41% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 8.11% | 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 10.81% | 10.53% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 16.22% | 15.79% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 32.43% | 31.58% |
| Even-money bet | 18 | 1 to 1 | 48.65% | 47.37% |
| Five-number bet (American) | 5 | 6 to 1 | — | 13.16% |
Whatever the bet, the house edge is the same on a given wheel: 2.70% on the European, 5.26% on the American (except the five-number bet). No combination of bets makes it disappear.
Average loss per €100 staked
This is an average over a very large number of spins: over one evening, you can win or lose much more.
La partage and “en prison”
On even-money bets (red, black, even, odd, low, high), some tables apply a gentler rule when zero comes up.
La partage
You bet €10 on red and zero comes up: half your stake, €5, is returned. You only lose €5.
En prison
Your stake stays on the table for the next spin. If it wins then, it is returned to you, without winnings; if it loses, it is lost.
Result: on these bets, the house edge falls from 2.70% to 1.35%.
These rules only apply to even-money bets, and only where the casino offers them: check the table rules.
History & origins
- 17th centuryThe idea of the wheel is often credited to the scientist Blaise Pascal, but there is no proof: it is a legend.
- Late 18th centuryRoulette is played in Paris, notably at the Palais-Royal. A novel published in 1801 already describes the wheel, with a zero and a double zero.
- 1843In Bad Homburg, Germany, the Frenchmen François and Louis Blanc introduce a single-zero wheel, better for players, to attract customers.
- 1863François Blanc takes over the Monte Carlo casino, which makes single-zero roulette famous around the world.
- In the United StatesThe double-zero wheel, with 0 and 00, has remained the most common.
Did you know? Add up all the numbers from 1 to 36 and you get 666 — hence the nickname “the devil's wheel”.
Going further
Knowing the rules is the first step. No betting system removes the house edge, but each one changes how you win and how you lose: our pages on betting systems show it, with the calculations.