Table Games
Roulette Odds and House Edge
Every bet on a European wheel carries exactly the same house edge: 2.7%. A single number at 35:1 and red at even money cost precisely the same, because the payout and the probability move together. What changes the price is the wheel you sit at, not the bet you choose.
Written by the Moes Almanac editorial team
1.35%
The same bet on an American wheel costs 5.26%, nearly four times as much for an otherwise identical game.
How the wheel works
A European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36 plus a single zero. An American wheel has 38, adding a double zero. Bets are settled on where the ball comes to rest, and the zero pockets belong to neither red nor black, neither odd nor even — which is precisely where the casino's margin lives.
Bets are grouped as inside, covering single numbers and small combinations, and outside, covering halves, dozens, and columns. The distinction matters for table minimums. It does not matter at all for the house edge.
Every bet costs the same, and that surprises people
A straight-up number pays 35:1 and wins once in 37. A dozen pays 2:1 and wins twelve times in 37. Both return 36 units for every 37 wagered, which is a house edge of 2.7% in each case. The same holds for splits, corners, columns, and red or black.
So choosing between a "safe" outside bet and a "bold" single number is a choice about variance, not about cost. The safe bet loses smaller amounts more often; the bold one loses more often still but occasionally returns a great deal. Their averages are identical, and no arrangement of them changes that.
There is exactly one exception, and it exists only on the American wheel: the five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 pays 6:1 and carries a house edge of 7.89%. It is the only bet on either wheel priced differently from its neighbours, and it is priced worse.
Every bet, priced
| Bet | House edge |
|---|---|
| Even money, French rules with la partage Half the stake returned when zero hits | 1.35% |
| European wheel, even money | 2.70% |
| European wheel, straight up Pays 35:1 on a 1-in-37 chance | 2.70% |
| European wheel, dozen or column | 2.70% |
| American wheel, any bet Same game, one extra pocket | 5.26% |
| Five-number bet, American wheel | 7.89% |
Where the extra pocket goes
Pockets on each wheel, zeros shaded
37 pockets, one zero
38 pockets, a zero and a double zero
One pocket in thirty-seven is the entire difference between the two games. Everything else — the numbers, the layout, the payouts, the dealer — is identical.
Three wheels, three prices
European at 2.7%, American at 5.26%, and French at 1.35% on even-money bets. A French table runs a single zero like the European wheel and adds la partage, which returns half of an even-money stake when the ball lands on zero. Some tables offer en prison instead, holding the stake for one more spin; the effect on the house edge is the same.
If a European and an American wheel are both open, there is no argument for the American one. The game is identical and it costs nearly twice as much.
Frequently asked questions
- Which roulette bet has the best odds?
- On a European wheel every bet carries the same 2.7% house edge, so no bet is cheaper than another. Under French rules with la partage, even-money bets fall to 1.35%, and those are the cheapest bets available at any roulette table.
- Is European roulette better than American?
- Yes, by a wide margin. The extra double-zero pocket on the American wheel raises the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26% for an otherwise identical game, and the American five-number bet is worse still at 7.89%.
- Do roulette systems like the Martingale work?
- No. Doubling after a loss changes the pattern of results but not their average, because the house edge belongs to each individual spin. What the system actually produces is many small wins and an occasional very large loss, which feels like it is working right up until it is not.
- Is red due after a long run of black?
- No. Each spin is independent and the wheel has no memory. After ten blacks, red on the next spin is still 18 in 37 on a European wheel — exactly what it was before the run started.