Roulette is one of the most popular casino games among new and skilled players. It has the social aspect many people yearn for and is easily understood thanks to the minimal roulette payout rules involved.
Despite everything it has going for it, however, it’s not a game that you can go into with no prior understanding of how the game works.
The most important aspect to learn are the roulette payout rules, as these will tell you what chances you have of winning each game.
Although these rules can apply to all casino games, learning roulette-specific ones is extremely beneficial because it is a game that relies far more on mathematical probabilities than chance.
It’s also important to be able to identify the type of roulette you’re playing because this can also affect the payout rules. This isn’t as difficult as it might sound.
In this article, we will take you through all the payout rules you need to know before entering a casino so you can maximize your profits.
The Different Types Of Roulette Games
Before we get into specific payout rules, we must touch on the different types of roulette.
The type with which people are probably most familiar is American roulette. In this version of the game, there are 38 pockets for the roulette ball.
In the European version, there are just 36 red and black pockets.
The additional two pockets in the American version are for a single 0 and a double 00. In the European version, there is just one green 0 pocket.
This creates a significant difference in the roulette payout rules, as the reduction of the 00 pocket gives better odds to a player.
The American version has a higher house edge, which can make it more difficult to reap the bigger prizes.
This isn’t meant to discourage you; American roulette is by far the more popular version, and many people have had big wins using it.
How Roulette Payout Works
In roulette, a payout is calculated based on the odds from the bet you have made.
The odds themselves are stated in the form of x to 1, meaning if you win, you’ll get x amount of every dollar you’ve bet.
This is a pretty simple way of keeping on top of what you can expect to win, preventing you from overspending as long as you keep an eye on it.
If you see a single number bet offering a payout of 40 to 1, for example, you will receive back the dollar you originally bet and an additional $40 if you win.
Different Types Of Roulette Bets
Fundamentally, understanding a roulette payout is extremely simple.
It’s important to bear in mind, however, that the way a payout works can change depending on the type of roulette bet you make.
We’ll go into detail about the impact these bets can make further along in the article, but for now, these are the different bets you need to remember when playing roulette.
If you’re playing at the American roulette table, there’s some good news for you; you only need to remember two different bets!
The first is the outside bet, which refers to bets made “outside” of the 38 numbers of the table.
The second is the inside bet, which refers to any bet made on a specific number or group of numbers on the inside of the table.
If you’re playing in a European or French casino, there is a third kind of bet you need to watch for.
This is known as an announced bet, which simply involves calling out a bet and placing chips on the table.
These chips don’t need to correlate with the place the player has called out their bet, but they must be somewhere on the table by the time the round ends.
Payouts On Outside Bets
As mentioned, outside bets are the safest type of bets you can make on the roulette table because they have the highest odds.
This, in turn, means that your ability to achieve a roulette payout is far easier than if you were to choose an inside bet.
For this reason, outside bets are usually favored by beginners, or those visiting a casino on a more casual basis.
The most important point to remember is that outside bets are not made on a particular number on the board.
You will lose your payout if the ball lands on either the 0 or 00 pockets.
Instead of the numbers, outside bets rely on several betting terms that you can use to describe the different types of bets you want to make, which we’ll go through below.
Red Or Black
Perhaps one of the most famous terms in roulette, this bet involves betting on either the red or black pockets present on the board.
If your color wins, you will receive a payout of 1 to 1, meaning you will win $1 for every $1 you bet.
If you placed a $10 bet on red and it won, for example, you would receive a $20 roulette payout in return, to cover your winnings and the initial bet you made.
Odd or Even
By placing an odd or even bet, you are betting that the ball will land either on an odd number or an even number.
If you choose even, 0 and 00 do not count and you will still lose your money if the ball lands on these numbers.
As the chances of winning this bet are pretty much equal, they come out with the same payout as red or black or 1 to 1.
Low or High
On a roulette table, the black and red numbers can be split into two categories for this bet.
Numbers 1 to 18, are referred to as low numbers, while 19 to 36 are considered high numbers.In American roulette, the final two numbers aren’t used.
To place your bet, you need to decide whether the bet will land on a lower number or a higher number.
This is another bet where the chances of winning are pretty much equal, meaning the payout stays at a rate of 1 to 1.
Columns
Columns is another bet that doesn’t involve 37 or 38 on the board, splitting the rest into three columns of twelve numbers each.
To win this bet, the ball must land on one of the numbers in the column you choose at the end of the round.
As the chances of winning are slightly reduced with this bet, it has a payout of 2 to 1 if you win.
This means that if you bet $10, you will win $30 in total.
Dozens
Dozens is a similar outside bet to columns, but instead of betting on specific columns you instead bet on the first, second, or third dozen of numbers.
To win, the ball must land on one of the numbers for which you have placed a bet.
For the reasons explained in the column section, this bet also has a payout of 2 to 1 if you win.
Payouts On Inside Bets
Inside bets include any bet you make against any single number or a small set of numbers on the board during a round of roulette. The easiest way to keep track of this is to remember that these bets focus on the inside of the roulette layout.
Inside bets are usually favored by those who have some experience at a roulette table because they win less often, but when they do, they tend to payout more.
As with outside bets, there are various ways that you can group numbers together, with handy terms used to explain each type of bet.
Straight
A straight bet, sometimes referred to as a single-number bet, is a term used when people place a bet on one number on the roulette table.
This is the riskiest bet you can make in a game of roulette as it has the lowest winning probability, at 2.70% on European roulette and 2.63% on American roulette.
Understandably, the payout on these is considerably higher; the highest in the entire game of roulette, in fact, at 35 to 1.
This means that if you bet $10 and win, you will receive a payout of $360.
Split
To complete a split bet, you must bet on two numbers that sit next to each other on the table. To clarify your bet, you must place the chip on the line between the two numbers.
Slightly less risky than betting on a single number, this does have a slightly lower payout at 17 to 1.
This means that if you bet $10, you will receive $180 if you win.
Street
A street bet is when someone bets on a row of three numbers, such as 4, 5 and 6.
To clarify this bet, you need to place your chip on the outside of the three numbers you have bet on.
Less risky again, this bet will give you a payout of 11 to 1. This means if you bet $10, you’ll receive $120 if you win.
Corner
Sometimes known as a square bet, corner betting involves betting on four numbers that form a square on the table, such as 1, 2, 4, and 5.
If you win this bet, you will receive a payout of 8 to 1. This means if you bet $10, you will receive $90 if you win.
Five Number
A five-number bet, sometimes known as a basket bet, is only available on American roulette tables and can only consist of one combination: zero, double zero, one, two and three.
To confirm this bet, you need to place the chip on the outside corner line between the 1 and the 0.
Although this bet is rarely played, it’s still legitimate, and plays out at a rate of 6 to 1. This means if you bet $10, you would receive $70 if you won.
Six Number
A six-number bet, sometimes known as a line bet, involves betting on two rows of numbers for a total of 6 numbers altogether.
These bets are won quite regularly, which is reflected in the payout price of just 5 to 1. This means if you were to bet $10 and win, you’d receive $60 in return.
Payouts On Announced Bets
If you’re playing European roulette, you’ll also be able to play an announced bet on a roulette wheel.
This allows you to bet on large portions on the roulette wheel, which you confirm by calling out and/or placing your chips on the associated sections of the table.
When it comes to this type of betting, there are two types you need to be aware of; fixed and variable announced bets.
There are five different kinds of announced bets, which we will go on to explain below.
Neighbors Of Zero
This term is used to explain bets that cover 17 of the total numbers on the roulette wheel.
These numbers must be close to the zero, and you have to place at least 9 chips to cover all the numbers.
The roulette payout on this number isn’t fixed, having the ability to reach 24 to 1 depending on which numbers win in the round.
This means that if you bet $10, you will receive up to $250 if you win.
Thirds of the Wheel
This term is used to explain a bet that covers the 12 numbers directly opposite the ones from the above bet.
The payout, although considerably lower than the Neighbors of Zero, is comparable to the likes of the column and dozen bets at around 17 to 1.
If you bet $10, you will then receive $180 if your numbers win.
Zero Game
If you want a game that’s similar to Neighbors of Zero, the Zero game is perfect for you. This is because it only covers the 7 numbers closest to the green zero slot.
With reduced opportunities to win, the payout odds also increase, to around 26 to 1. This means if you bet just $10, you would receive $270 if you win.
The Orphans
In roulette, the orphan numbers are the numbers between the left and right side of the roulette wheel. This includes 8 numbers total; 1, 6, 9, 14, 17, 20, 31, and 34.
With your chances of winning standing at just over 20% and no fixed payout, you can win anywhere up to 26 to 1 depending on a variety of factors.
If you receive the maximum payout, you will receive the same odds as with the Zero Game bet.
The Neighbors and The Finals
These two bets are commonly referred to as variable bets because they don’t have a specific roulette payout.
This is where you need to look at individual payout tables or ask an attendant at the casino you’re visiting to find out just how much you could make from these bets.
If you aren’t experienced, it might be best to avoid these bets until you are comfortable taking calculated risks.
Summary
Roulette is one of those casino games where understanding how the payouts work is essential.
While some might claim it takes the fun out of the game, it can help people avoid substantial losses and may even increase investments earned by the end of the night.
From this article, it’s clear to see that the best roulette payouts come from placing risky inside bets, but more reliable results can be found from those willing to stick to outside bets.
Once you’ve built up your skills, you may even choose to look into placing announced bets on a European board as a way of further enhancing your payout opportunities.
Now that you have the basics under your belt, you have all the information you need to head out onto the casino floor and bet to your heart’s content!
