Finding the Best Roulette Payouts

Even though there are many different versions and types to choose from, the two main variations of Roulette played at most online casinos today are European Roulette and American Roulette. Both games are made up of a Wheel - primarily comprising of red and black numbered pockets - and the Mat or Table, where you place your betting chips.

There are subtle differences between both games but the most obvious one is the European Roulette wheel has 37 numbers - 1-36 plus a green 0, while its American counterpart has 38 numbers - again 1-36 plus 2 green pockets 0 and 00 (double zero). This extra 00 make all the difference when it comes to the house edge, your odds of winning and roulette payouts.

The House Edge

The house edge or house advantage is the casino's way of guaranteeing they'll always make a profit. For example, in the European game (37 number/pockets) if you place a $1 on any number your odds of winning are 1/37 but the casino offers a return of 1/36 (this includes returning your initial bet). That's one unit going to the house, so 1/37 x 100 equals a 2.7% house edge.

In American Roulette there are 38 numbers so with the return of 1/36 there are two units going to the house which is 2/38 x 100 equalling a 5.26% house advantage. Similarly, if you bet the ball will land on a black number you're paid even money, but because there are two green numbers on the American wheel the odds are actually not 50/50 (18/36 x 100 = 50%) but 18/38 x 100 = 47.3%. In European version this roulette payout is increased in favour of the bettor to 48.6%

Guide to Roulette Payouts

Now that we've looked at the difference between the odds and the actual roulette payouts, let's explore some of the most popular bets in Roulette. If you want to make your money last longer and play it safe, then outside bets will give you the best return.

• Even money 1 to 1 Bet on red or black, odd or even or high or low number (1-18 or 10-36).
• 2 to 1 Dozen Bet on 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36.
• 2 to 1 Column Bet on one of the three columns.

Now let's look at a quick guide to inside bets:

• Line 5 to 1 Bet on six numbers with one chip.
• Corner 8 to 1 Bet on four adjacent numbers, such as 8, 9, 11,12 or 28, 29, 31, 32.
• Street 11 to 1 A three number bet for example: 7, 8, 9 or 34, 35, 36.
• Split 17 to 1 Selecting two numbers beside each other on the mat.
• 35 to 1 Straight Up This is the best possible roulette payout - you bet on just one number - 17 if you're James Bond, 23 if you're James Garner - or whatever suits yourself.

French Roulette

French Roulette is a favourite with experienced players and has fixed bets called Voisins du Zero - Neighbours of Zero; Tiers du Cylindre - Third of the Wheel and Orphelins - Orphans. The French names certainly add an aura of sophistication and mystique to this well-loved table game but simply put, the bets are based on the adjacency of the numbers on the wheel - not on the mat.