What is the best bet in roulette?
Red/black, odd/even or 1-18/19-36 on a single-zero wheel that plays la partage or en prison. Without those rules, every bet on a single-zero wheel costs the same.
House edge on a single-zero wheel: 2.70% on every bet; 1.35% on even-money bets with la partage, 1.39% with en prison. On a double-zero wheel: 5.26%, and 7.89% on the five-number bet.
Play roulette with the odds trainerRoulette odds for every bet
The house edge of every bet
| Bet | Single zero (European) | Double zero (American) | Triple zero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up (one number) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Split (two numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Street (three numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Trio (a zero and two numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Corner (four numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Top line (the zeros and 1, 2, 3) | 2.70% | 7.89% | 7.69% |
| Six line (six numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Column (12 numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Dozen (12 numbers) | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1-18/19-36 | 2.70% | 5.26% | 7.69% |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1-18/19-36 with la partage | 1.35% | — | — |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1-18/19-36 with en prison | 1.39% | — | — |
— means the layout has no such bet. House edge: what a bet loses on average, as a share of the amount bet. The top line is 0-1-2-3 on a single-zero wheel, 0-00-1-2-3 on a double-zero wheel and 0-00-000-1-2-3 on a triple-zero wheel.
Why
Roulette pays every bet as if the zeros weren’t there, so each bet gives up the same share to them: on a single-zero wheel, one pocket in 37. Picking numbers, colors or dozens changes how often you win and how much, not what you lose on average. The only bets that cost less are the even-money ones at tables that give half the bet back, or hold it for another spin, when the ball lands on zero. On a double-zero wheel the five-number bet is the one to avoid.