Home The layout
The roulette layout, explained for a first session
The roulette layout is a map of 37 numbers and the ways to group them, and the groups are what you actually bet on. It looks busy; it is seven kinds of bet, all visible, all with the payout printed somewhere nearby. Here is each one in the order a beginner should meet them.
The outside bets, where to start
Around the number grid are boxes for the group bets. These win often and pay small.
| Box | Covers | Pays | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red / Black | 18 numbers by colour | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| Odd / Even | 18 numbers by parity | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| 1–18 / 19–36 | 18 numbers by range | 1:1 | 48.65% |
| 1st 12 / 2nd 12 / 3rd 12 | a dozen | 2:1 | 32.43% |
| 2 to 1 (foot of each column) | a column of 12 | 2:1 | 32.43% |
All of them lose when zero comes up. That one green pocket is the house's share.
The inside bets, once the outside is familiar
Chips placed on or between the numbers.
| Bet | Where the chip goes | Covers | Pays | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight-up | on a number | 1 | 35:1 | 2.70% |
| Split | line between two numbers | 2 | 17:1 | 5.41% |
| Street | end of a row of three | 3 | 11:1 | 8.11% |
| Corner | where four numbers meet | 4 | 8:1 | 10.81% |
| Six line | end of two rows | 6 | 5:1 | 16.22% |
On a touchscreen the game highlights the numbers a chip covers before you confirm. Use the undo button freely.
The zero
The green pocket at the top. You can bet on it like any number at 35:1. When it comes up, every outside bet loses; on French tables the even-money bets get half back. It is on the wheel so that red pays even money while winning slightly less than half the time, and that gap is the 2.70% the house keeps.
The racetrack
An oval of numbers in wheel order, shown next to the grid on most tables. It places bets that follow the wheel rather than the layout: neighbours and the French sections. Ignore it for a first session; it is a shortcut for bets you do not need yet.
Where to put a first chip
Red. Then a dozen. Then, when you want to see a 35:1 win happen, five small chips on one number for a few dozen spins. Each costs the same 2.70% on average. The difference is how often you win and how big the swings are, and that is a preference you find out by trying.
What the layout cannot tell you
What comes next. The history strip shows the past; every number is 1 in 37 on every spin, whatever has happened. The layout is for choosing a bet you like, not for finding one that is due.
Your questions
- What is the easiest roulette bet?
Red or black. One chip in one box, wins just under half the time, pays even money. It is the right first bet because the result is easy to read and the swings are small.
- What is the difference between inside and outside bets?
Inside bets go on the numbers and pay 5:1 to 35:1 with rare wins. Outside bets go in the boxes around the grid and pay 1:1 or 2:1 with frequent wins. Both cost the same 2.70% on a single-zero table.