Roulette inside bets explained

What roulette inside bets are

A roulette table has two zones. The grid of numbers 0 to 36 (plus 00 on an American table) is the inside; the boxes around its edge for red, black, odd, even, high, low, dozens and columns are the outside bets. Any chip that sits on a number, on a line between numbers or on a corner where numbers meet is an inside bet. Our roulette hub covers the game as a whole; this page is about the inside of the table layout only.

Wikipedia’s roulette article (opens in a new tab) describes inside bets as covering a single number or a small group of numbers that sit next to each other on the layout. That adjacency is the whole idea: the position of your chip tells the croupier, or the software, exactly which numbers you have.

• Straight up: one number, chip in the middle of the number.
• Split: two neighbouring numbers, chip on the line between them.
• Street: a row of three numbers, chip on the outer edge of the row.
• Corner: four numbers that share a corner, chip on that corner.
• Six line: two rows side by side, chip on the outer edge where the rows meet.

Roulette inside bets payout and odds table

Payouts are quoted ‘to 1’, so a win returns the winnings plus your original stake. Wizard of Odds’ roulette basics page (opens in a new tab) gives the payouts and confirms that single-zero wheels pay exactly the same as double-zero wheels. The single-zero chances below come from counting pockets: 37 in all.

On an American wheel there are 38 pockets, so each win comes slightly less often while the payouts stay put.

Why every inside bet carries the same house edge

Roulette payouts follow one simple pattern: the casino pays as if the wheel had 36 numbers. Divide 36 by the number of pockets covered and take away one, and you get the payout. Two numbers: 36 ÷ 2 − 1 = 17. Four numbers: 36 ÷ 4 − 1 = 8. Six numbers: 36 ÷ 6 − 1 = 5.

A fair payout would use 37 instead of 36. That single missing pocket, the green zero, is the casino’s margin. Over 37 spins with £1 on a corner, you would expect 4 wins worth £8 each (£32) and 33 losses (£33): a net cost of £1 in 37, or 2.70%. Run the same sum for any inside bet and you reach the same 1 in 37. The house edge is fixed by the wheel, not by your choice of bet.

The exception is the American five-number top line. It pays 6 to 1, but 36 ÷ 5 − 1 would be 6.2, and the payout is rounded down. Wizard of Odds’ sum is (5 × 6 − 33) ÷ 38 = −3/38, a 7.89% edge.

Inside bet odds in practice: how long the gaps can be

Because the price is identical, the real choice among roulette inside bets is about rhythm. A six line wins roughly once every six spins; a single number once every 37 on average. The table shows the chance of going a set number of spins without a single win, using (pockets not covered ÷ 37) raised to the number of spins.

More than a third of the time, a single number fails to appear even once in 37 spins, the very number of spins its ‘average’ suggests. Anyone budgeting for a straight-up bet needs to be ready for that, because the wheel has no memory and owes nothing. The idea that a number is ‘due’ is the gambler’s fallacy.

Worked example: £1 a spin on each inside bet

Picture five players at the same single-zero table, each staking £1 a spin for 100 spins on a different inside bet. Each has wagered £100, and each has the same expected loss: £100 × 2.70% = £2.70. What differs is the typical spread of results, measured by the standard deviation (a rough guide to how far a session usually strays from the average).

The straight-up player could easily finish £50 up or £60 down; the six-line player’s results bunch much closer to the £2.70 average. Neither has a better deal. One has simply bought a bumpier ride. For more on this idea, see our guide to volatility.

Inside bets that include zero

Zero is part of the inside grid, so you can include it like any other number. On a single-zero layout a chip can go straight up on 0 at 35 to 1, or on a split such as 0/3, which the jeu zéro call bet uses. Wikipedia’s payout table lists the European first four (0, 1, 2, 3) at 8 to 1, the same as a corner, so it keeps the 2.70% edge. The trio bets 0-1-2 and 0-2-3 also exist; check the game’s help screen for how a particular table pays them.

On an American layout the zero bets are where the trouble lies. The 0/00 split pays 17 to 1 like any other split (5.26%), but the five-number top line is the costliest standard bet on the table at 7.89%. Our basket and top line page goes through those bets in full.

How to place roulette inside bets, step by step

The steps are the same at an online RNG table and at a live dealer table; only the speed changes.

1. Check the table limits in the game’s information panel. Inside bets may have their own minimum and maximum per position.
2. Choose a chip value. The total of everything on the layout is your stake for that spin.
3. Click or tap the centre of a number for a straight up, a line between two numbers for a split, a corner for a corner bet, or the outer edge of a row for a street or six line.
4. Use the racetrack panel if you want a call bet, which places a fixed pattern of inside chips for you.
5. Confirm the total stake before betting closes, then watch the result; winnings are added to your balance automatically.

Combining inside bets: spreads and call bets

Many players put chips on several inside positions at once. That feels like covering more ground, and it is, but each chip still carries its own 2.70% edge, so the spread costs 2.70% of the total. Wizard of Odds makes the same point about any fixed spread of bets on a single-zero wheel. A ten-chip spread at £1 a chip costs about 27p a spin on average, whichever ten positions you choose.

Call bets are packaged inside spreads based on sections of the wheel rather than the grid. Tiers du cylindre is six splits; orphelins is four splits plus a straight up on 1; voisins du zéro is two chips on the 0-2-3 trio, five splits and two chips on the 25-26-28-29 corner. Wizard of Odds’ sector bets page (opens in a new tab) gives all of them the standard 2.70% edge.

Inside bets at live and online UK roulette tables

At a standard single-zero table, RNG and live versions share the same payouts and the same 2.70% edge. The Gambling Commission’s RTS 7 standard (opens in a new tab) requires online results to be acceptably random and bans compensated games that adjust outcomes to hit a target. The difference is pace: Evolution says its Speed Roulette runs about 25 seconds spin to spin, around half a normal live round, which works out at roughly 144 spins an hour.

Multiplier games change the inside bet maths. In Lightning Roulette, Evolution’s rules pay a plain straight up at 29 to 1 instead of 35 to 1, with the difference funding random 50x to 500x multipliers on one to five numbers each round. Splits, corners and the other bets pay the standard amounts. Read the help screen of any branded game before assuming the usual payouts apply.

Common inside bet mistakes and myths

• ‘Inside bets are a worse deal.’ Not on a single-zero wheel. Each costs 2.70%, the same as red or black without La Partage.
• ‘Covering lots of numbers makes a win likely.’ It makes a small win more frequent, but each spin still costs 2.70% of everything staked.
• ‘This number is due.’ Every spin is an independent event; past results do not change the next one.
• Playing American roulette by default. Doubling the edge from 2.70% to 5.26% doubles your expected cost for no extra entertainment.
• Raising stakes to chase a long gap. A single number missing 50 spins happens about a quarter of the time. Chasing it with bigger bets only grows the loss.

UK rules that apply to online inside bets

The £2 and £5 online stake limits apply to slots only, so roulette tables set their own limits. Since 17 January 2025, Gambling Commission rules have banned autoplay on all online casino games, live roulette included, required non-slot games to take at least 5 seconds per game cycle, stopped players running several games at once, and required your net spend and time played to be shown as you play. A re-bet button that repeats your last layout is allowed, because you still press it each spin. The UK game speed rules page explains the timings.

Age and identity checks happen before you can deposit, and credit cards cannot be used. Setting a deposit limit before your first session is a simple way to keep a fast table under control; see our deposit limits guide.

Where to play roulette with inside bets

Our partner casinos hold Gambling Commission licences, but their welcome offers are aimed at slots rather than roulette. Table and live games are often excluded from bonuses or count for less towards wagering, so check the terms and the casino’s game lobby before you play. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo gives new customers who opt in a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, to be wagered 10x within 7 days, with a £5 maximum bet and game, play and payment restrictions. 10bet offers new UK customers a 100% match up to £25 if they choose the casino bonus at sign-up and deposit within 7 days; the bonus must be wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, bonus winnings are capped at £1,000 and Skrill and Neteller deposits are excluded. At Coral, new players who deposit and bet £10 or more on slots get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, with 48 hours to accept, 7 days to use them and no wagering on spin winnings; Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards do not qualify.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.