What Are the Odds of Winning at Roulette?

While casino games like roulette provide a random outcome each time, understanding your overall chances of winning is important. The roulette wheel has been cleverly designed so that you almost always have similar odds of winning, but what are the key points you need to know about?

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Different Roulette Versions

The best way to understand roulette odds is by looking at the house edge, which is the total amount the casino expects to win from a large number of bets. In general terms, the extra zero in American wheels means that it has a 5.26% house edge while European games have 2.70%, which is usually among the lowest house edges in any casino.

The current online roulette real money games listed have added variety to the market with extra features that, in some cases, change the size of the wins you might collect. Spread Bet Roulette adds a second wheel to change the dynamic, as you can bet on the combined total of the wheels. Mega Fire Blaze Roulette has a bonus round with multipliers and the chance to win a jackpot.

These changes to the typical gameplay mean that you have the chance of bigger wins but the crucial house edge figure often remains similar to the basic game with the random outcome still present. What this means is that the casino still expects to pay out around 2.70% on European games, but that individual players can get very different results.

Are There Best or Worst Bets?

The features mentioned above have changed the way that roulette works, by adding the possibility of bigger wins. However, when we look at the classic gameplay without bonus features, the big question is whether there are any best or worst bets to look out for.

The roulette wheel and the different bets are so well thought out that the house edge is almost always the same. Yet, the American game has a bet called Five Number that has a house edge of 7.89%. Covering the zero, the double zero, and the first three numbers, this is the biggest house edge in the traditional gameplay.

To find the lowest houses and the best odds, you also need to consider the type of game as well as the kind of bet. That’s because some variants use the French la partage/en prison rules. In this case, if you place an even money bet and the ball lands in zero you get half your stake back (la partage) or a second spin with the same bet (en prison). This lowers the house edge to 1.35%.

"Roulette Table and Roulette Wheel in a C" (CC BY 2.0) by verchmarco

How to Choose a Roulette Version

As you can see, roulette was invented to give the same odds on virtually any type of bet you make. However, the various ways of playing allow each player to find a way of gambling that they prefer.

Despite this, the odds of winning at roulette haven’t shifted greatly over the years. It’s now simply a case of choosing a game and bet that suits you and selecting the amount.