Roulette wheels and table layouts: European, American and French

How do the wheels differ?

• European roulette: numbers 1 to 36 plus a single zero, 37 pockets in all.
• American roulette: numbers 1 to 36 plus 0 and 00, 38 pockets. The extra pocket raises the house edge.
• French roulette: the single-zero wheel, often with la partage or en prison rules that return part of an even-money bet when zero lands.

How is the table laid out?

The numbers sit in a grid of three columns and twelve rows, with the zero or zeros at the top. The outside betting areas run around the grid: dozens, columns, red or black, odd or even, and 1 to 18 or 19 to 36.

What do inside bets pay?

• Straight up, one number: 35 to 1.
• Split, two numbers: 17 to 1.
• Street, three numbers: 11 to 1.
• Corner, four numbers: 8 to 1.
• Six line, six numbers: 5 to 1.

What do outside bets pay?

• Dozens and columns, twelve numbers: 2 to 1.
• Red or black, odd or even, low or high: 1 to 1.

Zero loses every bet unless you backed it directly or the table uses French rules. Payouts stay the same on a double-zero wheel while your chances get worse, so check which wheel a table uses before you sit down. Our guide on how to play roulette covers placing chips and why betting systems fail.