Roulette House Edge
Before pointing out the winning probabilities and payout rates of each roulette bet, we have to explain what the house edge means. The house edge is a percentage that denotes the advantage the casino has over the player. It's a percentage of the money wagered by the players the casino will cash in after a high number of games.
You have to understand that there is absolutely no way to influence this house edge. That's just how roulette was included, and this percentage is based on mathematical calculations that are always precise. If someone promises you to sell a system that can lower the house edge in roulette, then he's trying to scam you.
The house edge in roulette exists because of the 0, or 00 pockets on the wheel. You probably know that if the ball lands on a 0 pocket, then you lose, no matter what bet you made. This is the reason why the casino has an advantage over you.
European Roulette has a house edge of 2.70%, because it only has a single 0 pocket. American Roulette, on the other hand, has a house edge of 5.26% because of the second 0 pocket. Therefore, the rule is always to play European Roulette instead of American Roulette.
Calculating the Winning Chances in Roulette
In order to calculate the winning chances in roulette, all you have to do is to divide the amount of numbers your bet contains with the amount of the total number of pockets the roulette wheel contains, and multiply it with 100. Remember that a European Roulette wheel has 37 pockets, the American variant has 38.
For convenience, we already calculated this, and also added the possible payout rates, as well.
Roulette Odds Table
| Bet Type | Odds in European Roulette | Odds in American Roulette | Payout |
| Red or Black | 48.64% | 47.36% | 1 to 1 |
| Odd or Even | 48.64% | 47.36% | 1 to 1 |
| Column Bets | 48.64% | 47.36% | 2 to 1 |
| Dozen Bets | 32.43% | 31.57% | 2 to 1 |
| Straight Bets | 2.7% | 2.63% | 35 to 1 |
| Street Bets | 8.1% | 7.89% | 11 to 1 |
| Split Bets | 5.4% | 5.26% | 17 to 1 |
| Line Bets | 16.21% | 15.78% | 5 to 1 |
| Corner Bets | 10.81% | 10.52% | 8 to 1 |
As you can see, the table above points out two principal things, first, that European Roulette is more profitable than American Roulette, and second, that Outside Bets offer you bigger winning chances than inside bets.
In order to play with maximum winning chances, you should always choose the Outside bets over the inside bets. But as you surely saw, the Outside Bets also offer smaller payouts. You may place Inside bets if you want, but only if you have a large bankroll and aren't afraid to lose it.
If you want to learn more strategies to increase your winning chances on roulette, then we recommend you to read our additional articles, as well.