The house edge in roulette comes from the green pockets. European roulette has one zero and an edge of 2.70% on every standard bet. American roulette adds a double zero, which almost doubles the edge to 5.26%. French rules keep the single zero and return half of an even-money bet when zero comes up (La Partage) or hold it for the next spin (En Prison), cutting the edge on those bets to about 1.35%. The number of zeros matters far more than any choice of bet, and far more than any system.
This guide shows where each figure comes from, why inside and outside bets cost the same, which extras change the maths, and how to confirm the rules of a live table at Tenka before you place a chip.
One zero or two: where the edge comes from
Every roulette payout is calculated as if the wheel had only the 36 numbered pockets. A straight-up bet on one number pays 35 to 1: fair odds for a 1-in-36 chance. The green pockets are extra, and when the ball lands in one, every bet on the numbers loses. That gap between the payout and the true odds is the whole of the house edge.
- European wheel, 37 pockets (0 to 36). A $1 straight-up bet wins $35 once in 37 spins and loses $1 the other 36 times: 35 − 36 = −1 over 37 spins, so an edge of 1/37, or 2.70%. The return to player (RTP) is 97.30%.
- American wheel, 38 pockets (0, 00 and 1 to 36). The same bet wins $35 once in 38 spins and loses $1 the other 37: 35 − 37 = −2 over 38 spins, an edge of 2/38, or 5.26%. The RTP is 94.74%.
At $10 a spin and 50 spins an hour, that is an expected cost of about $13.50 an hour on a single-zero wheel and about $26.30 on a double-zero wheel, for exactly the same bets. If a lobby offers both, the single-zero table is the better deal every time.
Inside and outside bets: same edge, different ride
On a European wheel, every standard bet carries the same 2.70% edge. What changes from bet to bet is how often you win and how much, not what it costs you on average.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Pays | Edge, single zero | Edge, double zero |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Dozen or column | 12 | 2 to 1 | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Red/black, odd/even, 1–18/19–36 | 18 | 1 to 1 | 2.70% (1.35% with La Partage) | 5.26% |
| Top line / basket (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | 5 | 6 to 1 | – | 7.89% |
A straight-up bet wins rarely and big; red or black wins almost half the time and small. Over a session that difference in rhythm is very real, and a player who likes long evenings on a fixed budget will usually find outside bets gentler on the balance. Over thousands of spins, though, both cost the same 2.70%.
The one exception on the American layout is the five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. It pays 6 to 1 where fair odds would be 6.6 to 1, so its edge is about 7.89%.
French rules: La Partage and En Prison
French roulette uses the single-zero wheel and adds a rule for even-money bets (red/black, odd/even, high/low) when the ball lands on zero:
- La Partage ("sharing"): you get half of your even-money bet back. The arithmetic for a $100 bet on red: win $100 with probability 18/37, lose $100 with probability 18/37, lose $50 with probability 1/37. The result is −$50/37, about −$1.35 per $100.
- En Prison ("in prison"): the bet stays on the table for the next spin. If it wins then, you get your stake back; if it loses, it is gone. The edge on even-money bets works out at about 1.35% as well, with small differences depending on what happens if zero comes up again.
Two details are easy to miss. These rules apply only to even-money bets: a straight-up, split or dozen on a French table still carries 2.70%. And some tables that look French, with the French-language layout and racetrack, do not actually use La Partage. The rules panel is the only reliable source.
Speed, auto and multiplier formats
Live studios run the same wheels in several formats. How each one affects your money:
- Speed roulette shortens the betting window and the time between spins. The edge per spin is unchanged, but more spins per hour means a higher cost per hour at the same stake. If you move to a faster table, a smaller stake keeps the hourly cost where you want it.
- Auto roulette launches the ball mechanically, with no dealer. The wheel, pockets and payouts follow the same rules as any other wheel of that type, and again the main difference is pace.
- Multiplier formats add randomly boosted payouts on some numbers. To pay for them, the studio usually lowers the ordinary straight-up payout below 35 to 1 or adds a fee to each bet. The overall return can end up close to a standard wheel's, or lower, and it can differ between bet types on the same table. Read the RTP of each bet type in the info panel before you judge a multiplier table by its biggest number.
Why covering the board doesn't help
A common idea is to spread chips across many numbers so that something almost always wins. It changes the rhythm, not the maths. Suppose you place $1 on each of 30 numbers on a European wheel. When one of them hits you win $35 and lose the other $29, a profit of $6, and that happens 30 times in 37. The other 7 times you lose all $30. Over 37 spins: 30 × $6 − 7 × $30 = $180 − $210 = −$30, which is 2.70% of the $1,110 wagered. Frequent small wins, the same edge.
The same applies to combinations of dozens and columns, to "sector" bets on the racetrack and to any other layout of chips. Each bet carries the edge of the wheel, and a combination of bets carries their total.
Finding the rules at our live tables
Our live roulette tables come from third-party studios, and the line-up changes as studios add and retire tables. Rather than trust a list in an article, take thirty seconds to check the table itself:
- Count the zeros. Look at the betting layout or the wheel. A 00 pocket means a double-zero wheel and the 5.26% edge.
- Open the info or rules panel. It states whether La Partage or En Prison applies, the payout for each bet and the return to player. If there is no La Partage line, assume even-money bets carry the full single-zero edge.
- Check the limits. The minimum and maximum for each bet type are in the same panel. The maximum matters more than most players expect; see our guide to betting systems and table limits.
- Note the pace. Speed and auto tables deal more spins per hour, so plan your stake around the hourly cost, not only the per-spin edge.
What no system can change
No bet, pattern or progression changes the edge of the wheel. Previous numbers have no influence on the next spin, so "hot" and "cold" number displays are a record of the past, like the scoreboard at a baccarat table. The only choices that change what roulette costs you are the ones in this guide: pick a single-zero wheel, prefer La Partage or En Prison if you play even-money bets, and control the stake and the number of spins. If you also play blackjack, our guide to blackjack side bets shows how the same thinking applies to optional bets there.
Play for the entertainment and set your budget before you sit down. The responsible gambling tools let you set limits and take breaks, and our FAQ covers accounts, deposits and withdrawals.
Frequently asked questions
Which roulette has the lowest house edge?
French roulette with La Partage or En Prison, at about 1.35% on even-money bets. Other bets on a French table carry the single-zero edge of 2.70%. European roulette is 2.70% on every standard bet and American roulette 5.26%.
Is the house edge different for inside and outside bets?
No. On a single-zero wheel every standard bet has an edge of 2.70%, and on a double-zero wheel 5.26%. The exception is the five-number bet on the American layout, at about 7.89%, and French rules lower the edge on even-money bets only.
Does speed or auto roulette have worse odds?
The edge per spin follows the wheel type, not the pace. Faster tables deal more spins per hour, so the expected cost per hour is higher at the same stake.
How do I know if a live table uses La Partage?
Open the table's info or rules panel. It states whether La Partage or En Prison applies to even-money bets, along with the payouts, limits and return to player.