Inside Bets and Outside Bets for Roulette
Inside vs outside bets for roulette: two families of bets, one house edgemathsHouse edgeDi part of each stake wey di casino dey keep for average: 2.70% for European roulette.Read di whole tin →.
Inside bets dey cover one to six numbers and dem dey pay 5:1 reach 35:1. Outside bets dey cover twelve or eighteen numbers and dem dey pay 2:1 or 1:1.
Wetin be inside bets for roulette?
Straight upbetStraight upOne single number, e dey pay 35:1.Read di whole tin →, splitbetSplitTwo numbers wey dey near each oda, e dey pay 17:1.Read di whole tin →, streetbetStreetThree numbers for one row of di layout, e dey pay 11:1. For French: transversale.Read di whole tin →, cornerbetCornerFour numbers wey share one corner for di layout, e dey pay 8:1.Read di whole tin → and six linebetSix lineSix numbers for two rows wey dey near each oda, e dey pay 5:1. For French: sixain.Read di whole tin → all dey inside di grid of numbers. Dem no dey win often but dem dey pay plenty. Straight up dey win one spin out of 37 for average and e dey pay 35 to 1; six line dey win one out of six and e dey pay 5 to 1. Di minimum of di table usually na for di total of your inside chipsmoniChipToken wey stand for one fixed amount, wey you put on top di layout to make bet. Dem also dey call am: check.Read di whole tin →, so five $1 chips for five numbers go reach $5 minimum.
Di experience dey come in streaks. Player wey dey bet straight up fit go 70 spins without one hit (probabilitymathsProbabilityDi chance of one outcome, from 0 to 1 or from 0% to 100%. One number: 1/37 = 2.70%.Read di whole tin → about 15%) and then collect $350 for one $10 chip. Di expected lossmathsExpected lossExpected value times di total moni wey you bet; di average amount wey you go lose for one session or one period.Read di whole tin → for dose 70 spins na $19; di real result fit be anywhere from −$700 reach +$1,000.
Wetin be outside bets for roulette?
DozensbetDozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–36, e dey pay 2:1.Read di whole tin →, columnsbetColumnTwelve numbers for one column of di layout wey stand from up to down, e dey pay 2:1.Read di whole tin →, redbetRedEven-money bet on di 18 red numbers. For French: rouge.Read di whole tin →, blackbetBlackEven-money bet for di 18 black numbers. For French: noir.Read di whole tin →, odd, even, high and low dey for di boxes wey surround di grid. Dem dey win often and dem dey pay small: 2 to 1 for dozen, even money for di rest. Each one must reach di table minimum by imself. Di experience dey smooth: session of red bets go dey go up and down by few stakes and e go end, for average, 2.70% of di turnovermoniTurnoverDi total moni wey you bet for one session or one period, including winnings wey you bet again. Dem also dey call am: handle, action.Read di whole tin → down.
Wetin dey change, wetin no dey change
How di results dey spread dey change completely between di two families. Di average no dey change. Both of dem dey short of fair odds by exactly 1/37 of di stake, so for many spins both dey lose 2.70% of everytin wey you bet. Di table below show di same $10 session of 100 spins for both; di expected result na di same and di normal range dey six times wide pass for di straight up.
How to choose your roulette bet: by experience, no be by edge
If you want long session with small swings, outside betsbetOutside betBet on di boxes wey surround di grid: dozens, columns and even-money bets.Read di whole tin → with low stake go give you dat one. If you want chance of big win and you accept high chance sey you go lose di whole budget, inside betsbetInside betAny bet wey you put on top or between di numbers of di grid: straight up, split, street, corner, six line.Read di whole tin → go give you dat one. No one of dem sabi pass di oda. Di only decisions wey dey change your expected loss na stake, number of spins, and whether di table get la partageruleLa partageFrench rule: when zero come out, dem go return half of even-money stake. E dey cut di house edge for dose bets into half, to 1.35%.Read di whole tin →.
- p10 −$420
- p25 −$280
- median −$120
- p75 +$20
- p90 +$140
To mix di families
Plenty players dey mix roulette inside and outside bets: few straight ups as lottery ticket and red for di ride. Becos expected valuesmathsExpected valueDi average result for each bet for di long run. −1/37 of di stake for every standard European bet.Read di whole tin → dey add up, di mix get expected loss of 2.70% of di total and variancemathsVarianceOne measure of how wide di results dey spread around di expected value. E high for straight up, e low for even-money bets.Read di whole tin → wey dey somewhere between di two. Di Bet Builder tool dey calculate both for any combination.
- p10 −$500
- p25 −$500
- median −$500
- p75 +$40
- p90 +$1,480
Questions wey pipo dey ask
Outside bets, becos di budget go last long reach make you see how di game dey work. No be becos dem dey lose less for every dollar.
Casinos prefer turnover. Fast outside betting dey bring more of am, and na why speed tables dey push am.
Usually no. Dem dey check your inside total and each outside bet separately against di roulette minimum.
Play with Maths
Try dem by yourself first. Each solution dey folded; open am when you ready.
You put $10 on redbetRedEven-money bet on di 18 red numbers. For French: rouge.Read di whole tin → and $1 on 17, wey be blackbetBlackEven-money bet for di 18 black numbers. For French: noir.Read di whole tin →, for one spin of European wheel. List wetin fit happen and how much di two bets dey cost for average. Then do di same for $10 on red and $10 on black.
Show di solution
Answer Red: +$9. Di 17: +$25. Any oda number: −$11. For average −$11/37, about 30¢, wey be 2.70% of di $11 wey you stake. Red and black togeda dey lose $20 for di zerowheelZeroDi one green pocket wey no even-money, dozen or column bet dey cover; na im be di source of di house edge. Dem also dey call am: single zero, 0.Read di whole tin → and notin for di rest: −$20/37, 2.70% of $20.
Red dey come out 18 times for 37: di $10 dey win $10 and di $1 on 17 dey lose, +$9. Di 17 dey come out once: di red bet dey lose $10 and di $1 dey win $35, +$25. Di oda 17 black numbers and di zero, 18 pocketsequipmentPocketOne of di 37 small boxes wey get number for di rotor. Dem also dey call am: slot, cup.Read di whole tin → in all: both bets dey lose, −$11.
Average: (18 × 9 + 25 − 18 × 11)/37 = (162 + 25 − 198)/37 = −11/37.
Each bet dey keep im own price when you combine am with anoda: di $10 on red dey cost 10/37 for average, di $1 on 17 dey cost 1/37, and togeda 11/37. To mix bets dey change how di results spread, no be wetin dem cost. Red and black togeda dey make every result except di zero end level, and dem still dey pay 2.70% of everytin wey you stake, all of am for di zero. Hunacek (2025) give di same exercises for double-zero wheel, where di price na 5.26%.
Small laugh
Different variance. Di same edge. Di same zero.
Sources
- Ethier, S. N. The Doctrine of Chances: Probabilistic Aspects of Gambling.
- Epstein, R. A. The Theory of Gambling and Statistical Logic, 2nd ed.