European Roulette

There are a number of different variations of the casino game of roulette. One of the most popular variations is European roulette. It differs slightly from other variations in terms of the numbers on the wheel and therefore the types of bets that you can place and the strategy you can employ.

The European Roulette Wheel and Table

The wheel in the game of European roulette consists of 37 slots – the numbers 1 through 36 and a single zero. The numbers on the roulette wheel are represented on a roulette table. Up to 8 players can stand around the roulette table.

The Rules of European Roulette

Before the game begins, players must place their bets on the roulette table on the numbers that they hope the ball will land on in the spinning roulette wheel. Players can place bets up to the time when the croupier calls out "no more bets" just before the ball drops into a slot on the wheel. From this point, the players may not touch their bets or chips until the croupier pays out the winners. Once the ball has dropped into a numbered slot and stopped spinning, the dealer collects money from the losers and pays out the winners.

Bets in European Roulette

There are two different categories of bets in the game of European roulette. There are five inside bets and five outside bets giving a total of ten possible bets in the game.

Inside Bets

Inside bets are bets on specific numbers or combinations of numbers. These bets are placed inside the numbered section on the roulette table.

Straight up bets – these are bets on specific numbers. Players can bet on any number on the roulette wheel. The bet is placed on the center of the number on the roulette table.

Split bet – these are bets on two numbers that are adjacent on the roulette table. The bet is placed on the line between the two numbers.

Street (row) bet – these are bets on a row of three numbers. The bet is placed at the end of the row.

Corner (square) bet – these are bets on a group of four numbers that can be found at the corner of the roulette table. The bet is placed in the center of the four corner numbers.

Line (double row) bets – these are bets on six numbers that can be found in two adjacent rows on the roulette table. The bet is placed on the line between the two rows of numbers.

Outside Bets

Outside bets are bets on groups of numbers. These bets are placed outside the numbered section of the roulette table.

Red or black bet – these are bets that the ball will land on either a red number or a black number.

Odd or even bet – these are bets that the ball will land on either an odd number or an even number.

High or low bet – these are bets that the ball will land on either a high number (19-36) or a low number (1-18).

Column bet – these are bets on a column of twelve numbers. The bet is placed at the end of the column.

Dozen bets – these are bets on a group of a dozen numbers. Players can bet on the groups 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36.

The Odds and Payouts in European Roulette

The payouts in a game of roulette are based on the probability of the ball landing on that number or group of numbers.

Straight bet – the odds of winning are 36 to 1 and the payout is 35 to 1.

Split bet – the odds of winning are 17.5 to 1 and the payout is 17 to 1.

Street bet – the odds of winnings are 11.33 to 1 and the payout is 11 to 1.

Corner bet – the odds of winning are 8.25 to 1 and the payout is 8 to 1.

Line bet – the odds of winnings are 6 to 1 and the payout is 5 to 1.

Column bet – the odds of winning are 2.08 to 1 and the payout is 2 to 1.

Dozen bet – the odds of winnings are 2.08 to 1 and the payout is 2 to 1.

Red or black, odd or even, high or low bets – these are known as even money bets. The odds of winning are 1.01 to 1 and the payout is 1 to 1.