European Roulette Bets and Payouts: A Complete Guide to Every Bet Type on the Table

European Roulette is the most widely available roulette format in licensed online casinos. Its betting system is more varied than most players realise — from single-number bets paying 35:1 to even-money wagers covering half the wheel. This guide covers every bet type on the table, the exact payout for each, the probabilities behind them, and the rules that can modify what you win.

What Makes European Roulette Different from Other Roulette Variants

European Roulette is a casino table game built around a spinning wheel with 37 numbered pockets (0–36) and a betting grid where players place chips before each spin. The defining feature of the European format is the single zero — one pocket marked 0, coloured green, which is neither red nor black, neither odd nor even, neither low nor high.

That single zero is what separates European Roulette from American Roulette, which adds a second zero pocket (00), bringing the wheel to 38 pockets and nearly doubling the house's mathematical edge. The single-zero wheel is also the foundation for French Roulette, which plays on the same wheel but adds optional rules — La Partage and En Prison — that can reduce the house edge further on even-money bets.

The house edge in European Roulette is 2.70%, and the RTP (Return to Player) is 97.30%. These figures apply uniformly to every bet type on the table — inside, outside, and call bets all carry the same mathematical edge.

The European Roulette Wheel and Table Layout

Wheel Number Sequence and Zero Pocket

The 37 numbers on a European roulette wheel are not arranged in ascending order. The sequence — running clockwise from zero — is:

0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26

This specific sequence is deliberate. High and low numbers, red and black pockets, and odd and even values are distributed across the wheel to prevent clustering — so that no section of the wheel contains a disproportionate run of any one category.

The zero pocket sits at the top of this sequence. It's the house's structural advantage: any bet that doesn't cover zero loses when the ball lands there, except on bets that specifically include it (certain call bets and straight-up bets on 0).

How the Betting Grid Is Organized

The betting grid (also called the layout) is the felt-covered table where players place chips. It mirrors the wheel's numbers but arranges them in a structured format:

• Numbers 1–36 are displayed in a 3-column, 12-row grid, in numerical order left to right, top to bottom.
• Zero sits above the main grid in its own cell at the top.
• Outside the main number grid, additional zones mark the outside bets: Red/Black, Odd/Even, 1–18/19–36, Dozens (1st 12, 2nd 12, 3rd 12), and Columns.

Many European roulette tables — particularly in live dealer studios — also feature a racetrack: an oval display replicating the wheel's physical sequence, used for placing call bets (or announced bets) that cover specific wheel sections.

Inside Bets: Types, Coverage, and Payouts

Inside bets are wagers placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers within the main grid. They cover fewer numbers than outside bets, so they hit less frequently — but they pay significantly more when they do.

Straight Up Bet

A straight up bet is a wager placed on a single number. You place your chip in the centre of any number on the grid — 0 through 36. If the ball lands on that number, you win 35:1: a 1-unit stake returns 35 units in profit plus your original stake back. This is the highest-paying bet in standard European Roulette and the one most affected by Lightning Roulette's multiplier mechanic in live casino variants.

Split Bet

A split bet covers two adjacent numbers on the betting grid. You place your chip on the line between them. Adjacent means physically neighbouring on the grid — horizontally or vertically. Examples: 14|15, or 17|20. A winning split bet pays 17:1.

Street Bet

A street bet covers three consecutive numbers in a single horizontal row of the grid. Place the chip on the outer edge of the row. The rows run: 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8-9, and so on through 34-35-36. A winning street bet pays 11:1.

Corner Bet

A corner bet (also called a square bet) covers four numbers that share a corner on the grid. Place the chip on the intersection point of those four numbers. Example: a corner on 17-18-20-21. Payout is 8:1.

Line Bet

A line bet (also called a double street) covers six numbers across two adjacent rows. Place the chip on the outer edge at the boundary between two rows. Example: rows 7-8-9 and 10-11-12 together form a line covering six numbers. Payout is 5:1.

Outside Bets: Types, Coverage, and Payouts

Outside bets are placed in the zones surrounding the main number grid. They cover large sections of the wheel — between 12 and 18 numbers — and pay at lower ratios than inside bets. The trade-off is higher frequency: outside bets win more often.

Note: zero is not included in any outside bet category. When the ball lands on zero, all outside bets lose (unless La Partage or En Prison rules apply — covered below).

Red/Black and Odd/Even

These are the simplest outside bets. Red covers the 18 red-coloured numbers on the wheel; Black covers the 18 black numbers. Zero is green and belongs to neither group. Odd covers the 18 odd numbers (1, 3, 5... 35); Even covers the 18 even numbers (2, 4, 6... 36). Both pay 1:1 — also called even money. A 1-unit stake returns 1 unit in profit.

Low/High (1–18 / 19–36)

Low covers numbers 1 through 18; High covers 19 through 36. Zero is excluded. Both pay 1:1. These bets are sometimes called Manque (Low) and Passe (High) in French Roulette terminology, which you may see in live casino interfaces.

Dozens and Columns

Dozens divide the 36 non-zero numbers into three groups of 12: 1st Dozen (1–12), 2nd Dozen (13–24), 3rd Dozen (25–36). Columns divide the same 36 numbers into three vertical columns of 12 as they appear on the betting grid. Both dozens and columns pay 2:1.

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Call Bets and Announced Bets Explained

Call bets (also called announced bets) are fixed bet combinations that cover specific sections of the roulette wheel rather than sections of the betting grid. They are placed using the racetrack — the oval-shaped secondary betting interface that mirrors the wheel's physical number sequence. Call bets are a standard feature of European and French Roulette, particularly in live dealer formats.

Key characteristics of call bets available on the racetrack:

• They cover wheel sections, not grid sections — so the numbers in each group aren't consecutive on the betting grid.
• Each call bet requires a fixed number of chips, split across multiple straight-up or split positions.
• The payout depends on which specific position within the combination wins.
• Call bets carry the same 2.70% house edge as all other European Roulette wagers.

Voisins du Zéro

Voisins du Zéro ("neighbours of zero" in French) covers the 17 numbers nearest to zero on the wheel: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25. It requires 9 chips placed across a combination of splits, a street (0-2-3), and a corner (25-26-28-29).

Tiers du Cylindre

Tiers du Cylindre ("third of the wheel") covers 12 numbers on the section of the wheel roughly opposite zero: 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33. It requires 6 chips placed as split bets across these positions.

Orphelins

Orphelins ("orphans") covers the 8 numbers not included in Voisins or Tiers: 17, 34, 6, and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9. They form two small wheel sections left over after the larger groups are accounted for. Orphelins requires 5 chips — one straight-up on 1, and four splits.

Jeu Zéro

Jeu Zéro ("zero game") covers 7 numbers in the immediate vicinity of zero: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15. It's a subset of the Voisins du Zéro combination, requiring 4 chips: three splits and one straight-up on 26.

Complete Payout Table: All Bets at a Glance

How House Edge Works in European Roulette

The house edge is the mathematical advantage the casino holds over the player on any given bet, expressed as a percentage of each wagered unit. In European Roulette, the house edge is 2.70% across every bet type without exception.

The calculation is straightforward. Take a straight-up bet as an example:

• 37 possible outcomes (numbers 0–36)
• 1 winning outcome
• Payout: 35:1

If you placed a 1-unit straight-up bet on every spin for 37 spins, you'd statistically win once and collect 35 units. But you'd have staked 37 units total. Net result: −2 units. Divided by 37, that's a loss rate of 5.41% per unit staked per spin — wait, that's per-spin loss rate with one bet.

More precisely: expected value on a 1-unit straight-up bet = (1/37 × 35) − (36/37 × 1) = 0.9459 − 0.9730 = −0.0270. That's the 2.70% house edge. The same arithmetic applies to every other bet type — the payout ratios are calibrated so that the house's advantage is identical regardless of which bet you place.

The RTP of 97.30% is the complement: for every 100 units wagered over a long run, the game is expected to return 97.30 units to players and retain 2.70.

La Partage and En Prison Rules: How They Affect Payouts

These two rules apply specifically to even-money outside bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low/High) when the ball lands on zero. They are standard in French Roulette and available on some European Roulette tables — check the table rules before playing.

La Partage ("the sharing" in French): when zero hits, even-money bets do not lose outright. Instead, half the stake is returned to the player. The other half goes to the house. Effectively, zero results in a half-loss rather than a full loss on these bets.

En Prison ("in prison"): when zero hits, the even-money bet is "imprisoned" — it stays on the table for the next spin. If the bet wins on the following spin, the original stake is returned (no profit). If it loses, the stake is gone. If zero hits again, some tables apply En Prison a second time; others apply La Partage at that point.

Both rules reduce the effective house edge on even-money bets. With La Partage or En Prison active, the house edge on even-money wagers drops from 2.70% to 1.35% — making these the lowest house-edge bets available in any standard roulette format.

Comparing European Roulette Payouts to American and French Roulette

The single most significant practical difference between European and American Roulette is the house edge: 2.70% versus 5.26%. That gap compounds meaningfully over extended play. French Roulette, with La Partage applied, gives even-money bettors the lowest house edge of the three variants at 1.35%.

FAQ

Q: What is the best-paying bet in European Roulette?

The straight-up bet pays the most — 35:1. Covering a single number, it has the lowest win probability (2.70%) but the highest reward when it hits. All other bets cover more numbers and pay proportionally less.

Q: Does zero always make you lose in European Roulette?

On standard outside bets (Red/Black, Odd/Even, Low/High, Dozens, Columns), yes — zero is not covered, and the ball landing on zero means those bets lose. Inside bets that specifically include zero (a straight-up on 0, a split covering 0, or call bets like Voisins du Zéro) win normally when zero hits. On tables with La Partage, even-money outside bets receive half their stake back when zero occurs.

Q: Are payouts the same on all bet types?

The payout ratios differ by bet type, but the mathematical house edge is the same — 2.70% — across all of them. This means no bet type gives you a better or worse long-run expected return than any other. The difference between bet types is variance: inside bets win less often but pay more; outside bets win more often but pay less.

Q: What is a call bet and do I have to use the racetrack?

A call bet (or announced bet) is a fixed chip combination covering a section of the wheel. To place call bets, you use the racetrack — the oval display replicating the wheel sequence. If a table doesn't display a racetrack, call bets typically aren't available on that table.

Q: What is the difference between La Partage and En Prison?

Both rules apply when zero hits on an even-money outside bet. La Partage returns half the stake immediately. En Prison leaves the full stake on the table for one more spin — you get it back if the bet wins, lose it if it doesn't. Both reduce the house edge on even-money bets from 2.70% to 1.35%, but En Prison gives the player a chance to recover the full stake rather than automatically splitting it.

Q: Can I combine inside and outside bets in the same spin?

Yes. There is no restriction on mixing bet types within a single round. Many players place a combination of outside bets for more frequent, smaller returns and inside bets for less frequent but larger payouts. Each bet settles independently based on where the ball lands.