Roulette wheel and table layout types: a comprehensive guide

How do the wheel types differ?

• European roulette: numbers 1 to 36 plus a single zero, making 37 pockets.
• American roulette: numbers 1 to 36 plus 0 and 00, making 38 pockets. The extra pocket increases the house edge.
• French roulette: the single-zero wheel, often with 'la partage' or 'en prison' rules that return part of an even-money bet when zero lands.

How is the table laid out?

The numbers sit in a grid of three columns and twelve rows, with the zero (or zeros) at the top. Around the grid are the outside betting areas: dozens, columns, red or black, odd or even, and 1 to 18 or 19 to 36.

What are the inside bets and what do they pay?

• Straight up (one number): 35 to 1.
• Split (two numbers): 17 to 1.
• Street (three numbers): 11 to 1.
• Corner (four numbers): 8 to 1.
• Six line (six numbers): 5 to 1.

What are the outside bets and what do they pay?

• Dozens and columns (twelve numbers): 2 to 1.
• Red or black, odd or even, low or high: 1 to 1.

On every bet, zero is a losing number unless you bet on it directly or the table uses French rules. Check which wheel a table uses before you play, because the payouts stay the same while the odds get worse on a double-zero wheel.