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Guide to 20+ Different Types of Roulette Bets

Last Updated September. 23. 2024 11:09 AM PDT

Strategic roulette bets can boost your chances of winning— but only if you know the betting options available to you. You don’t need a physical roulette wheel to try different bets either, as online roulette casinos allow you to try various bets and strategies from the comfort of your own home. 

Keep reading to explore more than 20 bet types, their risk/reward ratios, and strategies that can help both beginners and experienced players win more roulette games!

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Roulette Bet Types Overview

Roulette players must understand odds, payouts, and strategies if they want to maximize their winnings. We’ll go into more detail shortly, but wagers are generally split into two types of roulette bets: inside and outside bets. Outside bets are safer but have lower returns, while inside bets carry more risk and potential for bigger winnings. 

Outside Bets: Safer with Lower Returns 

Roulette outside bets are made up of bets placed on, you guessed it, the outside perimeter of the table. They are centered around wagering colors and groups of numbers, rather than individual numbers. 

Red or Black Bet

Red or black bets are among the safest and easiest to make in roulette—just simply guess whether the ball will land on a red or black number. These are even money wagers (1:1) with a slightly less than 50/50 chance of winning, since the 0 and 00 pockets don’t have colors. 

Example: If you bet $5 that the ball lands on a red pocket, and it does, you’d win $5. The total payout would be $10.

Even or Odd Bet

Even or odd bets are exactly what they sound like; betting on if the ball lands on an odd or even number. This is a low risk bet (1:1) that also has a slightly less than 50% chance of winning, since 0 and 00 aren’t odd or even, they give the house a slight advantage. Even or odd wagers offer the potential for frequent wins, since most numbers fall into one category or the other.

Example: If you bet $5 that the ball lands on an odd number, and it does, you’d win $5. The total payout would be $10.

High or Low Bet

The high or low bet predicts whether the ball will stop on the low (1–18) or high (19–36) end of the wheel. Like red/black and even/odd roulette wagers, high or low bets have a slightly less than 50% chance of winning. This makes for a fairly safe wager, as you’re essentially splitting the wheel in half and guessing which side the ball will land on.

Example: If you bet $5 that the ball will land on the low, and it lands on 12, you’d win $5. The total payout would be $10.

Dozens Bet

Similar to a high/low bet, the dozens bet predicts which third of the wheel the ball lands on:

  • First 12: 1–12
  • Second 12: 13–24
  • Third 12: 25–36

The bets have moderately longer odds than red/black, odd/even, and high/low bets, with slightly bigger payouts as a result. Dozens are 2:1 bets, meaning that you win $1 for every $2 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on the third 12 and it lands on 33, you’d win $10. The total payout would be $15.

Column Bet

Column bets predict which group of 12 numbers the ball will land on. The groups are determined by three columns on the roulette table; rather than which third of the wheel like in dozens bets. By selecting a whole column to bet on, you can cover approximately 1/3 of the numbers, and potentially increase your winnings as well. 

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

Column bets are  2:1 bets, meaning that you win $1 for every $2 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on Column 2 and it lands on 20, you’d win $10. The total payout would be $15.

Bovada Practice Roulette Bets at Bovada

Bovada is a great gambling site for you to practice roulette bets. The casino offers seven RNG roulette tables for you to try, including American, European, and Zoom roulette variations. Each table has an easy-to-use interface, and you can even try the games out for free without risking real-money; so head to Bovada today and find out which roulette bet types work best for you.

Inside Bets: Higher Risk, Higher Reward

Roulette inside bets cover picks from the table’s inside rectangle, where all the numbers are located. These bets are harder to hit, but most of them offer much bigger winnings than outside roulette bets do. 

Straight Bet

A straight bet in roulette is the hardest to win—but it also comes with the biggest rewards. Just bet on which number the ball will land on, simple as that. If it lands, you win.

The straight bet has a 35:1 win ratio, so you win $35 for every $1 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on 22, and it lands on 22, you’d win $175. The total payout would be $180; not bad for a $5 bet.

Split Bet

Roulette split bets are when players bet on the line separating two numbers, and if either number comes up, you win. Sample split bets include:

  • 3/24
  • 21/33
  • 2/0
  • 7/20
  • 12/8

Split bets have a 17:1 bet ratio, meaning you win $17 for every $1 wagered. They are slightly safer than straight bets, since you’re predicting one of two numbers rather than a single number.

Example: If you place a $5 split bet on 21|33 and the ball lands on 33, you’d win $85. The total payout would be $90.

Street Bet

A street bet in roulette (also called Trio or Steam bets) consists of betting on the ball landing on a row of three consecutive numbers. For example:

  • 1, 2, 3
  • 11, 12, 13
  • 26, 27, 28

This bet type pays 11:1, winning you $11 for every $1 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on a 26, 27, 28 street bet and the ball lands on 26, you’d win $55. The total payout would be $60.

Six Line Bet

Six line roulette bets are similar to street bets, but cover two rows of three numbers instead of one row of three. For example:

  • 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
  • 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
  • 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31

These bets pay 5:1, or $5 for every $1 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on a 26–31 six line bet and the balls stops at 28, you’d win $25. The total payout would be $30.

Corner (Square) Bet

A roulette corner bet is when you bet on one of four adjacent numbers on the roulette table. The numbers must touch each other on the board, and if the ball lands on any of the four numbers, you win. For example:

Corner bets in roulette are also called square or four-number bets, and have an 8:1 betting ratio. They pay $8 for every $1 wagered. 

Example: If you bet $5 on a 16-17-19-20 corner bet and it lands on 17, you’d win $40. The total payout would be $45.

Call Bets: Advanced Roulette Bets

Roulette call bets are bets that the player verbally announces to the dealer, rather than setting chips on one specific place on the table. They are typically found on European and French roulette variations, as these tables feature a racetrack oval that represent the numbers on the wheel—in addition to the traditional rows and columns layout of standard roulette tables. 

Please note that the following bet types are based on a single-zero roulette wheel.

Voisins du Zero

Voisins du Zero means “Neighbors of Zero” and describes the 17 closest numbers to 0, which are the numbers between 22 and 25 on the wheel (including 0) — 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, and 25. 

The bet can’t be placed with a single chip, so players need to place nine chips on the table to make a voisins du zero bet. The chips are placed as follows:

  • Two chips on the 0, 2, 3 trio
  • One chip on the 4/7 split
  • One chip on the 12/15 split
  • One chip on the 18/21 split
  • One chip on the 19/22 split
  • One chip on the 32/35 split
  • Two chips on the 25, 26, 28, 29 corner

One reason why voisins du zero is popular is that they are comprised of one trio, five split, and one corner bet. The odds for the entire bet are 45.95%, which breaks down as follows:

  • 0,2,3 Trio: 8.11%
  • Split bets: 27.03%
  • Corner bet: 10.81%

You can practice voisins du zero on TrustDice’s eight European and French roulette tables. There’s even a dedicated Announced Bets roulette game. Just click the “Les Voisins du Zero” button and the game automatically places your chips where they need to be! 

Tiers du Cylindre

The Tiers du Cylindre bet (“thirds of the wheel”) covers the 12 numbers between 27 and 33 on the opposite side of zero — 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, and 33. This bet requires six chips on the table, with one chip placed on each of the following splits:

  • 5/8
  • 10/11 
  • 13/16
  • 23/24 
  • 27/30 
  • 33/36

This type of bet has a combined 32.43% chance of winning across the 12 covered numbers. 

Red Dog Casino has eight European roulette wheels that allow you to see how Tiers du Cylindre works in both free demo and real-money betting modes. 

Orphelins 

Roulette orphelins (“orphans”) are bets that cover eight numbers in the two sections of the wheel that aren’t covered by voisins du zero and tiers du cylindre wagers— 17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9. The bet is made by placing chips on the following five bets:

  • Straight up bet on 1
  • 6/9 
  • 14/17
  • 17/20
  • 31/34

Orphelins carry a 21.62% chance of winning. 

You can visit SuperSlots today and spin the wheel at one of six French and European roulette wheels, so you can become more comfortable placing orphelins bets! 

Roulette Bet Strategies 

Roulette betting strategies act more like long-term systems than they do quick-win tactics. The idea is that by adjusting your wagers as you win and lose, you can come out ahead. 

No gambling tactics are 100% successful, but these roulette strategies can potentially increase your chances of walking away with more money in your pocket than you entered with. Please note that the following strategies only apply to even bets, which are red/black, even/odd, and high/low bets.

Martingale

The Martingale strategy is relatively simple: keep the same baseline bet when you win, and double your baseline bet when you lose. The idea is that by doubling your bets when you lose, you’ll eventually make up for those losses with a big win.  

For example: Set a baseline amount of $1 per spin on roulette. If you win, keep the bet at $1 for the next bet. If you lose, bet $2 on the next one. If you lose that one, bet $4 on the subsequent bet, and so on. Once you have a winning hand, the next hand should go back to $1 per spin, and the system begins again.

Head to BetOnline and try out the Martingale strategy for yourself on of one the gambling site’s 18 roulette wheels. 

d’Alembert

The d’Alembert roulette strategy is similar to the Martingale system, with a more conservative approach to betting. The player doubles the baseline bet after losing the first hand, like in the Martingale system. However, rather than doubling the bet after each loss, you simply add the baseline bet to the existing bet. If you lose once more, add the baseline bet to the total again. 

If the player wins a bet, you reduce the next hand’s wager by the baseline bet amount. And if the hand wins, reduce the next wager by the baseline bet once again. If it loses, add the baseline wager to the next bet. 

For example:

  1. Bet one: Players sets a baseline bet of $1, and loses
  2. Bet two: Player doubles the bet to $2, and loses.
  3. Bet three: Player doubles the bet to $4, and loses.
  4. Bet four: Player doubles the bet to $8, and wins.
  5. Bet five: Player reduces the bet by the baseline ($1) to $7, and loses.
  6. Bet six: Player doubles the bet to $14, and wins.
  7. Bet seven: Player reduces the bet by the baseline($1) to $13, and wins.

Roulette bets will slowly increase over time with the d’Alembert system, while gradually increasing both losses and wins as well. Like any betting strategy, you won’t want to do it indefinitely.  Set a specific amount that you want to win as a limit, and stop playing if you win that amount. 

You can see how the d’Alembert system works in action by signing up for Wild Casino, which features 19 RNG and 16 live dealer roulette wheels for you to try your luck at. 

Fibonacci

The Fibonacci sequence is a sequence of numbers in which each number in the sequence is comprised of the sum of the two proceeding numbers. The sequence is commonly found in nature and mathematics—including roulette betting. 

Roulette players can use the Fibonacci sequence to increase their chances of winning. For our purposes, the Fibonacci sequence is as follows:

11235813

The basic strategy is to move the wager up one number up the sequence with each loss, and two numbers back down the sequence for each win. 

For example:

  1. Players begin the Fibonacci strategy by placing $1 on the first bet. (1)
  2. Players place $1 on the second bet, whether they win or lose. It loses.  (1 →  1)
  3. Player places $2 on the third bet, and loses. (1 →  1 →  2)
  4. Player places $3 on the fourth bet, and loses. (1 →  1 →  2 →  3)
  5. Player places $5 on the fifth bet, and loses. (1 →  1 →  2 →  3 →  5)
  6. Player places $8 on the sixth bet, and wins. (1 → 1 →  2 →  3 →  5 →  8). 
  7. Player places $3 on the seventh bet, and loses (1 →  1 →  2 →  3 →  5 →  8 ← 5 ← 3)
  8. Player places $5 on the eighth bet, and loses. (1 → 1 →  2 →  3 →  5)
  9. Player places $8 on the ninth bet, and loses. (1 → 1 →  2 →  3 →  5 →  8)
  10. Player places $13 on the tenth bet, and wins. (1 →  1 →  2 →  3 →  5 →  8 →  13)
  11. Player places $5 on the eleventh bet, and loses. (1 →  1 →  2 →  3 →  5 →  8 →  13 ← 8 ← 5)

Lose
11235813
Win
11235813

You begin the Fibonacci strategy by placing $1 on the first bet. You will then repeat the $1 wager on the second hand, regardless if you win or lose. (1 → 1). Say you lose, the next wager would be for $2 (1 →  1 → 2). If that hand loses, bet $3 on the next one (1 →  1 →  2 >→ 3). That bet loses, and you bet $5 (1 →  1 →  2 >→ 3 → 5).  on the next wager, which also loses. You’d bet $8 on the next bet, and if it wins, you would move back two numbers in the sequence and bet again: in this case you’d go from $8 back to $3 (1 →  1 →  2 >→ 3 → 5 → 8 ← 5 ← 3).

Roulette Bets: Key Points

Roulette may seem like a game of pure chance, but understanding its many bet types and strategies can improve your odds of success. Newcomers often stick to easier outside bets like betting on colors, and odd or even numbers. These bets cover large groups of numbers, offering safer odds and lower payouts than inside bets.

Inside bets are favored by more experienced players, as they come with higher risk and greater rewards. They can include betting on single numbers, one of two numbers, or one of three numbers in a row, among others. Odds ratios on inside bets can go as high as 35:1. Some advanced players also use high-level tactics like the Martingale or Fibonacci strategies, seeking to minimize risk and maximize potential winnings over a long period of time. 

You can visit a host of offshore casinos to test out different roulette wagers and strategies—no matter what kind of player you are— in the hopes of leaving the casino with more money than you entered with. 

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Zachary
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Zachary Wolf is a Content Editor with experience writing about online gambling for GamblingSites.com and BestUSCasinos.org. His gambling-related writing credits include state-specific U.S. gambling laws, casino reviews, and various sports betting guides — most notably WWE betting guides. He enjoys playing slots, poker, and blackjack, among other games.