High or low is an outside roulette bet. Low covers numbers 1–18, high covers numbers 19–36, and both pay 1 to 1. The bet feels like half the wheel, but zero and double zero make it less than half in real probability.
Quick Facts
- Low covers 1 through 18.
- High covers 19 through 36.
- Both bets cover 18 numbers.
- Standard payout is 1 to 1.
- European probability: 18/37 = 48.65%.
- American probability: 18/38 = 47.37%.
- Zero and double zero are losing results unless a special even-money rule applies.
Plain Talk
High or low is the number-range version of an even-money roulette bet. Instead of choosing color, parity, or a specific number, you choose the bottom half or top half of the numbered layout.
Low means 1 to 18. High means 19 to 36. The bet is simple because it ignores the exact winning number as long as the number lands inside your chosen range.
The trap is the word “half.” It looks like each side gets half of the numbers because 18 numbers are low and 18 numbers are high. But the wheel also has zero. On American wheels, it has zero and double zero. Those green pockets are outside both ranges.
For a broader view of outside wagers, read inside vs outside bets. For the full probability picture, use roulette odds or the roulette odds calculator.
How It Works
A player places chips on the “1–18” or “19–36” box. When the spin is complete, the dealer settles the bet based on the winning number.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Losing number range | Green pockets lose? | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 1–18 | 19–36 | Yes | 1 to 1 |
| High | 19–36 | 1–18 | Yes | 1 to 1 |
Rules and layouts vary in presentation, but the wager category is standard. The Wizard of Odds roulette basics lists the standard payout structure. Regulatory rules such as the Nevada roulette rules of play and Massachusetts 205 CMR 146.10 show how roulette tables, wheels, and layouts are defined in a regulated casino environment.
High/low probability by wheel
| Wheel | Winning pockets | Losing pockets | Total pockets | Win chance | Standard edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 18 | 19 | 37 | 48.65% | 2.70% |
| American | 18 | 20 | 38 | 47.37% | 5.26% |
| French with La Partage | 18 | Reduced zero loss | 37 | 48.65% | About 1.35% on even-money bets |
High/low is not a dozen bet. A dozen covers 12 numbers and pays 2 to 1. High/low covers 18 numbers and pays 1 to 1.
Roulette Table Example
A player has 150 units and bets 15 units on 19–36 at a single-zero table.
| Winning number | Result | Payout outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | High wins | +15 units profit |
| 7 | High loses | -15 units |
| 0 | High loses on normal European roulette | -15 units |
| 0 with La Partage | Half loss | -7.5 units |
The player may say, “I am covering half the board.” On the table layout, that sounds right. On the wheel, it is incomplete. The green pocket is the part the player forgot to price.
From the Casino Side:
High/low bets help the casino keep roulette moving. They are fast to place, fast to read, and fast to settle. Dealers like outside bets because they reduce complicated chip stacks in the inside number grid.
The floor cares about whether outside bets are within posted limits. Many tables have different maximums for inside and outside bets. A player might be allowed a high maximum on 19–36 while being limited differently on straight-up numbers or call bets.
Surveillance does not need to decode the player’s “strategy” here. It watches timing, placement, and dealer settlement. Late outside bets can be easier to push into place than inside chips, so the “no more bets” call still matters.
Common Mistakes
- Believing high/low is exactly half the wheel.
- Forgetting zero and double zero are outside the range.
- Thinking high numbers are “hot” because several high numbers landed recently.
- Switching to low because high has repeated too often.
- Using high/low as a Martingale base without respecting table limits.
- Thinking 19–36 is connected to wheel position. It is a layout range, not a wheel sector.
- Confusing high/low with dozens or columns.
Hard Truth
High or low covers many numbers, but it does not cover the casino’s number. The zero is small on the layout and huge in the math.
FAQ
What is low in roulette?
Low is the outside bet on numbers 1 through 18. It pays 1 to 1 if the winning number is in that range.
What is high in roulette?
High is the outside bet on numbers 19 through 36. It pays 1 to 1 if the winning number is in that range.
Does zero count as high or low?
No. Zero is neither high nor low. On standard roulette, zero makes both bets lose.
What are the odds of high or low winning?
On European roulette, the chance is 18/37, or 48.65%. On American roulette, it is 18/38, or 47.37%.
Is high/low better than odd/even?
No. On standard wheels, high/low and odd/even have the same coverage, payout, and house edge.
Can high numbers be due after many low numbers?
No. Each legal spin is independent. A streak of low numbers does not create a debt that high numbers must repay.
Is high/low a good beginner bet?
It is easy to understand and has moderate variance compared with inside bets. But it is still a negative-expectation bet.
Deeper Insight
High/low is powerful because it feels orderly. The layout splits numbers into clean ranges. Players like clean ranges because they feel easier to reason about than scattered red/black sequences or wheel order.
But roulette does not select numbers from the felt layout. It selects pockets from the wheel. The table range is only a betting interface. It does not change the probability distribution.
That difference matters. A new player may look at the table and believe the game is divided into two equal halves: 1–18 and 19–36. A casino operator sees three categories: your 18 numbers, the other 18 numbers, and the green pocket or pockets. That last category is why the game exists commercially.
High/low also sits at the center of betting progression myths. Because the bet wins almost half the time, players think they can recover losses by doubling, stepping, or switching sides. The math says otherwise. Bet-sizing systems change the path of the loss, not the negative expected value of each unit wagered. Read Martingale system debunked before using high/low for recovery betting.
Formula / Calculation
Probability:
P(high win) = favorable pockets / total pockets
European roulette:
P(high win) = 18 / 37 = 48.65%
American roulette:
P(high win) = 18 / 38 = 47.37%
Expected value for a 1-unit European high bet:
EV = (18/37 × 1) - (19/37 × 1)
EV = -1/37 = -0.027027
Expected loss:
Expected Loss = Total Amount Wagered × House Edge
Example:
Expected Loss = 500 units × 2.70% = 13.5 units
Formula Explanation in Plain English
A European high bet wins on 18 pockets and loses on 19 pockets. The payout is even money, so those wins and losses are not balanced. Over a large amount of action, the one-pocket gap becomes the casino edge.
If you put 500 units of total action through a single-zero table, the mathematical cost is about 13.5 units. Your actual session can be better or worse because variance is noisy.
Related Reading
Use the roulette guide for the full course path, then compare this bet with odd or even odds, red or black odds, dozens bet odds, and columns bet odds. For cost, read roulette house edge and run your session size through the expected loss calculator. For streak thinking, read why roulette is easy to understand but hard to beat.