Roulette payouts are stated as profit to one unit wagered. A straight-up number pays 35 to 1, so a $10 winner earns $350 profit and the original $10 stake is returned. The total amount handed back is $360.
The standard payout usually stays the same whether the wheel has 37 pockets or 38. The probability does not. That is why a payout chart alone cannot tell you which roulette game is cheaper.
Standard roulette payout chart
| Wager | Numbers covered | Standard payout | $5 profit | $5 total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | $175 | $180 |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | $85 | $90 |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | $55 | $60 |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | $40 | $45 |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | $25 | $30 |
| First five: 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 | 5 | 6 to 1 | $30 | $35 |
| Dozen | 12 | 2 to 1 | $10 | $15 |
| Column | 12 | 2 to 1 | $10 | $15 |
| Red or black | 18 | 1 to 1 | $5 | $10 |
| Odd or even | 18 | 1 to 1 | $5 | $10 |
| 1–18 or 19–36 | 18 | 1 to 1 | $5 | $10 |
The first-five wager exists on a standard double-zero layout and has a higher house edge than ordinary roulette bets. Single-zero tables do not have 00 and therefore do not offer that five-number combination in the same form.
Some layouts offer extra racetrack, neighbour, color, bonus, or side wagers. Their printed paytable controls. Do not assume a nonstandard bet follows the chart above.
“To one” means profit, not everything returned
Let:
- (S) be the stake;
- (M) be the payout multiple;
- (P) be winning profit;
- (R) be total return, including the stake.
Then:
[ P = S \times M ]
and:
[ R = S + P ]
For a $12 corner wager at 8 to 1:
[ P = 12 \times 8 = $96 ]
[ R = 12 + 96 = $108 ]
A display that says “8 for 1” can mean a different convention, where the quoted amount includes the stake. Standard live roulette rules normally state the familiar payouts as “to 1.” Confirm the help screen on electronic games instead of assuming the wording is identical.
Payout and probability answer different questions
Payout tells you what a winner earns. Probability tells you how often the covered numbers can win on an unbiased wheel.
For a wager covering (k) pockets on a wheel with (N) pockets:
[ \Pr(\text{win}) = \frac{k}{N} ]
A corner covers 4 numbers. On a single-zero wheel:
[ \Pr(\text{win}) = \frac{4}{37} \approx 10.81% ]
On a double-zero wheel:
[ \Pr(\text{win}) = \frac{4}{38} \approx 10.53% ]
The corner still pays 8 to 1 on both wheels. The extra losing pocket lowers the chance without improving the payout.
Use roulette odds for the full probability table and roulette bets explained for chip positions. This page stays focused on settlement and payout arithmetic.
True odds show the missing payment
True odds compare losing outcomes with winning outcomes:
[ O = \frac{N-k}{k} ]
where (O) is the fair profit multiple expressed as odds to one.
For a straight-up number on single-zero roulette:
[ O = \frac{37-1}{1} = 36\text{ to }1 ]
The casino pays 35 to 1, one unit below true odds.
For a six-line wager:
[ O = \frac{37-6}{6} = \frac{31}{6} \approx 5.1667\text{ to }1 ]
The casino pays 5 to 1. The gap is smaller in appearance, but the resulting percentage edge is the same 2.70% on standard single-zero wagers.
On a double-zero wheel, the same six-line bet has fair odds of:
[ \frac{38-6}{6} = \frac{32}{6} \approx 5.3333\text{ to }1 ]
The posted payout remains 5 to 1, increasing the edge to 5.26%.
Expected value connects payout to house edge
For a one-unit wager:
[ EV = pM - (1-p) ]
where:
- (p) is the probability of winning;
- (M) is the net payout multiple;
- (1-p) is the probability of losing one stake.
For a single-zero straight-up bet:
[ EV = \frac{1}{37}(35) - \frac{36}{37}(1) = -\frac{1}{37} ]
[ EV \approx -0.027027 ]
The expected loss is about 2.70 cents per dollar wagered over a very large number of trials. The actual result of one spin is either a 35-unit profit or a one-unit loss. Expected value is an average, not a partial settlement on each spin.
The roulette house-edge guide compares wheel types and special zero rules in detail.
Several bets can win on the same number
Roulette wagers are settled independently. One winning number can belong to a straight-up bet, split, street, corner, six line, dozen, column, color, parity, and high/low category at the same time.
Suppose the ball lands on black 20 and a player has:
| Wager | Stake | Payout | Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up on 20 | $2 | 35 to 1 | $70 |
| Split 17/20 | $3 | 17 to 1 | $51 |
| Corner 17/18/20/21 | $5 | 8 to 1 | $40 |
| Black | $10 | 1 to 1 | $10 |
| First dozen | $10 | Loses | −$10 |
Winning profit is:
[ 70 + 51 + 40 + 10 = $171 ]
After subtracting the $10 losing dozen wager, the net spin profit is $161. The dealer also returns the $20 staked on the four winning positions.
This is why a player should record all live wagers, not only the most dramatic inside hit. The how-to-play guide explains the full table sequence and settlement order.
How the dealer pays crowded inside action
On a live table, non-value chips identify different players. Several colors may occupy the same winning number. The dealer must separate ownership, calculate each stack, clear losing action, and pay without disturbing unresolved winners.
Inside payouts are easier to verify when stakes use workable units. A $5 straight-up wager is simple: five units at 35 each equals 175 units of profit. A mixed stack or an amount that cannot be paid cleanly in the table’s chip denominations may be refused or adjusted before the spin according to house procedure.
Regulated rules can set minimum payouts and define settlement. Massachusetts’ published roulette rules, for example, list straight at 35 to 1, split at 17 to 1, three numbers at 11 to 1, four numbers at 8 to 1, six numbers at 5 to 1, columns and dozens at 2 to 1, and ordinary even-money bets at 1 to 1. Other jurisdictions and approved variants may add wager types, so the posted table paytable remains the immediate authority.
If a payout appears wrong, leave the chips in place and ask the dealer to break down the calculation. Moving the original wager and payment together makes reconstruction harder.
Zero, La Partage, and En Prison
On standard roulette, even-money wagers do not cover zero. A red wager loses on 0 even though 0 is not black. The same applies to odd/even and low/high.
Special rules alter settlement rather than the advertised 1-to-1 payout:
- La Partage typically returns half of a qualifying even-money stake after zero and collects the other half.
- En Prison typically holds a qualifying stake for another decision under the posted rule.
The exact version matters. Read La Partage and En Prison before assigning a 1.35% figure to a table.
Payout mistakes players make
- Reading 35 to 1 as $35 total return on a $1 bet.
- Adding the returned stake twice when calculating profit.
- Comparing a 35-to-1 straight-up payout with a 1-to-1 red payout without comparing hit probability.
- Believing American roulette must pay more because it has an extra pocket.
- Treating 0 as a loss for black but a push for red.
- Forgetting that the first-five bet pays only 6 to 1 while covering five numbers.
- Counting every visible chip as a separate loss after several wagers overlap on the winner.
- Assuming a side bet or electronic variant uses standard live-table payouts.
- Picking up chips before the dealer finishes settlement.
The fastest way to check a roulette payment
First identify the wager and standard multiple. Multiply the stake by that multiple to find profit. Add the original stake once to find total return. Then account for every other winning and losing position on the spin.
A large payout is not automatically a good-value bet, and a small payout is not automatically a bad one. Value comes from the relationship between probability and payment. Roulette keeps the standard payment slightly below fair odds; zero and 00 are the pockets that make that difference profitable for the house.