A round of roulette takes about a minute: you place chips, a ball is spun, it lands in one of 37 pockets, and bets that cover that pocket are paid at fixed odds. This lesson walks through the equipment, the bets and the sequence of a round.
reviewed 2026-09-28model: European, single zeromethodology ↗
Pockets
37
Bet types
10 + call bets
House edge
2.70%
Round length
~60 s
1. The wheel
The European wheel has 37 pockets: the numbers 1 to 36, half red and half black, plus a single green zeroThe pocket that gives the casino its edge: no even-money or dozen bet covers it.. The numbers are not in counting order. They alternate red and black and are arranged so that high and low, odd and even numbers are spread around the rim.
red18 numbers
black18 numbers
green1 number (0)
wheel order0 32 15 19 4 21 2 25 17 …
ball directionopposite to the rotor
2. The table
Chips are placed on the layoutAlso called the layout: the printed grid of numbers and outside boxes where chips go., a grid of the 36 numbers in three columns with zero at the top, surrounded by boxes for group bets. Bets on or between numbers are inside bets; bets on the surrounding boxes are outside bets.
Inside bets
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
2:1
2:1
2:1
1st 12
2nd 12
3rd 12
1–18
Even
Red
Black
Odd
19–36
Outside bets
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
2:1
2:1
2:1
1st 12
2nd 12
3rd 12
1–18
Even
Red
Black
Odd
19–36
3. The bets you will use first
Every standard bet pays as if there were 36 pockets. Covering more numbers wins more often and pays less; the house edge is the same 2.70% either way.
betcoversp(win)pays
Red / Black18 numbers of one color48.65%1:1
Odd / Even18 odd or 18 even numbers48.65%1:1
Dozen1–12, 13–24 or 25–3632.43%2:1
Corner4 numbers sharing a corner10.81%8:1
Straight upa single number2.70%35:1
4. How a round works
01
Place chips
Inside the number grid or on the outside boxes. Several bets at once are normal.
02
Ball is launched
The dealer spins the rotor one way and sends the ball the other way along the track.
03
No more bets
The dealer waves a hand over the layout. Chips can no longer be moved.
04
Ball drops
It falls through the deflectors into one of 37 pockets. The dealer marks it with the dolly.
05
Settlement
Losing chips are cleared first, then winners are paid at the bet’s fixed odds.
Key factEach spin is independent. The wheel has no memory, so a run of reds changes nothing about the next spin. See Gambler's fallacy.
5. What a win pays
Payouts are quoted as “X to 1”: a 35:1 win on a $10 chip returns $350 in winnings and the original $10 stays on the table. Use the stake tweak to change the example.
$10 on 17 · 17 wins → $350 paid + $10 stake stays = $360 on the table
$10 on red · red wins → $10 paid + $10 stake stays = $20 on the table
Questions beginners ask
Is roulette rigged?+−
Licensed physical and live wheels are inspected and the odds are fixed by the layout, not the operator. The casino does not need to cheat: the 2.70% edge is built into the payouts.
What happens to my bet when zero comes up?+−
Inside bets on 0 win; everything else loses. Under French rules (la partage or en prison) even-money bets get half back or a second chance; this site assumes plain European rules unless stated.
Can I bet on more than one thing?+−
Yes. Most players spread several chips; each bet is settled on its own.
Is red “due” after five blacks?+−
No. Each spin is independent and the probability of red is 18/37 every time. See Gambler’s fallacy.