# How to Play: Roulette

Understand the wheel, the wager and the payout before placing a bet. The examples below assume equally likely pockets and independent spins, with the exact zero and payout rules stated beside each calculation.

## The 30-second version

> Your choice of bet changes the chance of a payout, its size and the amount at risk. With conventional payouts and no zero concession, single-zero roulette has 2.70% house edge and double-zero roulette has 5.26%. Two important exceptions are the double-zero five-number basket at 7.89% and single-zero even-money bets with half returned on zero at 1.35%. Read the actual wheel and paytable.

## How the game works

### Identify the wheel and rules

| Example | Pockets | What else to check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single zero | 37: 0 and 1–36 | Payouts and the treatment of zero on even-money bets. |
| Double zero | 38: 0, 00 and 1–36 | Payouts, zero concessions and the separate five-number basket. |
| Half back on zero | Here, a single-zero wheel | Only the specified even-money wagers get half their stake back on zero. |
| Imprisonment / en prison | Here, a single-zero wheel | Whether the stake is held, how it is released, and what another zero does. |

Names such as European, American or French are useful labels, but the actual pockets and settlement rules determine the calculation. Other wheels, bonus games and altered payouts need their own analysis.

On these examples, 18 of the numbered pockets are red and 18 are black. Zero and double zero are separate outcomes; they do not win red/black, odd/even or high/low wagers under the ordinary full-loss-on-zero rules.

Reference: [roulette rules, payout tables and zero-rule variants](https://wizardofodds.com/games/roulette/basics/).

### Follow a round

1. **Check your stake and selections.** One spin can carry several bets. Add their costs rather than treating the chips as one unit wager.
2. **Place bets before the cutoff.** Follow the dealer's or game's betting window; after it closes, the accepted bets stand under the rules.
3. **Read the official result.** In a ball-and-wheel game, the settled pocket supplies the winning number. Electronic and other versions need their own result rules.
4. **Check the payout.** A winning chip may return both net winnings and the original stake. Read whether a displayed amount includes that stake.
5. **Decide whether to play another round.** Previous results do not make a particular pocket due in the independent, uniform model used here.

### Net winnings and total return

A payout of **35 to 1** means $35 net winnings for a winning $1 stake, plus that $1 returned: $36 in total. **35 for 1** instead means $35 total, including the stake. Those are different payouts and produce different expected returns. Do not read a large displayed number without its units.

## Bet types

The following net payouts describe the conventional examples in this guide. A win also returns the stake. Check which combinations the actual layout permits.

| Bet | Selection | Winning pockets | Net payout |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Straight up | One pocket | 1 | 35:1 |
| Split | Two eligible adjoining layout numbers | 2 | 17:1 |
| Street | One row of three | 3 | 11:1 |
| Corner | Four eligible numbers sharing a corner | 4 | 8:1 |
| Six line | Two adjoining rows | 6 | 5:1 |
| Dozen | 1–12, 13–24 or 25–36 | 12 | 2:1 |
| Column | One layout column | 12 | 2:1 |
| Red / black | The chosen color | 18 | 1:1 |
| Odd / even | The chosen category among 1–36 | 18 | 1:1 |
| Low / high | 1–18 or 19–36 | 18 | 1:1 |
| Five-number basket | Double-zero 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 | 5 | 6:1 |

More covered pockets increase a bet's chance of winning but the corresponding payout is smaller. This does not automatically reduce its house edge. On the conventional single-zero examples above, all listed bets available on that wheel have the same edge before zero concessions. The double-zero basket, altered payouts and special zero rules must be calculated separately.

## The math

### Keep the measure and rule together

| Stated example | House edge | Scope |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single zero | 2.70% | 37 equal pockets, conventional payouts, full loss on zero for even-money wagers. |
| Double zero | 5.26% | 38 equal pockets, conventional payouts; basket excluded and no zero concession. |
| Double-zero basket | 7.89% | Five winning pockets; 6:1 net payout. |
| Single-zero half back | 1.35% | Even-money wagers only; half the stake returned on zero. |

For a $1 wager that either wins or loses, expected net return is `win probability × net payout − loss probability`. House edge is the negative of that expected return, expressed as a percentage of the stake. A push or partial loss adds its own outcome term.

### A straight-up wager

On the stated single-zero wheel, a chosen pocket wins once among 37 equally likely outcomes. Winning pays $35 net; the other 36 outcomes lose $1. Expected net return is `(35 − 36) / 37 = −1/37` per $1, giving 2.70% house edge.

On the stated double-zero wheel, it is `(35 − 37) / 38 = −2/38`, giving 5.26%. This is an expected-loss percentage, not the probability that every particular player loses during a visit.

### The basket has five winning pockets

The basket's win probability is `5/38`, or 13.16%. With 6:1 net winnings, its expected net return is `(5 × 6 − 33) / 38 = −3/38`. Its house edge is therefore 7.89%. The win probability and house edge answer different questions.

### Red is not a 50% event

On the single-zero example, red wins on 18 of 37 pockets: 48.65%. On double zero it is 18 of 38: 47.37%. Red and black can be equally likely without either having a 50% probability, because the zero outcomes remain.

Under independent spins with unchanged probabilities, a run of black results does not change those next-spin fractions. A short result history does not itself establish that a wheel is biased or that a pattern is useful. This guide does not claim an empirical equipment test of a particular game.

### Half back and imprisonment are different rules

For single-zero even-money bets with half back on zero, there are 18 outcomes winning $1, 18 losing $1 and one losing $0.50. Expected net return is `(18 − 18 − 0.5) / 37`, giving 1.35% house edge.

An imprisonment rule holds a stake instead of immediately returning half. Its result depends on the release and repeat-zero rules. Do not assign every rule called en prison the half-back percentage. Nor does half back improve a straight-up wager that is outside the concession's scope.

### Total amount wagered matters

For a fixed $100 of total wagers in the stated single-zero model, expected loss is about $2.70. For the double-zero model it is about $5.26. These figures concern total action, including money bet again, rather than only the cash brought to the table. Actual results vary.

Betting progressions do not change the expected result per dollar on the same unchanged bet. Doubling after losses changes stake size and exposure. For example, losses on $5, $10, $20, $40, $80 and $160 wagers total $315; the next doubled wager would require another $320. Neither the available funds nor the table limit is unlimited. No promised recovery follows from the sequence.

Compare measures in [the game comparison](https://www.playbookrg.com/brand/content/games/#odds-at-a-glance).

## Key terms

| Term | Definition |
| --- | --- |
| Pocket | One possible settled wheel result in the stated model. |
| Single zero | A wheel with 0 and the 36 numbered pockets. |
| Double zero | A wheel with 0, 00 and the 36 numbered pockets. |
| Inside bet | A selection placed on particular numbers or small eligible groups. |
| Outside bet | A selection such as a color, dozen or column. |
| Straight up | A wager on one pocket. Its payout must be read from the paytable. |
| Basket | Here, the double-zero 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 combination. |
| Even-money wager | A wager paying one unit of net winnings per unit staked when it wins. |
| La partage / half back | The stated rule returning half an eligible even-money stake on zero. |
| En prison / imprisonment | A rule holding a stake after zero; release and repeat-zero terms matter. |
| Net winnings | The gain on a winning wager, excluding the returned stake. |
| Total return | The settlement amount including any returned stake. |
| House edge | Expected net loss divided by stake under specified rules and probabilities. |
| Total action | The sum wagered, including funds staked more than once. |
| Croupier | The dealer running the table and applying its procedures. |

## Tips for informed play

1. **Read the pockets and paytable together.** Wheel type alone does not establish the edge for every bet or bonus feature.
2. **Read the zero rule's scope.** Half back on eligible even-money wagers does not apply to all selections.
3. **Keep chance, payout and expected loss separate.** A bet that wins more frequently can still have the same proportional expected loss.
4. **Add all chips in the round.** Several simultaneous selections can increase total spend even if one of them wins.
5. **Choose a spending and time limit beforehand.** A previous loss does not create an obligation to increase the next wager or play another spin.

## Common myths

| Myth | One-liner | Full entry |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wheel choice is the only decision that matters | The selected wager, payout, zero rules and total stake also matter. | |
| Red is due after a run of black | Unchanged independent spins retain the same next-spin probabilities. | |
| Equally likely red and black means 50/50 | Zero outcomes prevent either color from covering half the wheel. | |
| Every wager everywhere has the same edge | The basket, zero concessions and altered payouts need separate calculations. | |
| Doubling guarantees recovery | A progression changes exposure and can run into funds or table limits. | |
| A lower house edge guarantees this session's profit | Expected value is a model average, not a promised visit result. | |

## Quiz questions

### Question 1

**Stem:** On the stated fair double-zero wheel, the five-number basket pays 6:1 net. What is its house edge?

| Option | Text |
| --- | --- |
| A | 13.16%, because that is the chance of a win |
| B | 7.89%, from (33 − 5 × 6) / 38 |
| C | 5.26%, regardless of the payout |
| D | Zero, because five pockets are covered |

**Correct:** B

**Explanation:** Five outcomes win six units each; 33 outcomes lose one unit each. Expected net loss is 3/38 of the stake, or 7.89%. The separate 5/38 win probability is 13.16%.

**Source:** Own outcome calculation under the stated payout, checked against the linked roulette analysis.

### Question 2

**Stem:** On a fair single-zero wheel with independent spins, what is the chance of red next after eight black results?

| Option | Text |
| --- | --- |
| A | More than usual, because red is due |
| B | Exactly 50%, because red and black are equally likely |
| C | 18/37, or 48.65% |
| D | Zero, because the previous color repeats forever |

**Correct:** C

**Explanation:** Red covers 18 of 37 equally likely pockets, including one separate zero outcome. The stated independence assumption makes previous results irrelevant to that next-spin fraction. It does not prove the condition of a particular physical wheel.

**Source:** Own count of the stated pockets and independence assumption.

### Question 3

**Stem:** Which statement correctly describes 1.35% house edge in this guide?

| Option | Text |
| --- | --- |
| A | It applies to every bet with a French name |
| B | It applies to straight-up bets on any single-zero wheel |
| C | It applies to single-zero even-money bets returning half the stake on zero |
| D | It means a player must receive that exact result during a visit |

**Correct:** C

**Explanation:** The calculation uses 18 one-unit wins, 18 one-unit losses and one half-unit loss. Different imprisonment rules, other wheels or bets outside that concession need their own calculation.

**Source:** Own half-back calculation; linked roulette analysis describes the rule variants.

## Social snippets

### Snippet 1

**Hook:** Read the payout with the wheel.

**Fact:** With conventional payouts and no zero concession, single-zero roulette has 2.70% house edge; double zero has 5.26%. The double-zero basket paying 6:1 is 7.89%.

**Stat:** Specified wager and rule examples, not one percentage for every roulette product.

### Snippet 2

**Hook:** A chance of winning is not a return percentage.

**Fact:** The stated basket wins on 5 of 38 pockets, or 13.16%. Its 6:1 payout gives 7.89% expected net loss as a percentage of the stake.

**Stat:** Winning probability and house edge have different meanings.

### Snippet 3

**Hook:** Half back applies to particular bets.

**Fact:** On the stated single-zero even-money wager, returning half on zero produces 1.35% house edge. It does not change every straight-up bet or establish every imprisonment rule's edge.

**Stat:** Read which bets qualify and how zero is settled.

## Sources and scope

- [Shackleford: roulette rules, payouts and zero-rule variants](https://wizardofodds.com/games/roulette/basics/). Original published mathematical analysis, used to check the stated payout and settlement examples.
- All displayed probability, edge, spending and progression examples are calculated from their specified inputs. They do not establish the fairness, availability or pace of a particular game.

Checked September 5, 2026. Calculations assume equally likely pockets and independent spins. Check different wheels, altered payouts, multipliers and zero concessions separately.