Straight bet - Bet on a single number for a 35:1 payout.

Split bet - Bet on 2 adjacent numbers for a 17:1 payout.

Street bet - Bet on 3 numbers in a horizontal line for a 11:1 payout.

Corner bet - Bet on a block of 4 numbers for a 8:1 payout.

Line bet - Bet on 6 numbers in 2 adjacent rows for a 5:1 payout.

Column bet - Bet on 1 of 3 vertical columns for a 2:1 payout.

Dozen bet - Bet on 12 numbers, low (1-12), middle (13 - 24) or high (25 - 36) for a 2:1 payout.

Even bet - Bet on even or odd, red or black, low (1 - 18) or high (19-36) pays 1:1.

Place any number of bets on each spin of the wheel up to the table maximum.
In some casinos, the "en prison" rule applies to even money bets. This means that you lose half your bet, when the ball hits a zero or double zero. Alternatively, if you let the bet stay in play, the results are according to the next spin.
In American roulette, the house has a 5.26% edge (when 0 or 00 is hit, all bets lose).
In European roulette, the house has a 2.7% edge. For example, for every $100 bet, the house makes $2.70. The edge drops to 1.35% with the "en prison" rule.

Roulette Odds was sponsored by Golden Reef Casino - the leader in online gaming.

The Basic Odds

The primary difference in the popularity of European & American roulette lies in the simple fact that the European game gives the player much better odds of winning, and this is where the 0, 00 difference of the two wheels comes into play.

Let's see how the odds are figured. There are slots numbered from 1 to 36 on the roulette wheel - a total of 36. There is only one way to win for each number chosen. That leaves 35 other numbers, which if they come up, are losers for the bettor. True odds of 35 to 1 against -35 ways to lose, one way to win. And that exactly what the casino will pay on a single number bet. So where is the casino's profit? It is the zeros added to the wheel that give casinos their edge, for now there are a total of 37 possibilities on a European wheel (single zero added) and 38 possibilities on an American one (double zero added). The casino's payoff is still 35 to 1, being based on the true odds of a 36 number wheel. However, with the added zeros, the true odds on a single number bet are now 36 to 1 on a single zero wheel (the European game) and 37 to 1 on a double zero wheel (the American game).

Those zeros give the casino its edge on all bets made. Unless the zero (and in American roulette the 00 also) are bet directly, the spin of either on the wheel causes all other wagers to lose.

The sole exceptions are the even-money bets in a European style game (and Atlantic City), for the spin of a zero gives the red-black (rouge-noir), high-low (passe-manque) and odd-even (impair-pair) bettors a second chance, and reduces the house edge on these bets to 1.35% (2.63% in Atlantic City) -the best odds one can receive in roulette.

The zeros represent the house advantage and that is why the 00 in American roulette makes that game a worse gamble for the player than its European counterpart. Atlantic City makes up for this a little by offering surrender on even-money bets, bringing the casino's edge on these wagers down to 2.63%.

Here is a summary.

American roulette: the 5-number bet has a house edge of 7.89%. All other bets have a house edge of 5.26%. Atlantic city - even money bets have a house edge of 2.63%

European roulette: Even noney bets - En prison rule have a house edge of 1.35%. All other bets - 2.70%

The difference between the 1.35% of European style roulette and 5.26% of the American style is significant, almost a four-fold increase, which calculates directly to a loss rate four times as fast.

No wonder roulette with a single zero and en prison rule is the rage of Europe, and double zero American roulette is not popular at all.