European edge
2.70%
Single zero, standard bets
American edge
5.26%
Double zero, standard bets
La Partage
1.35%
Eligible even-money bets only
Neighbour bet
5 pockets
Pivot plus two each side
The one-sentence version
The whole game is simple: you do not play against the dealer. You are betting against the probability distribution of the wheel and the payout table.
Start here
The order to learn it in.
Nobody should start with the racetrack. Learn what the wheel is, what the layout is, how one round works and what a bet costs, and only then open the sectors.
01
Roulette 101
The wheel, the layout, the wager and the result.
02
European vs American
Why one extra zero almost doubles the edge.
03
One round
Betting opens, wheel spins, ball lands, bets settle.
04
The betting layout
Why the table order is not the wheel order.
05
Inside bets
Straight, split, street, corner and six line.
06
Outside bets
Red, black, dozens and columns.
07
Bet reference
One page with every standard payout and edge.
08
The maths
House edge, expected value and turnover.
09
The First Five
The one American bet that costs 7.89%.
10
French roulette
La Partage, En Prison and the French terms.
11
The wheel order
Wheel geography, and the Wheel Explorer.
12
Neighbour bets
Table neighbours versus wheel neighbours.
13
French sectors
Voisins, Tiers, Orphelins and Jeu Zero.
14
Finales
Announced bets and complete numbers.
15
Strategy
What can actually be improved, and what cannot.
16
Fallacies
Hot numbers, streaks, and what randomness owes you.
17
Live, auto and RNG
Same maths, different delivery.
18
Advanced maths
EV, RTP, wheel bias and dealer signatures.
19
Checklist
Ten things to confirm before the first spin.
20
Glossary
Every term you will see at the table.
21
Sources
Where every number comes from.
01
Roulette 101
What roulette actually is.
Roulette is a game of predicting where a ball will finish on a spinning numbered wheel. Players place bets before the spin. The croupier spins the wheel and ball, betting closes, the ball settles in one pocket, and winning bets are paid according to the betting layout.
The wheel
The physical or digital wheel containing 0/00 and numbers 1-36.
The layout
The table where you place number bets, groups and outside bets.
The wager
One chip can cover one number or many numbers depending on placement.
The result
The pocket where the ball lands settles every wager for that spin.
Beginner memory
The whole game is simple: you do not play against the dealer. You are betting against the probability distribution of the wheel and the payout table.
02
The first decision
European vs American.
European
37 pockets
0 + 1-36
American
38 pockets
0 + 00 + 1-36
Edge
2.70% vs 5.26%
Standard bets
Feature
European
American
Total pockets
37
38
Green pockets
0
0 + 00
Red pockets
18
18
Black pockets
18
18
Standard house edge
2.70%
5.26%
Theoretical RTP
97.30%
94.74%
Traditional French sectors
Common
Not standard
Mathematically preferable
YES
NO
The simple rule
If the games are otherwise equivalent, single-zero European roulette is the better mathematical choice. The extra 00 almost doubles the standard house edge.
03
Beginner flow
One round, step by step.
01
Betting opens: choose chip size and place wagers.
02
Wheel spins: dealer or automatic wheel starts the spin.
03
No more bets: the betting window closes.
04
Ball lands: one numbered pocket becomes the result.
05
Settlement: winning bets pay, losing bets are removed.
06
Next round: betting opens again.
04
Table anatomy
The betting layout.
The rectangular layout is not the physical order of the wheel. Numbers that sit next to each other on the table can be far apart on the wheel. That distinction becomes critical when you learn neighbour and French sector bets.
Layout rule
Inside bets live on or around the number grid. Outside bets sit around the grid and cover larger groups such as Red/Black, Odd/Even, Dozens and Columns.
05
Payout map
Inside bets.
Bet
Covers
Pays
EU hit rate
US hit rate
Straight Up
1 number
35:1
2.70%
2.63%
Split
2 numbers
17:1
5.41%
5.26%
Street / Trio
3 numbers
11:1
8.11%
7.89%
Corner
4 numbers
8:1
10.81%
10.53%
Six Line
6 numbers
5:1
16.22%
15.79%
What the chip placement means
Straight: chip sits in one number box.
Split: chip sits on the line between two adjacent layout numbers.
Street: chip covers one row of three numbers.
Trio: a three-number zero-area combination such as 0/1/2 or 0/2/3, depending on layout.
Corner: chip sits where four number boxes meet.
Six Line: two adjacent streets, six numbers in total.
Key idea
A bigger payout does not automatically mean a worse standard house edge. On ordinary European roulette, these standard bets all carry the same 2.70% long-run edge; what changes most is variance.
Bet Explorer
Tap the table, pick a bet type, and read the coverage, the payout, the hit rate, the house edge and the return on a EUR 10 stake. Return means stake plus profit, so the net profit is shown separately. The four classic examples are preset: Straight 17, Split 17/20, Street 7/8/9 and Corner 17/18/20/21.
Wheel
European
American
Bet type
Straight
Split
Street
Corner
Six Line
Dozen
Column
Red / Black
Odd / Even
Low / High
Examples
Straight 17
Split 17/20
Street 7/8/9
Corner 17/18/20/21
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
Pick a bet type, then tap a number. The gold cells are the pockets the chip covers.
Selected
Straight 17
Tap the layout to change it
Coverage
1 pockets
Of 37 on the wheel
Payout
35:1
Profit to stake
Hit rate
2.70%
European wheel
House edge
2.70%
Standard bets
EUR 10 return
EUR 360
Stake plus profit
Net profit
EUR 350
Profit alone on a EUR 10 stake
Return means stake plus profit. A 17:1 win on EUR 10 pays EUR 170 profit and hands the EUR 10 back.
06
Lower volatility, same core edge
Outside bets.
Bet
Coverage
Pays
European win
American win
Red / Black
18 numbers
1:1
48.65%
47.37%
Odd / Even
18 numbers
1:1
48.65%
47.37%
1-18 / 19-36
18 numbers
1:1
48.65%
47.37%
Dozen
12 numbers
2:1
32.43%
31.58%
Column
12 numbers
2:1
32.43%
31.58%
Zero changes everything
Why Red is not 50/50: European roulette has 18 red, 18 black and one green zero. American roulette has 18 red, 18 black, 0 and 00. The green pockets are the reason even-money bets are not true coin flips.
Outside bets are useful for learning
They hit more frequently than single-number bets.
They have smaller payouts and lower variance.
They are the bets affected by La Partage and En Prison where those rules apply.
They are still negative-expectation casino wagers under standard rules.
07
One-page cheat sheet
Standard bet reference.
Bet
Numbers
Pays
EU probability
EU edge
US probability
US edge
Straight
1
35:1
2.70%
2.70%
2.63%
5.26%
Split
2
17:1
5.41%
2.70%
5.26%
5.26%
Street / Trio
3
11:1
8.11%
2.70%
7.89%
5.26%
Corner
4
8:1
10.81%
2.70%
10.53%
5.26%
Six Line
6
5:1
16.22%
2.70%
15.79%
5.26%
Dozen / Column
12
2:1
32.43%
2.70%
31.58%
5.26%
Even-money
18
1:1
48.65%
2.70%
47.37%
5.26%
American First Five
5
6:1
-
-
13.16%
7.89%
Reading payouts
Payouts are quoted as profit to stake. A 35:1 win on a EUR 10 Straight Up bet means EUR 350 profit plus the original EUR 10 stake returned.
Before you use this table
Provider variants can change paytables, special bets or zero treatment. Check the in-game rules of the table in front of you.
08
The maths
House edge, what it really means.
House edge is the casino’s theoretical average advantage over a very large number of wagers. It is not a prediction of one session and it does not say how much a player must lose today.
European
2.70%
Standard edge
American
5.26%
Standard edge
La Partage
1.35%
Eligible even-money
Expected loss example, if total turnover is EUR 1,000.
Game
Calculation
Theoretical expected loss
European
EUR 1,000 x 2.7027%
about EUR 27.03
American
EUR 1,000 x 5.2632%
about EUR 52.63
La Partage even-money
EUR 1,000 x 1.35135%
about EUR 13.51
Do not misread house edge
A player can win hundreds, lose hundreds or finish flat despite those expected values. House edge is a long-run average, while individual sessions are dominated by variance.
Example: EUR 10 on Red. A European Red bet has 18 winning red pockets, 18 losing black pockets and 1 losing green zero. Win probability = 18/37 = 48.65%, but the payout is only 1:1.
Outcome
Probability
Net result on EUR 10
Red
18/37
+EUR 10
Black
18/37
-EUR 10
Zero
1/37
-EUR 10
EV = (18/37 x +10) + (19/37 x -10) = -EUR 0.27027. That is a 2.7027% expected loss on the EUR 10 wager.
Intuition
The payout grid behaves almost as though there were 36 outcomes. The single zero is the extra outcome that creates the standard European advantage.
House edge applies to the amount wagered, not simply the amount deposited. The same EUR 200 balance can generate EUR 300 of turnover or EUR 3,000 of turnover depending on bet size, speed and session length.
Scenario
Average bet
Spins
Turnover
EU expected loss
Slow live session
EUR 5
60
EUR 300
~EUR 8.11
Longer / faster
EUR 5
180
EUR 900
~EUR 24.32
Higher stake
EUR 20
100
EUR 2,000
~EUR 54.05
Speed vs edge
Faster play does not increase house edge per bet. It increases the number of bets and therefore potential turnover per hour.
09
0-00-1-2-3
The expensive American exception.
Coverage
5 / 38
13.16% hit rate
Payout
6:1
Profit to stake
House edge
7.89%
Worse than 5.26%
American roulette usually offers a five-number wager covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. It may be called the First Five, Basket or Top Line depending on the table.
Simple rule
This bet is unusually expensive because its 6:1 payout is poor relative to five winning pockets on a 38-pocket wheel. The house edge rises to approximately 7.89%.
If European roulette is available, prefer it to double-zero American roulette.
If playing American roulette, understand that most standard bets carry a 5.26% edge.
The First Five is not a clever shortcut. Mathematically it is worse than the normal American bets.
10
Better zero treatment
French roulette: La Partage and En Prison.
La Partage
On qualifying even-money wagers, a zero result loses only half the stake instead of the whole stake. Example: EUR 20 on Red, and zero lands. Standard single-zero rules lose EUR 20. Under La Partage the player loses EUR 10.
Standard EU
2.70%
Even-money edge
La Partage
1.35%
Even-money edge
Other bets
2.70%
Normally unchanged
En Prison: after zero, an eligible even-money wager may be held for a later spin rather than immediately settled. What happens after repeated zeros differs by implementation, so the exact rules must be checked for the specific table.
Do not over-read it
French roulette does not always carry a 1.35% edge. The favourable figure applies only to qualifying even-money bets under the relevant zero rule, and provider implementations differ.
Translation cheat sheet for French tables.
French term
English meaning
En Plein
Straight Up
Cheval
Split
Transversale Pleine
Street
Carre
Corner
Sixain
Six Line
Douzaine
Dozen
Colonne
Column
Rouge / Noir
Red / Black
Pair / Impair
Even / Odd
Manque / Passe
1-18 / 19-36
Voisins du Zero
Neighbours of Zero
Tiers du Cylindre
Third of the Wheel
Orphelins
Orphans
Jeu Zero / Zero Spiel
Zero Game
11
Wheel geography
The wheel is not the table.
The European wheel holds 37 pockets: a single zero and the numbers 1-36, set in a fixed circular order that has nothing to do with the rectangular betting layout.
European, clockwise: 0 - 32 - 15 - 19 - 4 - 21 - 2 - 25 - 17 - 34 - 6 - 27 - 13 - 36 - 11 - 30 - 8 - 23 - 10 - 5 - 24 - 16 - 33 - 1 - 20 - 14 - 31 - 9 - 22 - 18 - 29 - 7 - 28 - 12 - 35 - 3 - 26.
American, clockwise: 0 - 28 - 9 - 26 - 30 - 11 - 7 - 20 - 32 - 17 - 5 - 22 - 34 - 15 - 3 - 24 - 36 - 13 - 1 - 00 - 27 - 10 - 25 - 29 - 12 - 8 - 19 - 31 - 18 - 6 - 21 - 33 - 16 - 4 - 23 - 35 - 14 - 2.
Why this matters
The wheel is deliberately not numerical. Neighbour and French sector bets follow this circular sequence, not the rectangular table layout.
Important
Traditional European French sectors are defined on the single-zero wheel. Do not simply copy Voisins, Tiers or Orphelins onto the American sequence.
Wheel Explorer
Tap any pocket to select it and see its two physical neighbours on each side, five pockets in total, which is the JB standard. Switch between European and American, set a chip value, and read the total stake, the hit rate, the house edge and the net result if a covered number wins.
Wheel
European
American
Chip
EUR per pocket, five Straight Up chips in total
Tap any pocket to move the pivot. The gold pocket is the pivot, the two lighter pockets on each side are its physical wheel neighbours.
Neighbours +/-2
30, 8, 23, 10, 5
Pivot 23, in wheel order
Pockets
5 pockets
One Straight Up chip each
Total stake
EUR 5
Chip EUR 1 x 5
Hit rate
13.51%
5 of 37 pockets
House edge
2.70%
Single zero, standard bets
Return if covered
EUR 36
Stake plus profit
Net result
+EUR 31
Return minus the total stake
Neighbour betting bundles five Straight Up chips into one wheel action. It changes coverage and variance, not the house edge.
12
The big beginner confusion
Table neighbours vs wheel neighbours.
Table view: 23
The table visually places 23 near numbers such as 20, 22, 24 and 26.
Wheel view: 23 +/-2
On the European wheel, two neighbours either side of 23 are 30, 8, 23, 10, 5.
Memory rule
Neighbour bets always mean physical wheel neighbours unless a provider explicitly names a different product.
For this JBRewards guide, a Neighbour Bet always means one selected pivot number plus exactly two physical wheel neighbours on each side: 5 pockets total. No other neighbour sizes are used.
Standard
Pockets covered
Units
Example around 23
Hit rate EU
2 each side
5
5
30, 8, 23, 10, 5
13.51%
Payout example
EUR 1 x five-neighbour example: total stake EUR 5. If one covered number wins, one Straight Up chip returns EUR 36 including stake. Net result = EUR 36 - EUR 5 = +EUR 31. If none hit, the loss is EUR 5.
Maths
Neighbour betting does not reduce the 2.70% standard European house edge. It bundles several Straight Up bets into one convenient wheel-sector action.
13
Racetrack map
The French wheel sectors.
The racetrack is a second betting interface, laid out in wheel order. It exists so that sector bets, which follow the circular sequence, can be placed in one action instead of several separate chips.
Sector
Unique pockets
Standard units
EU hit rate
Voisins du Zero
17
9
45.95%
Tiers du Cylindre
12
6
32.43%
Orphelins
8
5
21.62%
Jeu Zero
7
4
18.92%
Racetrack Explorer
Pick a sector and see the exact pockets it covers on the wheel, the chip placements behind it, the number of units, the hit rate and the payout profile by result group. The sectors are single-zero definitions, so the explorer stays on the European wheel.
Sector
Voisins du Zero
17 pockets / 9u
Tiers du Cylindre
12 pockets / 6u
Orphelins
8 pockets / 5u
Jeu Zero
7 pockets / 4u
The gold pockets are the ones the sector covers. French sectors are single-zero definitions, so this stays on the European wheel.
Sector
Voisins du Zero
Traditional French sector
Unique pockets
17 pockets
Of 37 on the European wheel
Standard units
9 units
Total stake for the package
Hit rate
45.95%
Coverage probability
House edge
2.70%
Standard European, unchanged
Payout profile
+15 units
returns 24 on a 9 unit stake
0, 2, 3
+9 units
returns 18 on a 9 unit stake
4, 7, 12, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32, 35
Chip placements
Placement
Units
Pockets affected
0/2/3 Trio
2
0, 2, 3
4/7 Split
1
4, 7
12/15 Split
1
12, 15
18/21 Split
1
18, 21
19/22 Split
1
19, 22
25/26/28/29 Corner
2
25, 26, 28, 29
32/35 Split
1
32, 35
Voisins du Zero covers the large single-zero wheel sector running from 22 through zero to 25: 22 - 18 - 29 - 7 - 28 - 12 - 35 - 3 - 26 - 0 - 32 - 15 - 19 - 4 - 21 - 2 - 25.
Placement
Units
Pockets affected
0/2/3 Trio
2
0, 2, 3
4/7 Split
1
4, 7
12/15 Split
1
12, 15
18/21 Split
1
18, 21
19/22 Split
1
19, 22
25/26/28/29 Corner
2
25, 26, 28, 29
32/35 Split
1
32, 35
Voisins payout profile
With a 1-unit chip value, total stake = 9 units. A hit on 0/2/3 returns 24 units and nets +15. A hit on the split-covered or corner-covered pockets returns 18 units and nets +9.
Voisins maths
Coverage probability = 17/37 = 45.95%. Long-run house edge remains 2.70% of the total stake.
Tiers du Cylindre means roughly “third of the wheel” and covers the sector opposite zero: 27 - 13 - 36 - 11 - 30 - 8 - 23 - 10 - 5 - 24 - 16 - 33.
Split
Units
5/8
1
10/11
1
13/16
1
23/24
1
27/30
1
33/36
1
Tiers payout profile
Total stake = 6 units. Any covered number lands inside one of the six splits. The winning split returns 18 units including stake, so the complete 6-unit package nets +12 units.
Tiers maths
Hit rate = 12/37 = 32.43%. House edge remains 2.70%.
Orphelins: 8 pockets / 5 units
Pockets: 1, 20, 14, 31, 9 and 17, 34, 6. Traditional placement: 1 unit Straight Up on 1, plus 1 unit on each split 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 and 31/34.
Orphelins payout
A hit on 1 or 17 returns 36 units in total and nets +31 on the 5-unit package. The other covered pockets normally return 18 and net +13. Number 17 is covered by two splits.
Jeu Zero / Zero Spiel: 7 pockets / 4 units
Pockets: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15. Place 1 unit on 0/3, 1 on 12/15, 1 Straight Up on 26, and 1 on 32/35.
Jeu Zero payout
Hit 26: 36-unit total return, net +32. Hit one of the six split-covered numbers: 18-unit return, net +14. Standard European edge remains 2.70%.
14
French betting language
Finales and complete bets.
A Finale groups Straight Up numbers sharing the same final digit. It is a convenient announced bet, not a prediction system.
Finale
Numbers
Units
0
0, 10, 20, 30
4
1
1, 11, 21, 31
4
2
2, 12, 22, 32
4
3
3, 13, 23, 33
4
4
4, 14, 24, 34
4
5
5, 15, 25, 35
4
6
6, 16, 26, 36
4
7
7, 17, 27
3
8
8, 18, 28
3
9
9, 19, 29
3
Provider note
Traditional casinos accept more specialised Finale combinations and call bets. Treat those as advanced, and do not assume every online provider supports the same list.
Some racetrack interfaces offer a Complete bet on a selected number. Instead of one Straight Up wager, the interface places every eligible inside-bet combination that includes that number.
A complete-number package can include
Straight Up on the selected number.
Every valid Split touching the number.
Every valid Street containing it.
Every valid Corner containing it.
Every valid Six Line containing it.
Cost varies
The number of units required varies by the number’s position on the layout and by provider rules. Check the total stake before you confirm a complete bet.
15
No magic systems
What strategy can actually improve.
A betting pattern cannot change the underlying probabilities of a fair wheel. Real roulette strategy is therefore about game selection, rule selection, variance and exposure, not predicting the next pocket.
Choose single-zero
2.70% is materially cheaper than 5.26% standard double-zero.
Prefer La Partage
On eligible even-money bets it can reduce the edge to about 1.35%.
Avoid First Five
The American 0-00-1-2-3 bet carries about 7.89% edge.
Control turnover
More bets means more exposure to the house edge.
Pick variance intentionally
Coverage changes how results swing; it does not normally change the core edge.
Use fixed units
Do not let losses automatically dictate larger future stakes.
System
Basic idea
What actually changes
Flat betting
Same unit every spin
Simple exposure / stable stake
Martingale
Increase after losses
Loss-tail risk grows extremely fast
Reverse Martingale
Increase after wins
Volatility and bet concentration
Fibonacci
Progress through sequence after losses
Stake path, not wheel probability
D’Alembert
+1 unit after loss, -1 after win
Stake path, not wheel probability
Labouchere
Cross off target sequence
Complex stake progression
Martingale example from a EUR 10 base: 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1,280 and so on.
The maths does not reset
A progression can produce many small winning sequences and occasional very large losses. It does not remove 0/00, it does not alter the payout table, and it does not turn negative EV into positive EV.
16
Psychology of randomness
Gambler’s fallacy, hot numbers and streaks.
Gambler’s fallacy
“Black landed eight times, so Red is due.” On a fair European wheel, the next spin still has Red 18/37, Black 18/37 and Zero 1/37.
Result history: hot and cold panels describe the past. A number that hit frequently does not become mechanically more likely on the next fair spin, and a number missing for a long time is not automatically due.
Question
European single number
Chance it appears at least once in 37 spins
~63.7%
Chance it does not appear in 37 spins
~36.3%
Chance it appears at least once in 100 spins
~93.5%
Chance it does not appear in 100 spins
~6.5%
Two bets can have the same house edge and feel completely different. The reason is variance: how widely short-term results swing around their long-run expectation.
Style
Hit frequency
Typical payout
Variance feel
Straight Up
Very low
35:1
Very high
5 neighbours
Low
One 35:1 hit inside 5-unit package
High
Dozen
Medium
2:1
Medium
Red / Black
High
1:1
Lower
Voisins
45.95% sector hit
Mixed inside-bet returns
Medium / complex
Coverage is not profitability
More coverage means more frequent winning chips, but you are also staking more money across the layout. Always judge the net result of the complete wager, not whether one chip happened to win.
17
Same maths, different delivery
Live, auto and RNG roulette.
Live roulette
Real table, wheel and dealer streamed by camera. Betting windows are digital; the result comes from the physical wheel.
Auto roulette
Physical or automated wheel with little or no traditional dealer interaction. Often faster.
RNG roulette
Outcome generated digitally. If pockets and paytable match, the basic theoretical roulette maths can match the stated variant.
Speed roulette
Shorter betting and settlement cycles. The same per-bet edge can create much higher hourly turnover.
Provider rules win
Verify the official in-game help: payout tables, La Partage, racetrack options, side bets and speed can all differ between titles.
EUR 10 on Red, European
Red: +EUR 10. Black: -EUR 10. Zero: -EUR 10. 48.65% hit rate, 2.70% standard edge.
EUR 5 Straight Up on 17
17: +EUR 175 profit, plus the stake returned. Anything else: -EUR 5. 2.70% hit rate, high variance.
EUR 1 x 5 neighbours on 23
Stake EUR 5. A covered hit returns EUR 36, net +EUR 31. 13.51% sector hit rate.
1-unit Voisins package
Stake 9 units. 0/2/3 nets +15; other covered pockets generally net +9. 17 pockets, 45.95% coverage.
1-unit Tiers package
Stake 6 units. Any covered split returns 18, net +12. 12 pockets, 32.43% coverage.
18
Maths language
EV, RTP and hit rate are different.
Hit rate
How often at least one covered position wins. It does not tell you the average value of the whole package.
Payout
How much a winning chip pays relative to that chip. It does not include losses on other simultaneous chips.
Expected value
Long-run mathematical average per amount wagered. Standard European roulette is roughly -2.70% per total wager.
RTP
Theoretical return = 100% minus house edge. Standard European is about 97.30%, American about 94.74%.
Roulette advantage play has historically included attempts to identify non-random physical behaviour. These ideas belong in an advanced educational section, but they should be presented with a high evidentiary bar.
Wheel bias
Physical wheel bias: wear, tilt, rotor or pocket imperfections could theoretically make some outcomes deviate from equal probability. Modern professional casinos inspect and monitor equipment, and a small run of hot numbers is not evidence of a genuine bias.
Dealer signature
Historical players tried to detect repeated release-speed or landing-sector tendencies. Streaks or clusters alone do not establish predictability. Large samples and rigorous statistical testing would be required.
Practical takeaway
RNG roulette has no physical rotor or pocket mechanism to exploit in this way. The correct focus for normal players is published rules, paytable and responsible bankroll decisions.
19
Before the first spin
Beginner checklist.
Check whether the wheel is single-zero or double-zero.
Prefer European single-zero when otherwise equivalent.
Look for La Partage if using even-money bets.
Check table minimum and maximum.
Know the total stake when using multi-chip sector bets.
Know the difference between wheel neighbours and table neighbours.
Choose a unit size before the session.
Treat hot and cold panels as history, not prediction.
Do not chase losses by automatically increasing stakes.
Remember that more coverage does not remove the house edge.
20
Quick reference
Roulette glossary.
Term
Meaning
American Roulette
38 pockets: 0, 00 and 1-36.
European Roulette
37 pockets: 0 and 1-36.
French Roulette
Single-zero style with French terminology and sometimes favourable zero rules.
Croupier
Roulette dealer.
Inside Bet
Small coverage on or around the number grid.
Outside Bet
Large group wager such as Red, Black, Dozen or Column.
Straight / En Plein
One-number bet.
Split / Cheval
Two-number bet.
Street
Three-number row.
Corner / Carre
Four-number bet.
Six Line / Sixain
Six-number bet.
Racetrack
Wheel-order betting interface.
Neighbour Bet
Consecutive physical wheel pockets.
Voisins du Zero
17-pocket zero-side sector.
Tiers du Cylindre
12-pocket sector opposite zero.
Orphelins
Eight orphan pockets outside the two main sectors.
Jeu Zero
Seven pockets closest to zero.
La Partage
Half loss on zero for eligible even-money bets.
En Prison
Eligible even-money bet is held after zero under table-specific rules.
House Edge
Casino’s long-run mathematical advantage.
RTP
Theoretical return to player.
EV
Expected value.
Variance
Short-term spread of outcomes around expectation.
Reference layer
Sources and method.
Core mathematical claims and traditional sector-bet definitions were cross-checked against the references below. The mathematics assumes standard casino payouts unless a section explicitly states otherwise, and provider-specific rules should still be verified against the actual game help.
Wizard of Odds: roulette basics
https://wizardofodds.com/games/roulette/basics/37 and 38-pocket rules, standard payouts, 2.70%, 5.26%, First Five 7.89%, En Prison variants.
Wizard of Odds: roulette sector bets
https://wizardofodds.com/games/roulette/sector-bets/Jeu Zero, Voisins, Tiers, Orphelins, neighbours, coverage and EV.
Singapore Gambling Regulatory Authority: roulette complete bet rules
https://www.gra.gov.sg/docs/default-source/game-rules/mbs/roulette-games/mbs-roulette-complete-bet-game-rules-version-3.pdfOfficial chip placement definitions for Voisins, Zero Spiel and neighbours.
Spielbanken Bayern: roulette rules
https://www.spielbanken-bayern.de/storage/filemanager/files/shares/Info-PDFs/Inertnational/ROG_Roulette.pdfTraditional announced bets and Finales.
Pragmatic Play: live roulette rules
https://www.pragmaticplay.com/en/news/pragmatic-play-adding-new-luxury-roulette-games-to-prive-lounge-series/Contemporary provider example confirming La Partage availability on selected live titles.
How to read the numbers
House edge is a long-run theoretical measure, not a guaranteed session result.
RTP and expected-value figures are theoretical long-run averages. They do not predict what a session will do.
Provider rules must be verified in the game help: paytables, La Partage, En Prison, racetrack options and speed can all differ.
The French sectors are defined on the single-zero wheel. They do not transfer to the American sequence.
Neighbour and sector bets change coverage and variance, not the standard wheel edge.
Take it with you
The whole guide, as a PDF.
Every section on this page plus the wheel order, the sector tables and the bet reference, laid out for print.
Download the PDF
Opens the print-ready guide
Before you use it
Provider variants can change paytables, special bets or zero treatment. Check the in-game rules of the table in front of you.
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