Roulette Odds and Probabilities Calculated

You can’t call yourself a roulette player if you don’t know about its odds and probabilities. If you’re not aware of these, understanding them can help you decide which wagers are the best and boost your chances of winning. This article looks at roulette odds and probabilities in detail. Before learning about them, read up on roulette strategies such as the Martingale system. Combine a strategy with awareness of the game’s stats to boost your chances of doing well.

Overview of Roulette Odds and Probabilities

In roulette, the terms ‘odds’ and ‘probabilities’ both refer to the likeliness of a particular outcome happening, i.e. a bet winning or losing. You’ll usually see odds as a fraction, e.g. 1/37, though sometimes they can be decimals, e.g. 0.028. As for probabilities, these are commonly displayed as percentages such as 2.85%.

When compared with other online casino games, roulette’s odds are generally quite favourable. It’s up to you to decide how many numbers your bet covers; the more of them there are, the higher your chances of winning. There’s not much strategy involved since you can’t influence the outcome, i.e. which pocket the ball lands in. Therefore, roulette can be considered an entirely luck-based game.

There are two main versions of roulette: European and American. The former has 37 number pockets on its wheel, while the latter has 38. This is because there’s an extra 00 (double zero) pocket. This affects the odds in roulette because it gives every other pocket a slightly lower chance of winning. It’s important to know what the main bets and their odds are whichever version of roulette you’re playing.

Key Roulette Bets and Their Odds

Roulette bets are grouped into two categories: inside and outside. The table below shows you how the two compare.

There are also call bets, which are placed in land-based casinos, though they’re not allowed in Great Britain. This is because they involve telling the croupier what you’re betting without placing money on the table. Like in other games, roulette’s bets have different odds and payouts. We’ve prepared summaries of the key bets, along with their chances of winning and how much they pay out.

All of these have a1:1 roulette odds payout. Their odds of winning are1/1.05 in the European roulette and1/1.11 in the American.

The payouts for roulette bets work in a straightforward way, as explained in more detail in the next section. Therefore, you should be able to work out your winnings easily enough.

Examples

Let’s say you’re playing European roulette and you spend £1 on a Corner bet. The payout for this is 8:1 and its odds are 1/8.25. If the ball lands in any of the four numbers that the bet represents, you’ll win.

The 8 in the payout refers to your winnings, and the 1 is your bet. If you win, you’ll be paid 8x your bet and your initial wager will be returned to you. This means you’ll end up with £9 in total: £8 of winnings and your first bet, £1.

To give another example, let’s say you’re placing a £10 bet on American roulette. You go for the 0. As a Single Number bet, the odds on 0 roulette are 1/37, with the payout rate at 35 to 1. The ball lands in the 0 pocket and you’re paid £360. Of this, £350 is your winnings and £10 is your bet. The roulette odds 00 are the same, even though 00 is only present on the American roulette wheels.

Comparing European and American Roulette

If you’re placing a Single Number bet, in European roulette, the odds of it winning are 1/36. In American roulette, the chances are a bit smaller at 1/37. The house edge is also affected. For European roulette, it’s 2.7%, whereas for the American counterpart, it’s higher at 5.26%. In theory, over time, you should lose more money on the American roulette rather than if playing the European version.

For a better idea of what influence the 38th pocket has on odds, have a look at the following table:

The odds of roulette bet winnings are always higher for the American roulette. Therefore, when playing this version, each wager has a lower win rate. The roulette 0 payout is the same for both types; this is also true for the 00 pocket.

Using Calculators to Help with Numbers

Not every gambler in the UK is used to dealing with numbers and roulette wheel probability. Thankfully, there are free online roulette calculators that let you plan strategies, decide which bets to place, and manage your budget. Some top choices include OmniCalculator and Roulette77.

To use one, select a roulette version, choose a bet and input the size of your wager. You should then see how much you’ll win if the bet is successful.

What’s Good and Bad About Calculating Odds?

• Pros
• Knowing roulette wheel odds helps you decide which bets to place with your fixed budget; this can reduce your long-term losses.
• Being aware of roulette table payouts can boost your confidence in playing the game; you might place potentially profitable bets you might not have gone for before.
• By understanding roulette probabilities, you can make a conscious choice between the European and the American versions of the game.

• Cons
• It can remove some of the fun of roulette. Some people can end up spending more time obsessing over numbers than appreciating the game for what it is.