Roulette bet payouts and probabilities: straight, split, street, corner
A roulette bet covering n numbers pays (36 divided by n) minus 1 to 1: straight 35 to 1, split 17 to 1, street 11 to 1, corner 8 to 1, six line 5 to 1. The chance of winning is n/37 on a single-zero wheel and n/38 on a double-zero wheel.
How a roulette payout is set
Inside bets are placed on the number grid itself. The payout rule is the same for all of them: the house pays as if the wheel had 36 pockets, whatever the real count. A bet covering n numbers therefore pays (36 ÷ n) − 1 to 1.
A straight bet covers 1 number: 36 ÷ 1 − 1 = 35 to 1. A split covers 2: 36 ÷ 2 − 1 = 17. A street covers 3: 36 ÷ 3 − 1 = 11. A corner covers 4: 36 ÷ 4 − 1 = 8. A six line covers 6: 36 ÷ 6 − 1 = 5. The profit is the figure quoted, and the stake comes back on top, so the total return on a win is always 36 ÷ n times the stake.
What each inside bet covers
The layout has 36 numbers in 12 rows of 3, plus the green zero (or zeros) at the head.
- Straight up: one number, with the chip on that number.
- Split: two adjacent numbers, with the chip on the line between them.
- Street: one row of three numbers, with the chip on the outer edge of the row.
- Corner: four numbers meeting at a point, with the chip on that point.
- Six line: two adjacent rows, six numbers in all.
Payouts and probabilities side by side
Every pocket is equally likely on a sound wheel or a tested generator, so the chance of a bet is the number of covered numbers divided by the number of pockets. A single-zero wheel has 37 pockets and a double-zero wheel has 38. For the wheels themselves, see European vs American roulette.
| Bet | Numbers covered | Pays | Total return on a win | Chance, single zero (n/37) | Chance, double zero (n/38) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | 1 | 35 to 1 | 36 × stake | 1/37 = 2.70% | 1/38 = 2.63% |
| Split | 2 | 17 to 1 | 18 × stake | 2/37 = 5.41% | 2/38 = 5.26% |
| Street | 3 | 11 to 1 | 12 × stake | 3/37 = 8.11% | 3/38 = 7.89% |
| Corner | 4 | 8 to 1 | 9 × stake | 4/37 = 10.81% | 4/38 = 10.53% |
| Six line | 6 | 5 to 1 | 6 × stake | 6/37 = 16.22% | 6/38 = 15.79% |
Percentages are rounded to two decimals. The fractions are exact.
Fair odds against the payout
The odds against a bet are the losing pockets to the winning ones. For a straight bet on a single-zero wheel that is 36 to 1, but the payout is 35 to 1. For a corner it is 33 to 4, or 8.25 to 1, against a payout of 8 to 1.
On a double-zero wheel the gap is wider: a straight bet faces 37 to 1 against the same 35. The shortfall between true odds and payout is the house edge, the subject of where the roulette house edge comes from.
Checking the edge for any inside bet
Stake one unit on a bet covering n numbers. It wins (36 ÷ n − 1) units with chance n/37, and loses one unit with chance (37 − n)/37.
Expected value = [n × (36/n − 1) − (37 − n)] ÷ 37 = (36 − n − 37 + n) ÷ 37 = −1/37
The n cancels, so the answer is the same for every bet in the table: an average loss of 1/37 of the stake, about 2.70%. On a double-zero wheel the same steps with 38 give −2/38, about 5.26%. This is the expected value of every inside bet, and the return to the player is 36/37 or 36/38 of the amount staked.
Worked examples
A KES 100 corner bet on a single-zero wheel. It wins in 4 pockets out of 37, paying KES 800 profit, and loses KES 100 in the other 33. Average result per spin: (4 × 800 − 33 × 100) ÷ 37 = (3,200 − 3,300) ÷ 37 = −KES 2.70.
The same bet on a double-zero wheel: (4 × 800 − 34 × 100) ÷ 38 = (3,200 − 3,400) ÷ 38 = −KES 5.26.
A KES 100 straight bet on a single-zero wheel: (1 × 3,500 − 36 × 100) ÷ 37 = −KES 2.70 per spin as well. Over 37 spins a straight bet wins once on average, which returns KES 3,600 for KES 3,700 staked. The corner wins about four times in 37, which returns the same KES 3,600 spread over more, smaller wins.
The two bets cost the same on average. They differ in how often the win arrives, which is a question of hit frequency, and in how much the balance moves between wins.
Combining bets does not change the cost
Chips on several inside bets are simply several bets. If each carries an average loss of 1/37 of its stake, the combination loses 1/37 of the total staked. Covering a street and its neighbouring corner increases the number of winning pockets only by splitting the money between them.
The only way the average cost falls is a rule that changes the payoff on zero, such as the half-stake return explained in La Partage and En Prison rules. Those rules usually apply only to even-money bets, so the inside bets above are unaffected unless the displayed rules say otherwise.
What the Kenyan regulations require to be shown
Regulation 20(2) of the Gambling Control (Conduct of Gambling Operations) Regulations, 2026 says a licensee shall "display clearly rules of games, odds, house edge and average return to the player". Regulation 20(3) applies the regulation to online gambling activities with the necessary modification.
A reader can therefore compare the displayed payouts with the table above, and the displayed edge with 1/37 or 2/38. Gambling is addictive: play responsibly, and only if you are 18 or over.
Questions and answers
What does a split bet pay in roulette?
A split covers two adjacent numbers and pays 17 to 1, so a KES 100 stake returns KES 1,800 including the stake. The chance of winning is 2/37 (about 5.41%) on a single-zero wheel and 2/38 (about 5.26%) on a double-zero wheel.
What is the probability of winning a corner bet?
A corner covers four numbers, so the chance is 4/37, about 10.81%, on a single-zero wheel and 4/38, about 10.53%, on a double-zero wheel. It pays 8 to 1.
Which inside bet is the safest?
None changes the average cost. Every standard bet returns 36/37 of the stake on a single-zero wheel and 36/38 on a double-zero wheel. Bets covering more numbers win more often for smaller amounts; bets covering fewer numbers win rarely for larger amounts.
Are the payouts the same on every roulette wheel?
The standard payouts are the same on single-zero and double-zero wheels. What changes is the number of pockets, which lowers the chance of winning and raises the house edge. Read the rules displayed for the game, as variants exist.
Do the payouts include my stake?
Quoted payouts such as 35 to 1 are the profit. On a win the stake is returned as well, so a straight bet returns 36 times the stake in total.