Roulette Inside Bets: The Number Grid Explained

What counts as a roulette inside bet

Anything you place on the grid of numbers, the zeros included, is an inside bet. Where exactly the chip sits tells the dealer which numbers it covers.

• Middle of a square: that one number.
• On a line between two squares: those two numbers.
• On the outer edge of a row: the three numbers in that row.
• Where four squares meet: those four.
• On the outer edge where two rows meet: all six numbers of both rows.

Because a few millimeters change the bet, dealers straighten chips all night. If yours is unclear, ask before the spin.

All roulette inside bets at a glance

Here the chance is shown as one hit in so many spins, on average, which is how most players think about it at the table.

The trio (11 to 1) and the first four (8 to 1) behave like a street and a corner that include zero. For every outside option, see roulette outside bets, and for the full menu of both, all roulette bets.

How inside bet payouts are set

There is a neat rule behind the numbers. Take 36, divide by how many numbers the bet covers, and subtract 1.

• One number: 36 divided by 1, minus 1, is 35. Pays 35 to 1.
• Two: 18 minus 1 is 17.
• Three: 12 minus 1 is 11.
• Four: 9 minus 1 is 8.
• Six: 6 minus 1 is 5.

The rule uses 36 because it ignores the zeros. A fair price would start from 37 (European) or 38 (American) instead, and the shortfall is what the house keeps. The five number top line breaks the rule: 36 divided by 5, minus 1, is 6.2, but the casino rounds down and pays 6. That rounding is why its edge is 7.89% rather than 5.26%.

The zero bets and the basket name

Three inside bets include a zero along with low numbers. On a European wheel the trio pairs zero with the 1, 2 couple or the 2, 3 couple. American tables build it around 2: zero, double zero and 2, or double zero, 2 and 3. Its price is 11 to 1. Single zero layouts also offer the first four, which takes in zero plus 1, 2 and 3 at 8 to 1. American layouts swap that for the top line, five numbers from zero and double zero through 3, at 6 to 1.

Casinos use the word basket for different ones of these, so say the numbers when you call the bet. The basket bet guide untangles the names, and roulette green covers bets on the zeros alone.

Spreading chips across several inside bets

Most players combine a few inside bets. Here is a 5 unit spread on a single zero table:

• 1 unit on 17 alone
• 1 unit split on 8 and 11
• 1 unit corner on 25, 26, 28, 29
• 2 units six line on 31 to 36

That covers 13 numbers. If 17 lands you net plus 31 (35 won, 4 lost on the rest). A hit on 8 or 11 nets plus 13. The corner nets plus 4. A six line number nets plus 7, since the 2 unit chip wins 10 and the other three lose. Any of the other 24 numbers costs all 5 units.

Add it up over one full cycle of 37 spins and you get 115 won against 120 lost: 5 units down on 185 wagered, which is 2.70%. The spread changes your mix of results, not the price.

Inside bets, droughts and the house edge

Every inside bet costs the same as an outside bet on the same wheel, apart from the American top line. What you pay for with inside bets is waiting. A single number goes 100 spins without hitting about one time in 15 on a single zero wheel. Even a six line misses ten spins running about 17% of the time.

That is fine if you expect it and size your chips so a dry spell does not empty your stack. Try a spread on the free simulator before deciding what suits you, and read best roulette bets for how to choose your level of swing.

Common mistakes with inside bets

• Chips off the line. A split that drifts into a square becomes a straight up.
• Reaching late. Inside bets take longest to place. Start early so you are done before the call.
• Thinking six numbers is safer than one. It wins more often and pays less; the cost is the same.
• Taking the top line. Of all American bets, this one alone is priced worse than the rest.