Roulette inside bet types: split, street, corner and six line
An inside bet places a chip on a number or a boundary between numbers. A roulette corner bet covers four numbers and pays 8 to 1. Splits cover two, streets three, and six lines six. The table below puts every inside bet in one place, including the zero-area exceptions.
Inside bets at a glance
Payouts are net odds: an 8 to 1 corner win returns the original chip plus eight units of profit. Win chance counts covered pockets divided by 37 or 38. The examples refer to the numbered table layout, not neighboring pockets on the wheel.
| Bet | Placement | Pays | European hit / edge | American hit / edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight up | One number, for example 17. Place the chip on that number. | 35:1 | 1/37 (2.70%) / 2.70% | 1/38 (2.63%) / 5.26% |
| Split | Two adjacent numbers, for example 17 and 20. Place the chip on their shared line. | 17:1 | 2/37 (5.41%) / 2.70% | 2/38 (5.26%) / 5.26% |
| Street | One horizontal row, for example 13, 14 and 15. Place the chip at the row’s outside edge. | 11:1 | 3/37 (8.11%) / 2.70% | 3/38 (7.89%) / 5.26% |
| Corner | Four numbers in a square, for example 13, 14, 16 and 17. Place the chip at their intersection. | 8:1 | 4/37 (10.81%) / 2.70% | 4/38 (10.53%) / 5.26% |
| Six line | Two adjacent streets, for example 13–18. Place the chip where their outside edges meet. | 5:1 | 6/37 (16.22%) / 2.70% | 6/38 (15.79%) / 5.26% |
| First four | 0, 1, 2 and 3 on a European layout. Place the chip at their common corner. | 8:1 | 4/37 (10.81%) / 2.70% | — |
| Top line | 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 on an American layout. Place the chip at the five-number boundary. | 6:1 | — | 5/38 (13.16%) / 7.89% |
First four is European only. The five-number top line is American only and carries a higher edge.
How the edge is calculated
For a one-unit bet covering k pockets and paying P to 1, expected net is (k × P − (N − k)) / N, where N is 37 or 38. The house edge is its negative. Standard inside bets return 36 units including stake on a hit: k × (P + 1) = 36. Their edge is therefore (N − 36) / N: 1/37 = 2.70% on European and 2/38 = 5.26% on American roulette. Different hit rates and payouts do not change that expected loss per unit.
Roulette corner bet: four pockets, one chip
A chip at the intersection of 13, 14, 16 and 17 covers those four pockets. It wins 4/37 = 10.81% of European spins or 4/38 = 10.53% of American spins. A hit profits eight units; a miss loses one. European expected net is (4 × 8 − 33) / 37 = −1/37. American expected net is (4 × 8 − 34) / 38 = −2/38. See the corner bet guide for the layout and longer-run hit rates.
Split, street and six line
A split on 17 and 20 covers two pockets at 17:1. A street on 13–15 covers three at 11:1. A six line on 13–18 covers six at 5:1. On a European wheel their expected nets are (2 × 17 − 35) / 37, (3 × 11 − 34) / 37 and (6 × 5 − 31) / 37: each −1/37 per unit. On an American wheel each loses 2/38 per unit. The six line is also called a double street.
Zero-area exceptions
The European first four covers 0–3 at 8:1: (4 × 8 − 33) / 37 = −1/37. The American top line covers 0, 00 and 1–3 at 6:1: (5 × 6 − 33) / 38 = −3/38, or 7.89%. It is the only listed inside bet with a larger American edge. A three-number zero trio is paid like a street on a single-zero layout; see the zero guide for how those pockets work.
Calculate or simulate
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