Lesson 2 · Foundations · 14 min
Bets and Payouts
The full catalog of standard bets, their coverage, and their payout ratios.
A single-number bet pays 35:1. A split — two adjacent numbers — pays 17:1. A street of three pays 11:1. A corner of four pays 8:1. A six-line of six pays 5:1. The 'first five' combination on an American wheel covers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 and pays 6:1.
Outside the grid sit the 1:1 bets (red/black, even/odd, low/high) and the 2:1 bets (dozens and columns). Knowing these by heart lets you focus on what matters at the table: timing, courtesy, and observation.
Key takeaways
- Every bet has a fixed, publicly known payout.
- More coverage does not equal more expected value — only less variance.
- Knowing payouts by heart frees your attention at the table.