Index → Outside bets
Roulette outside bets: the boxes around the grid
Outside bets live in the boxes around the number grid. They cover twelve or eighteen numbers at a time, pay 2:1 or 1:1, and win often enough that a session on them feels like a steady back-and-forth rather than a wait. They are where most careful players spend most of their money, and on one kind of table they are the cheapest bet in the casino.
Dozens, 2:1
Three boxes along the long edge of the grid: 1st 12 (1–12), 2nd 12 (13–24), 3rd 12 (25–36). A chip covers all twelve numbers in that range. Wins 32.43% of spins. Loses on zero.
Columns, 2:1
Three boxes at the foot of the grid, one under each column of numbers, usually marked "2 to 1". The first column is 1, 4, 7 and so on up to 34; the second 2, 5, 8 to 35; the third 3, 6, 9 to 36. Each covers twelve numbers, wins 32.43%, loses on zero. Note that the columns are not evenly coloured: the second column has eight blacks and four reds, the third eight reds and four blacks.
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The even-money bets, 1:1
Six boxes, each covering eighteen numbers:
- Red / Black: by pocket colour.
- Odd / Even: by number. Zero is neither.
- 1–18 / 19–36: low and high, sometimes labelled Manque and Passe on French layouts.
Each wins 48.65% of the time on a single-zero wheel. All six lose on zero on a standard table.
What zero does
Zero is the only pocket outside every outside bet. One spin in 37 it comes up and clears the whole outside of the table. That is precisely the house edge: red is paid as though it won half the time and wins 18 of 37.
On French tables, La Partage returns half of each even-money stake on a zero, and En Prison holds the stake for the next spin. Either rule halves the edge on red, black, odd, even, low and high to 1.35%. Dozens and columns are not covered and stay at 2.70%.
Cost by bet
| Bet | Wins | Pays | Edge, European | Edge, French (La Partage) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dozen / column | 32.43% | 2:1 | 2.70% | 2.70% |
| Even-money | 48.65% | 1:1 | 2.70% | 1.35% |
At £5 a spin for 100 spins: £13.50 expected loss on a European table for any outside bet; £6.75 on a French table for the even-money ones.
Combining outside bets
Two dozens at once covers 24 numbers, wins 64.86% of spins and loses both chips on the other 35%; the net is still 2.70% of everything staked. Red plus a dozen, a column plus odd, any combination: each chip carries the same edge, so the total does too. Combining changes the shape of the session, not the price.
Minimums
Outside bets often have a higher minimum than inside chips. A table with 20p chips on the grid may ask £1 on red. The limits panel shows both figures; check it before assuming the advertised minimum applies to the box you want.
Put it into practice
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Questions
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Do outside bets win more often?
Yes. An even-money bet wins 48.65% of spins on a single-zero wheel and a dozen 32.43%, against 2.70% for a single number. They pay less to match, so the house edge is the same 2.70%.
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Is zero red or black?
Neither. Zero is green and sits outside every outside bet. When it comes up, red, black, odd, even, high, low, dozens and columns all lose, unless the table has La Partage or En Prison for the even-money bets.