Roulette best odds: what is actually cheaper and what only feels it

Everything costs the same, almost

On a single-zero wheel: straight-up 2.70%, split 2.70%, corner 2.70%, dozen 2.70%, red 2.70%. The payout on every bet is set as if the wheel had 36 pockets, so each bet gives up exactly one pocket's worth, 1/37, regardless of how many numbers it covers. The house edge is flat across the layout. What changes is variance, and variance is a preference, not a cost.

The bets that are actually cheaper

Even-money bets on a French table. La Partage returns half the stake on a zero. Edge on red, black, odd, even, high and low drops to 1.35%. This is the single best-value bet in roulette and it is available at many UK sites, usually under "French Roulette" in the RNG lobby and on a few live tables marked La Partage.

Even-money bets with En Prison. The stake is held for one more spin instead of half being returned. Works out to roughly the same 1.35% on most versions.

That is the whole list. Every other standard bet on a single-zero wheel is 2.70%.

The bets that are more expensive

Anything on an American wheel: 5.26%, nearly double, for identical payouts.

The five-number basket on an American wheel: 7.89%, the worst standard bet in the game.

Straight-ups on multiplier live tables: 29:1 instead of 35:1 on unstruck numbers; the average cost rises to around 2.90% once the multipliers are allowed for. Outside bets on the same table are unchanged.

Side bets and jackpot bets on themed tables: typically 5% to 10% or more, and sometimes mandatory. Check the paytable.

Best odds for your purpose

For the lowest cost per pound staked: French even-money, then anything on a European wheel. For the money to last longest at a given stake: even-money or dozens, flat. For a chance at a large single win: straight-ups on a plain European table, not a multiplier one. For something between: corners and six lines.

What has no effect on the odds

Which number you choose. Whether red is "due". The time of day. The dealer. The previous ten results. Betting systems, which move stakes around without touching the payout table or the pocket count. The odds live in two numbers, pockets and payout, and nothing you do at the table changes either.