Understanding the roulette payout Australia players can expect starts with one simple distinction: the payout tells you how much a winning bet returns, while the wheel determines how often that bet can win. A high payout is not automatically a better bet.
For Australian players comparing roulette tables, the most important numbers are the wheel type, number of pockets, standard payout and house edge. A single-zero European wheel has 37 pockets, while a conventional American wheel has 38 because of the additional 00.
A standard roulette payout chart looks like this:
| Bet | Numbers Covered | Standard Payout |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Up | 1 | 35:1 |
| Split | 2 | 17:1 |
| Street | 3 | 11:1 |
| Corner | 4 | 8:1 |
| Six Line | 6 | 5:1 |
| Dozen | 12 | 2:1 |
| Column | 12 | 2:1 |
| Red / Black | 18 | 1:1 |
| Odd / Even | 18 | 1:1 |
| 1–18 / 19–36 | 18 | 1:1 |
These are the conventional payouts used on standard European and American roulette. Individual variants can modify the paytable, so the game’s own rules should always take priority.
Suppose you place A$10 on number 17 with a standard Straight Up payout of 35:1.
The difference illustrates why inside bets offer larger payouts: they cover fewer numbers.
Inside bets are placed on specific numbers or small groups of numbers. They include Straight Up, Split, Street, Corner and Six Line bets. Their payouts are higher, but the probability of hitting the selected combination is lower.
Outside bets cover larger groups of numbers. Red/Black, Odd/Even, 1–18/19–36, Dozens and Columns generally pay less because they win more frequently than a single-number wager.
This doesn’t mean outside bets eliminate the house edge. On a standard European wheel, the zero remains outside the normal Red/Black, Odd/Even and high/low categories.
European Roulette has:
The single zero is important. It means conventional even-money bets such as Red/Black win on 18 of 37 pockets, rather than 18 of 38 as they would on a standard American wheel.
American Roulette has:
The additional 00 creates a significantly higher mathematical disadvantage on conventional bets.
For players researching Roulette Australia, this is one of the first things worth checking before looking at bonuses, graphics or game speed.
There is no single roulette bet that is simply “best” because payout size and probability are linked.
A Straight Up bet pays 35:1, but it covers only one number. A Red or Black bet pays 1:1, but covers 18 numbers on a standard wheel.
Importantly, the standard house edge on most conventional bets is determined by the wheel rather than the payout size. On a normal European wheel, the house edge is approximately 2.70% for standard bets.
So a 35:1 payout does not mean a Straight Up bet has a better mathematical expectation than Red/Black.
French Roulette normally uses the same 37-pocket single-zero structure as European Roulette.
Some French tables introduce La Partage or En Prison rules. With La Partage, qualifying even-money bets can have an effective house edge of approximately 1.35%.
This is one reason the exact table rules matter when comparing roulette games. Don’t assume that every game labelled French Roulette uses identical conditions.
Not necessarily.
Live Roulette Australia options can use the same conventional payout structure as RNG roulette. A live dealer, physical wheel and video stream change the presentation, but they do not automatically change the mathematical structure.
However, specialised live games can introduce multipliers, enhanced payouts or additional mechanics. In those cases, check the individual paytable and published RTP rather than assuming the game follows standard roulette rules.
These terms are often confused.
Payout describes what a particular winning wager returns.
RTP describes the theoretical percentage returned to players over a very large number of bets.
For example, standard European Roulette has an approximate theoretical RTP of 97.30%, while its conventional Straight Up bet pays 35:1.
A game advertising a large multiplier should therefore not be judged by its maximum payout alone. The published RTP and complete paytable provide much more useful information.
The zero is the key mathematical feature separating roulette from many simple 50/50-style bets.
On European Roulette:
18 Red + 18 Black + 1 Zero = 37 pockets
The zero does not belong to Red or Black. Consequently, a Red/Black wager does not actually have a 50% probability of winning.
On American Roulette:
18 Red + 18 Black + 1 Zero + 1 Double Zero = 38 pockets
The additional 00 further reduces the probability of winning conventional even-money bets.
These figures assume standard conventional payouts and do not account for any special game mechanics.
When comparing a roulette game, don’t look at the payout alone. Check:
For a broader overview of available wheel types, rules and betting options, see Roulette Australia. For casino comparisons, Best Online Roulette Australia can be used to assess game libraries, table limits and platform features. If you specifically want physical-wheel games with dealers and studio streams, see Live Roulette Australia.
The easiest way to understand a roulette payout chart is:
Fewer numbers covered → higher payout.
More numbers covered → lower payout.
But the payout itself does not tell you whether a wager is mathematically favourable. Always consider the wheel, zero configuration, probability and house edge together.
