Many of us are already familiar with the image of a Roulette wheel. It’s one of the most iconic casino game sights, dating back to 18th century France and physicist Blaise Pascal’s attempts to invent a perpetual motion machine.

But the Roulette table is just as much a part of the game, with its green felt and detailed table layout making it a staple of the casino. This is where the types of bets that players can make are shown. These fall into two major categories – inside and outside. So, what does it mean to make an inside bet in Roulette?

Understanding the inside bet

To put it simply, an inside bet is a wager that’s placed on the inside part of the Roulette table’s layout. This is opposed to the outside bets, which sit on the outer edges of the design and cover wider categories like odd/even or red/black. An inside bet is more specific in nature, placed on either individual numbers or numbers that are adjacent on the layout. 

These types of bets come with lower odds compared to outside bets, wagering on the ball landing in a specific slot or slots rather than it landing on a specific colour or category. But, the lower odds of inside bets mean that they typically carry higher payouts than wagers on a wider spread of the wheel.

The types of inside bets

There are a few types of inside bet, each of which carries differing odds and payout rates. The most common inside bets are:

• Straight-up bet

This is the most straightforward of the inside bets, with players choosing a single number to place their chip on. As this means wagering on just one number out of 36, the odds are at their lowest here, at just 1 in 37 on a European or French Roulette wheel or 1 in 38 on an American wheel.

• Split bet

A split bet is placed by putting a chip on the line between two adjoining numbers on the layout, signalling that the player is wagering on both numbers. If the ball lands on either of the two then this gives a payout of 17 to 1, mitigating some of the risk of betting on just one number.

• Street bet

Continuing up the tree, a street bet covers three numbers as the chip is placed on the outer edge of a row of three on the layout. As a result, the numbers are always consecutive. 

• Corner bet

Not just limited to the corners of the layout, a corner bet is selected by placing a chip on the intersection between four numbers.

• Six-line bet

Similar to a street bet, but double. A six-line bet is placed on two adjacent rows on the layout, covering six potential numbers for the ball to stop on. This is the inside bet with the highest odds and the lowest payout.

—

As you can see, there are a few types of inside bet to choose from in a game of Roulette. Players may prefer to place an outside bet, but it’s important to understand the options on offer in order to make an informed decision in play.