Roulette Outside Bets: Tips to Place Outside Bets the Right Way

As we described above, roulette also presents a range of wagering options that extend beyond individual numbers. With outside bets, you stake on clusters of numbers that share similar traits. Typically, six of the eight available options, called even-money bets, cover 18 numbers, allowing you to bet on characteristics like red or black, even or odd, or low (1–18) or high (19–36). In contrast to the even-money bets, two other bet types offer a different approach. Known as dozens and columns, each of these bets encompasses a group of 12 numbers. For a detailed overview of how to place these bets, along with their payout ratios and odds, please refer to the accompanying table and picture.

• Column: The column bets are a popular type of outside bet where you are betting on roughly one-third of all available numbers. The bet covers 12 numbers and pays 2:1. The chance of winning for single zero roulette is 32.40% and it gets slightly better for double zero roulette at 31.60%. The payout value is not too bad, and there is a good chance that you can win a column bet, although the odds aren’t as good as say some of the other outside bets.
• Dozen: Another popular type of outside bet is the dozen bet – there are three such options labelled “1st dozen,” “2nd dozen,” and “3rd dozen.” The payout and chances of winning are identical to the column bet, but the numbers you bet on differ a bit, as you will either wager on 1-12, 13-24, or 25-36.
• Red/Black: When you bet on red or black numbers, you are essentially telling the game that you expect the ball to land in a red or black sector, respectively. The chance of winning comes down to nearly even 50% split. Probability will always play a part in determining the outcome. Your chance of winning a double-zero roulette red/black bet is 47.30%, whereas it is 48.65% for the single-zero version of the game. The payout ratio for this type of wager is 1:1, so if you bet $10 and win, you will earn $10 more.
• Low/High: Another 1:1 payout ratio type of bet, the low/high wager is designed to give you a good chance of winning, following the same percentage value as Red/Black, while minimizing the risk to your own bankroll. Players will bet on either the low numbers (1-18) or the high numbers (19-36). Whichever comes up on the wheel is the winning bet and winnings are paid according to the results.
• Odd/Even: Much like in other versions of outside bets, the odd and even give you a nearly 50% chance of winning, depending on the game version. You will bet either on the odd numbers, meaning 1,3, 5 or even numbers, meaning 2, 4, 6, and so on. The chance for winning in double zero roulette is 47.30% and slightly higher for single zero roulette at 48.65%. Once again, the payout ratio here is 1:1.

Today, we will touch on three core strategies involving outside bets and how they may impact and influence your roulette gameplay for the better.

64% Roulette System

The 64% Roulette System is based on giving you a 64% chance of winning each round of the game – just as its name suggests. To do this, you simply place 1 unit on two dozen bets and increase the size of your wager three times in case you lose.

• Place one unit bet on the 2nd and 3rd dozen
• If you lose, increase your wagers by three, so three, nine, 27, and so on
• After every win, restart the entire sequence and start betting one unit on each of the two dozen wagers
• Mind that you can bet on any of the three available dozen bets, and you can pick whichever you like

This way, you have about a 64.8% chance of winning and a 35.2% chance of losing. It’s pretty straightforward to get started as well!

Contra Bet

The next stratagem that involves outside bets is the so-called Contra Bet strategy. It is much like Martingale, but in this case, when you win, you increase the size of the bet by the core value, and when you lose, you decrease it by the same amount.

• You bet $1 and you win. Your next wager must be $2.
• You win again and increase your wager to $3.
• You lose. Now you must go back to $2.
• If you win, you go back to $3 again and so on.

Tier et Tout

This strategy requires you to split your bankroll into three even parts. For the purposes of this example, let’s say you are betting with $90 units in total. You want to split your bankroll into three even-sized bets, worth $30 each.

• Let’s say you want to try the Tier et Tout yourself.
• Start by placing a $30 bet on red or black.
• Once you have picked what type of wager you will use, you will stick with it.
• Bet and see if you win – if you do, you now have $120.
• This is great! Once again, you need to split your bankroll into three equal parts.
• You now bet $40. If you win, you proceed as in the previous step.
• If you lose, you simply use the rest of your bankroll to try to recoup your loss.

This strategy, as you have realized by now, is designed to offer a bit of a higher risk, but it can also bring you short-term gains. Use it responsibly and don’t overspend.

In roulette, mastering risk management is crucial—especially when placing outside bets. These wagers, including options like red/black, even/odd, or high/low, generally offer nearly a 50% chance to win (with probabilities typically ranging from 47% to 49% depending on the variant). However, since they pay out at a 1:1 ratio, this results in relatively modest gains. Due to their conservative payout structure, outside bets tend to influence your bankroll gradually over time. The graph below illustrates this phenomenon: the horizontal axis represents the number of spins, while the vertical axis displays the corresponding bankroll fluctuations for various wager amounts. This visual evidence underscores that outside bets typically cause small, incremental changes in your funds rather than dramatic swings.