Many gambling games are based on a combination of luck and playing the odds. With set mathematical rules, players can attempt to improve their chances of winning money and lowering their risk by figuring out the best bets for the best games. Roulette odds are among the easiest to calculate because there's one ball and 38 possible places it can land. Calculating the odds of winning and evaluating bets, then, is a simple statistical endeavor.

Straight Forward Odds

Roulette odds are generally straightforward to calculate. Unlike games of blackjack or slots, Roulette has a limited number of variables to account for wins and losses. Every game involves spinning a single ball that will land in a single slot. Therefore the odds of winning any single or straight bet are always 37 to 1. On those wins, a casino will pay out 35 to 1, which can add up to considerable winnings.

Betting Odds

Players can improve their odds of winning beyond once in a very long while by splitting their bets across multiple categories or groups. For example, players can bet on all odd numbers or all red spaces. Now, instead of a 1 in 37 chance, players have a 1 in 2 chance of hitting a win. However, because the odds go up in the player's favor, the payouts diminish. Such bets only pay out 1:1, so a $10 bet can only mean a $10 win.

Roulette odds can get more complicated with the addition of betting streets or corners, which involve betting on collections of numbers in different grids. Calculating these odds depends on how many numbers are on the street and how many corners are involved, but because there is only one ball to account for, anyone with an understanding of statistics can figure out the odds for their bet.