Roulette is one of the many online casino games that appear both straightforward and complex. This is because roulette offers many different types of wagers, from inside and outside bets to racetrack bets.
In this guide, players will get a brief introduction to the different types of bets before getting a closer look at racetrack wagers, so the player knows exactly how, when, and why to use them with online roulette in Canada.
The Different Types of Bets in Roulette
For beginner roulette players, here’s a quick look at the different types of roulette bets that players can make:
Inside Bets
These are the inside bets on the roulette table. These wagers are the straight-up, split, street, corner, and line bets that target single or small groups of numbers on the roulette wheel. They offer the highest payouts because they have lower odds of being a winning bet.
Outside Bets
These are the outside bets on the roulette table. These wagers are red/black, odd/even, 1–18 or 19–36, dozens, and columns. Essentially, these are bets that cover larger blocks of numbers. They offer the lowest payouts because the odds of winning are higher.
Call Bets
In European and French roulette, players can place what are commonly referred to as “call bets,” though the more accurate term for most of these wagers is announced bets. These are preset betting patterns that players declare verbally and place using the racetrack layout.
Announced bets fall into two categories:
- Fixed call bets: Structured patterns that always cover the exact numbers, such as Voisins du Zéro, Tiers du Cylindre, and Orphelins
- Variable call bets: Flexible wagers that change based on the number a player chooses, such as neighbour bets and final bets.
These wagers are tied directly to the racetrack, which arranges numbers in wheel order and makes it easier to place these specific bet types.
What Is the Racetrack in Roulette?
The racetrack is an oval betting panel (shaped much like a horse racetrack) that’s usually visible above the main roulette bet layout. It shows the numbers in the same order as the roulette wheel. Racetracks are standard on French and European tables, but players might also encounter them on some American roulette tables.
What is the Purpose of the Racetrack?
The racetrack displays numbers as they appear on the wheel, making it easier to place specific bets on groups of numbers based on their positions on the roulette wheel. Rather than having to place wagers individually, players can place specific call bets here to simplify betting.
The Different Types of Wagers on the Racetrack
These are the different types of bets that players can place on the racetrack:
Voisins du Zéro
Voisins du Zéro — French for “neighbours of zero” — is a popular call bet on the European roulette layout that covers 17 numbers running from 22 – 25 on the wheel. These numbers are 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, and 25.
The bet costs nine chips, each placed on a specific inside wager. The player puts one chip on the 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22, and 32/35 splits, two chips on the 0/2/3 trio, and one chip on the corner that covers 25, 26, 28, and 29.
Payouts depend on the winning number: each split returns +1,700 (17:1), the 0/2/3 trio pays +1,100 (11:1), and the four-number corner pays 8:1 (+800).
Coverage: 17 numbers, 22–25 on the wheel
Chip cost: 9 chips in total (5 splits, 1 trio, and 1 corner)
Payouts: Varies, depending on which number the roulette wheel lands on
Tiers du Cylindre
Tiers du Cylindre — French for “third of the wheel” — is a call bet that covers roughly one-third of the single-zero wheel with 12 numbers stretching from 27 to 33. Those numbers are 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, and 33.
The player stakes six chips, each on a specific split:
- 5 / 8
- 10 / 11
- 13 / 16
- 23 / 24
- 27 / 30
- 33 / 36
Coverage: 12 numbers, 27–33 on the wheel
Chip cost: 6 splits
Payouts: +1,700, or 17:1
Orphelins
Orphelins — French for “the orphans” — covers the wheel’s two leftover sections that aren’t part of Voisins or Tiers. The bet covers eight numbers in total: 17, 34, and 6 on the right of the 0, and 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9 on the left.
The player needs five chips to place Orphelins:
- One chip goes straight up on 1.
- Four chips go on the splits 6 / 9, 14 / 17, 17 / 20, and 31 / 34.
Coverage: 8 “orphan” numbers not touched by the first two bets
Chip cost: 5 (1 straight-up and 4 splits)
Payout: +3,500 (35:1) or +1,700 (17:1)
Neighbours
A neighbours bet lets the player choose one number on the wheel, and the two numbers that sit immediately to its left and right are added automatically. This means the wager covers five numbers in total.
Coverage: A target number on the roulette wheel plus two on each side
Chip cost: 5 chips
Payout: +3,500 (35:1)
Final Bets
A final bet covers all numbers on the roulette wheel that end with a specific digit. For example, a “Final 5” wager includes 5, 15, 25, and 35. Because these numbers appear in different areas of the layout, the exact chip cost varies depending on whether the covered numbers fall into straight-up positions or require splits.
Coverage: All numbers ending in a chosen digit
Chip cost: Varies (based on layout positions)
Payout: +3,500 (35:1) for straight-up wins
