What’s up, Otaku Bettors!
Let me walk you through how outside bets work!
Outside bets are betting options placed on the outer section of the roulette table — instead of predicting a specific number, you’re predicting a color, range, or category.
Red/Black — the most famous roulette bet of all — is an outside bet.
Payouts vary depending on where you place your chip.
2x Payout Area
Bet on “Red/Black,” “Even/Odd,” or “1-18/19-36” — win and you get 2x your bet!
The payout equals your stake, which is why bets in this area are also called “even-money bets (Even Money Bet).”
Bet $10 and win — $20 payout, $10 profit.
Hit Rate
| European Roulette | ~48.65% |
|---|---|
| American Roulette | ~47.37% |
French Name
| Red | Rouge | Black | Noir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Even | Pair | Odd | Impair |
| 1-18 | Manque | 19-36 | Passe |
Hmm — très bien!
No more settling for “Red/Black” or “High/Low” — you can do better.
If you want to be a true roulette connoisseur, pick up the French names!
3x Payout Area
Bet on “Dozens (1st/2nd/3rd)” or “Columns (2:1)” — win and you get 3x your bet!
Bet $10 and win — $30 payout, $20 profit.
Hit Rate
| European Roulette | ~32.43% |
|---|---|
| American Roulette | ~31.58% |
French Name
| 1st Dozen | Première Douzaine |
|---|---|
| 2nd Dozen | Deuxième Douzaine |
| 3rd Dozen | Troisième Douzaine |
| Column | Colonne |
Dozens and Columns are areas where you can run effective 3x betting systems — personally, out of all the outside bet areas, this is my top pick.
And honestly, a 2x payout and a 3x payout make a real difference in how quickly profit stacks up.
Of course, the 3x area carries more risk, so the loss rate is higher — but with a solid betting system behind you, you can absolutely make it work.
Pros
The main advantage of outside bets is the stable hit rate (win rate).
That ~50% hit rate is no joke!
Roulette streaks are real — and it’s not just Red/Black runs. You’ll see runs toward evens, or clusters in the 1–18 range. Catch one of those at the right moment and you can just keep winning!
Another major perk is that you can use betting systems here.
Sure, the payouts are lower than inside bets — but honestly, combining outside bets with a betting system gives you better odds than trying to predict exact numbers!
Cons
Calling it a “downside” might be a bit much, but there are numbers outside bets can never cover.
That’s 0 and 00 — the green ones.
Landing on zero is an instant loss — but zero hitting multiple times in a row is rare, so it’s really not worth stressing over.
Probability of 0 and 00
| European Roulette | ~2.70% |
|---|---|
| American Roulette | ~5.26% |
Countering Zero
If zero is really getting under your skin, French Roulette is your answer!
Depending on the version, some variants let you place even-money bets (Red/Black, Even/Odd, 1-18/19-36), and if the ball lands on zero, your bet is returned if you win on the next spin.
Of course, if zero hits again on that next spin — or you lose — it’s gone.
Roulette Strategies That Use Outside Bets
Here are all the roulette strategies you can use on outside bet areas!
2x Area
Strategies for the 2x payout area — Red/Black, Even/Odd, and 1-18/19-36:
- Martingale Betting System
- Parlay Betting System
- Winners Betting System
- 2-in-1 Betting System
- Champion Game System
- Labouchere Betting System
- Reverse Labouchere Betting System
- D’Alembert Betting System
- Oscar’s Grind Betting System
- Goodman Betting System
- Barnett Betting System
- East Coast Progression System
- Paroli 1-3-7 Betting System
- 31 Betting System
- Vegas Progression Betting System
3x Area
Strategies for the 3x payout area — Dozens (1st/2nd/3rd) and Columns (2:1):
2x & 3x
Strategies that work on both the 2x and 3x payout areas:
Outside + Inside
And here are the strategies that combine outside and inside bets!