What Colour Comes Up More in Roulette?
Recently updated on April 16th, 2026
We get asked “what colour comes up more in roulette?” fairly often. The truth is that this depends on the table, how long it’s tracked, and other factors.
When you play a roulette game, you’re looking for an edge over the casino, so you take the obvious bet. So, we’ll break it down and figure out whether a specific colour comes up more.
Red vs Black on the Roulette Wheel
Your odds are split nearly 50/50 on the wheel since there are usually one or two zero pockets. When you play European Roulette games, these odds are better for bets on red/black. So, only try American Roulette when you’re comfortable because that double zero lowers your odds.
Once the spin starts, there’s a chance you’ll win even money on these wagers when the ball is in motion. You may lose when the green section is spinning, but you move up to a split of about 51/49 in your favour when you bet on red. However, your chance decreases on the table when you pick a number.
Most casinos bank on the fact that players tend to pick one number and stake on it. But you lose more than you could win, even if the payout is 37 to 1. Since the green pockets are meant to tip the odds for the casino, you almost have a chance of winning.
So, What Colour Comes Up More in Roulette?
Most players will tell you that red comes up more on the wheel, but it’s not that simple. Generally, roulette wheels consist of multiple moving parts that aren’t biased.
When you play at brick-and-mortar casinos, you’ll notice that most of them are automated to eliminate dealer bias. Once upon a time, the way a croupier spun the wheel could be predicted would allow cheating. Now, you won’t see any croupiers doing this in a casino.
If you play at online casinos, you will encounter random number generators (RNGs) that spit out unique outcomes. Regardless of the table, though, you’ll notice that each result is not related to the last, and you can’t rely on patterns.
How the Game Works
Roulette wheels and tables all have a similar layout, with the wheel on one end and the bets on the rest. Since the table is static, the focus is on the wheel and the methods casinos use to protect the results.
- Diamonds – these small obstacles are vital to the game because they change the ball’s path to create unbiased results.
- Ball Track – is the wheel’s rim where the ball travels until it hits an obstacle and eventually lands in a pocket.
- Rotor – this is the mechanism used to turn the wheel and generally weighs 15 kg to prevent wheel bias.
- Pockets – or slots, are the numbered and coloured areas of the wheel where the ball lands. These are either black or red, with zero in green and alternate around the wheel with the numbers.
- Base – the wheelbase is part metal and wood to protect the ball track and the wheel. Many bases are reinforced to prevent cheating or wheel bias.
So, the focus of the table is pretty fair, but what about the wagering areas on the table? The numbers (inside bets) are laid out in rows, with zero at the top. Next to those are the outside bets, where you can bet on a column, row, or group of numbers.
At the furthest edge of the table are the odd/even and red/black blocks where you earn even money from winning.
Roulette Colour: Gambling Strategy
When you gamble, you encounter many people who claim to have a foolproof strategy to win. These players typically put it all on a single method and lose more than they win.
Your best bet is to avoid this line of thinking and rather focus on what you know or a strategy that you see works. So, we recommend keeping a cheat sheet on the bets, payouts, and what you can do when you lose (walk away).
