Differences Between American Roulette and European Roulette

An Introduction to Roulette

The game of roulette has come a long way since it first came into existence in its current form in France in the 18th century. Since then the game has grown in popularity and is today a game associated with glamour and money. While earlier you could play roulette at traditional land-based casinos, the decision of the gambling industry to have an alternate presence on the Internet means that you get to play roulette at the numerous online casinos as well. You may have seen roulette epitomized in James Bond films for years. Where big stakes are wagered on Bond’s life or someone he knows.

There are two basic types of roulette – European roulette and American roulette. The game itself is the same in both these types: the croupier spins the roulette wheel and a small ball starts tumbling. You bet on which of the numbered red or black compartments on the table the ball will finally come to a halt in and win if your prediction is true.

The differences between American and European roulette lie primarily in the layout of the table. In this article, we will discuss the basic differences between the two types of roulette and their roulette wheel differences.

American vs. European Roulette

In European roulette, the wheel has just a single zero. This means that in all, there are 37 compartments. The compartments are numbered in sequence from 0 through to 36. This means that effectively, the ball can fall into any one of these 37 compartments. Gambling is all about the odds, and in the case of European roulette, the odds are pretty healthy, a 36:1. The casino pays out at 35:1 and enjoys a 2.7% advantage.

In the case of American roulette, there is an additional compartment that houses a double-zero or 00. Remember, American roulette wheel is a double zero roulette game. This means two sets of zeros, a single zero roullete number as well as a double zero roulette number and thus increases your chances of landing on one of the two zeros. So in all, there are 38 compartments, 36 for the numbers 1 to 36 and two more for the 0 and the 00. While this may seem like a small difference, the impact is significant as it influences the odds, payout, and also the casino advantage. The odds for American roulette stand at 37:1, which means a payout of 35:1. That gives the casino a 5.6% advantage over the players.

American vs. European Roulette – More Differences

There is another very significant difference between European roulette and American roulette, and this difference is not merely about the table layout. There is a difference between European and American roulette when it comes to the bets as well.

European roulette has a superb bet option called En Prison which brings the casino advantage further down to 1.35%. The En Prison bet option ensures that players have more chances of winning than the house. Using the En Prison bet, a player can either give up half the money he had bet and escape with at least the remaining half, or roll the wager amount over to the next bet.

You do not find the En Prison option in American roulette. Really, the difference in the house advantage in the two types of the game is just too big to ignore and is one of the main reasons for the popularity of European roulette worldwide over its American counterpart.

Now that you know the differences between the two roulette versions, check out our online casinos page and get playing.

American Roulette

European Roulette

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