Difference Between European Roulette American Roulette
Roulette pros already know the answer to the question in the title. For those who don’t know the subtle differences between the three mainstream roulette variants, this article is for you.
There are few games simpler than roulette on the surface level. You place your bets, the dealer spins the wheel and drops the ball, and the bets are settled. Yet, when you dig down beneath the surface, the differences between these three roulette variants are more pronounced.
Roulette games are played since the early 1800s and the appreciation of the game never faded. The two most popular forms of roulette are European Roulette and American Roulette and even some of the expert players have only a rough idea about the differences between these two popular variants. Players can find a stupendous number Continue reading Difference between European Roulette. What Is the Difference Between an American Roulette Wheel and a European Roulette Wheel? – Read our gambling guide and learn why to prefer European Roulette. American Roulette vs European Roulette are both similar but very different games. One obvious difference that can be spotted is the layout of each game. To be more specific for players, American roulette has thirty-eight sockets and European roulette has thirty-seven. This is where the ball lands.
I’m going to explain how each differs from three different perspectives—the rules, odds, and the layout of the roulette wheel/table. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll be an expert and will know exactly which roulette variants give you maximum advantage.
Let’s begin with the rules.
Roulette Rules Explained
The rules of roulette are simple enough to follow. In fact, there are very few differences between the roulette variants mentioned here. Here’s a quick recap in case you’ve forgotten or are a first-time roulette player.
- European roulette wheels have 36 numbers and one zero pocket. The American roulette wheel has 36 numbers and two zero pockets. Each number is either red or black. Zeros are green.
- You may bet on individual numbers, groups of numbers, and even-money bets like red/black or odds/evens. All betting must take place before the dealer spins the wheel. In online roulette, you bet by placing digital chips on the roulette table beside the wheel.
- When players are done betting, the dealer spins the wheel and drops the ball onto the wheel. Whichever pocket the ball lands in is the winning number/color, and all bets are settled instantly by the casino site.
These rules hold fast throughout all versions of roulette. They’re what you could call the standard roulette rules which apply to all games.
Yet, there are two rules which set French roulette apart from the other roulette variants. These rules are called “La Partage” and “En Prison.” They govern what happens when you lose an even-money bet because the ball lands in a zero pocket.
The La Partage Rule Explained
This rule is almost a default in most French casinos and is found in most games of French roulette online. Partage is French for “divide,” and you’ll see why this rule called that in just a moment.
This rule applies to even-money bets only. That means that, for example, it applies to red/black bets. If you place an even-money bet and the ball lands in a zero pocket, you get half of your bet back.
This would not happen in a standard game of European or American roulette. In those games, if you place an even-money bet and the ball lands in a zero pocket, you simply lose.
The En Prison Rule Explained
For those of you who did not take French in high school, I’ll let you guess what en prison translates to. If you guessed “locked up,” you’re close enough. It literally means “in prison.”
Much like the La Partage rule, this one only comes into play when you place even-money bets. This time, instead of getting half of your bet back, your chips are kept in prison. If you win on the next spin, you’ll get them back. If you lose, oh well, you’d already lost them on the previous bet anyhow.
These two rules are a significant advantage for roulette players. They’re one of the main reasons why I prefer playing French roulette when it’s available. You’ll have to check which of the above two rules applies at your favorite roulette site.
Roulette Odds – Which Variant Is Better?
Odds involve the math which rule casino games with a cold-hearted ruthlessness you can’t alter. There are lots of roulette systems on the market which claim to help you beat the odds, but none of them alters the fundamental odds of roulette.
I was curious to know if there were any differences between the odds of the roulette variants discussed here. I checked out five of the most popular roulette bets to figure this out.
| Roulette Bet | European Odds | American Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Single Number | 2.7% | 2.6% |
| Red/Black | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| Odds/Evens | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| High/Low | 48.6% | 47.4% |
| Dozens or Columns | 32.4% | 31.6% |
What’s the cause of this difference in favor of European roulette? It’s the extra zero pocket on American roulette wheels. It may not seem like much of a difference, but over hundreds or thousands of spins, it quickly adds up.
What about French roulette? Since it uses the European roulette wheel with a single zero, it has the same odds as a standard game of European roulette.
There’s a second piece of math to consider when assessing the different roulette variants. This is called the house edge and is the mathematical advantage which the casino has in any situation.
For American roulette, the house edge is 5.26%. European roulette games have a house edge of 2.7%. With the implementation of the La Partage rule on French roulette, the house edge is only 1.35%.
Once again, from a sheer mathematical perspective, I’d choose French roulette over the others every day of the week. It has the lowest house edge with the added advantage that you can get half of your chips back when the La Partage rule is in play.
The Roulette Wheel and Table
I’ve already explained that the American roulette wheel has two zeros, whereas the European variants only have one zero. However, there are some other subtle differences between the roulette wheels and tables in the different variants.
Let’s start with the roulette wheels. Here’s a side-by-side screenshot of the two roulette wheels you’ll find at online casinos. Remember, French roulette uses the European “single zero” wheel.
There are some things to note here:
- Despite the fact that the zero pockets are different, there are exactly the same numbers on the wheel. 18 are red, 18 are black, and there are 36 numbers on both wheels (not including the zeros).
- The order of numbers is different, though. You’ll notice that, on the European roulette wheel, the numbers run 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34 etc. On the American roulette wheel, starting from the first zero, they run 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, etc.
- The eagle-eyed among you might also have spotted that running clockwise, the first number after the zero on the American roulette wheel is black (28), whereas it is red (32) on the European wheel.
The only thing which makes a difference to the game odds is the zero pockets. However, I wanted to give a thorough overview of the three different roulette wheels for the curious among you.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the different roulette tables.
The first thing to know about the different roulette tables is that they offer basically the same betting opportunities. The only difference is that the American roulette table has two zero betting options.
The differences between the American and European roulette tables are minimal and come down to the point above about the extra zero. However, you may find yourself curious about what some of the terms mean on the French roulette table. I’ve done your homework for you.
The French Roulette Table Explained
First, some quick points of note about French roulette.
- At most casinos, the French roulette wheel is in the middle of the table. The table is thus split into two halves. This is not the case in standard European or American roulette games.
- Often, the felt is red, whereas in the other two games it is green. This may not be the case in digital roulette games online.
- You’ll find the boxes for placing even-money bets on both sides of the number grid. You’ll notice that this isn’t the case in the other two variants.
Now, about the French terms on the table.
- Impair/Pair – These boxes are where you place odds/evens bets.
- Manque/Passe – These are where you place the 1-18 (low) and 19-36 (high) bets.
- P12/M12/D12 – P12 stands for premiere douzaine. the first dozen. M12 stands for moyenne douzaine, the second dozen. And finally, D12 stands for derniere douzaine, the final dozen.
Not anywhere near as intimidating as it first looks, right? Since I know what these French terms mean (and now so do you), I have no issues playing French roulette. However, for the sake of simplicity, and since I might forget after a few beverages, I prefer to play European roulette for the sake of understanding the table.
Final Roundup
As the above makes clear, French roulette is your best bet. It has the more favorable odds of European roulette, a much lower house edge when the La Partage rule is part of the game, and you’ve got that extra chance to win your losing bets back when the ball ends up in the zero pocket.
European Roulette Game
If you can get past the seemingly strange terms printed on the felt, you’ll win roulette more often when you choose the French version. Even if you don’t, I hope this has been an interesting and informative tour of the differences between the main roulette variants.