If you search online for roulette games to play, you may be surprised at how many different variations are available to you. The fundamentals of most roulette variations are remarkably similar; however, the most important distinctions that players must be aware of are those that exist between European roulette and roulette games played according to American regulations.
The Spinning Center
The American roulette wheel and the European roulette wheel appear to be rather comparable at first glance; yet, with a closer investigation, a substantial distinction may be seen between the two types of wheels. The roulette wheels used in American casinos both have a double zero, which is not present in the roulette wheels used in European casinos.
This means that there are only one zero pocket in the European form of roulette, whereas there are two zero pockets in the American version of the game. This suggests that if you play the European version of the game, your chances of winning will be slightly higher; nevertheless, we shall examine this more in terms of the advantage the house has over the player later on. Aside from that, each pocket on the wheel displays a number between 1 and 36. The wheels are identical in every other respect. If you want to know what kind of game is being played at a roulette table, all you need to do is search for the double zero, and you will immediately know what kind of game is being played.
The Policies
The fact that American games use a double zero has no bearing on the operation of any of the rules. The majority of the time, the rules for European and American roulette are exactly the same. When you play in a real-life casino, you’ll notice that the etiquette and approach of other players differ from that of online games, where there are no significant rule variations.
There is one notable exception to the rule that you may encounter. This is because European games frequently use a specific set of French roulette rules to assist you, and those games include a couple of additional rules that can occasionally be found in those games.
In games that offer “la partage,” if you place an even-money wager and the ball lands on zero, you will receive a return of half your original stake. If you are playing with “en jail,” your stake is kept on the table after a zero is rolled on an even money bet. After that, you’ll have another chance to win it back on the next spin. Although you won’t see la partage or en jail very often, it’s important to keep an eye out for them. Keep this strategy in mind if you plan to place even money bets.
The Game of Chance
All versions of roulette allow players to place traditional bets such as “red,” “black,” “corner,” and “straight up.” You’ll also notice that the rewards are almost always the same from game to game. As a result, if you correctly estimate a single number, you have a 35 to 1 chance of winning.
However, the 5-number bet is only available on American roulette wheels. Here you place a single bet that includes the 0 and 00, as well as the 1, 2, and 3. You might also hear it mentioned in the context of the basket bet. Simply put, there is no double zero in European games, so it cannot be used in certain situations.
This bet on five numbers is widely regarded as the worst possible bet in the roulette game. This is due to the fact that the payoff is 6 to 1, despite the fact that the likelihood of winning is only 5:38. As a result, it has the worst house edge in roulette, and most players will avoid it as a result.
In some European games, there is also a racetrack area where players can place bets called bets. These are referred to as orphans, layers of the cylinder, and zero voisins. These bets are also known as French bets, and they are not available in every version of roulette played in Europe. If you want to bet on any of these additional wagers, which cover a range of numbers from 1 to 50, you’ll need to use more than one chip.
Probabilities of Getting the Win
The information that we’ve gathered up to this point leads us to believe that the version of roulette known as European roulette, which is played traditionally, offers greater odds of winning to players than its counterpart, which is played in the United States.
The presence of an extra zero on the roulette wheel causes the house edge to increase. As a result, the edge held by the casino in European games is 2.70 percent, while the edge held by the casino in American games is 5.26 percent. This difference might not be obvious at first, but if you are not diligent, it could start eating into your bankroll as you continue to play if you are not careful.
The house has an edge of 7.89 percent on a wager on five numbers, which is bigger than the house’s edge on other types of bets. As a consequence of this, the house edge is the greatest of any roulette game, and no European game even comes close to matching it.
The “house advantage” in European varieties of the game that incorporates any of these rules is brought down to 1.35 percent as a result of the “la partage” and “en prison” rules, which can be found in some games. These rules serve to further diminish the “house edge” in these games. The casino has a 2.70 percentage point advantage over any other bets, including the stated bets that were just covered in the preceding paragraph.
Which one should you test first?
If you are interested in playing some traditional games like roulette or blackjack, the European version of these time-honored games offers a little improved opportunity for players to come out on top. It makes even more sense to play this variation of the game over longer sessions because the house edge is so much lower in European roulette compared to other kinds of roulette.