If you’re trying out roulette for the first time online, or even if you’ve only just played Roulette sporadically for fun, you may not know that there are several different
types of Roulette, each with slightly different variations of game play. So, what are they, and what’s the difference? Let’s find out…
American Roulette
The most popular roulette variation, what sets American Roulette apart from the others is its use of the
green single zero and green double zero spaces on the wheel. American Roulette also has and a higher house edge; due to having 38 pockets, rather than 37 pockets contained in a European wheel.
(American Roulette wheel displaying both single and double zero pockets.)
European Roulette
Having
just one zero on the wheel (and one less pocket than American Roulette), means that European Roulette has a significantly lower house edge. Playing this version is much easier on your bankroll.
(European Roulette wheel displaying just a single zero pocket.)
House Edge: American vs. European
Just how big of a difference is the house edge between American and European Roulette? Quite a bit! In fact, European Roulette’s house edge is nearly half of its American Counterpart:
- European house edge: 2.7%
- American house edge: 5.26%
Standard payout for both variations is the same, however, at 35:1.
French Roulette
Similar to European Roulette, French Roulette has two rules around the ball landing on zero: La Partage and En Prison to make things really interesting! It’s a bit complicated, and not easy to find a casino or game that uses these rules. But you can real all about them on our
“Roulette Glossary of Terms” on this
Roulette Rules page.
Other Variations
There are other variations of roulette that you may find on any number of online casino sites, including:
- Live Dealer: Exactly what it says on the box – a real-life dealer live streams wheel spins and call the bets online.
- Mini-Roulette: Same rules as European, but with less numbers on the wheel; ideal for beginners to help learn the ropes.
- Multi-Ball, Multi-Wheel, and Royal Roulette: Not your run-of-the-mill roulette, these variations give players exciting alternatives to roulette norms with multiple balls, wheels, and bet types in play.
You can read about all these roulette variations, plus links to more rules and betting strategy on our casino.us Roulette Guide.
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Free Games Page.