Types of Roulette: What's the difference?

[Tammy]

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.

Want to practice for FREE? Click the Roulette tab on the Free Games Page.

 

[burba]

I play thursdays 0,05$ on red or black to get a ticket....

In the long term you'll loose playing Roulette - that's why we play Poker....

 

[Luvepoker]

Las Vegas now has 3 greens on the roulette tables. How to make there edge much better.

 

[najisami]

Personally, I think Roulette is the casino's bread and butter along with the Slot machines.

If you're out to have fun and have money to throw away (To pay for the fun!), then Roulette is for you. But if you're looking to make money, there are other games worth considering: Poker, blackjack and Craps (According to my humble knowledge at least).

However, and even though I've always stayed away from it, I know that Roulette does offer some not too scary bets. Red/Black that "only" pays 1 to 1 for instance, or some other bets paying 3 to 1 etc ... But putting one's money on a certain # hopping to get that 34 or 35 to 1 is definitely for pure gamblers or people having fun with $$$.

 

[maronza1]

Personally, I think Roulette is the casino's bread and butter along with the Slot machines.

If you're out to have fun and have money to throw away (To pay for the fun!), then Roulette is for you. But if you're looking to make money, there are other games worth considering: Poker, Blackjack and Craps (According to my humble knowledge at least).

However, and even though I've always stayed away from it, I know that Roulette does offer some not too scary bets. Red/Black that "only" pays 1 to 1 for instance, or some other bets paying 3 to 1 etc ... But putting one's money on a certain # hopping to get that 34 or 35 to 1 is definitely for pure gamblers or people having fun with $$$.

Yes, Roulette is for pure gamblers and especially for betting on the specific outcome is wild, it is not for the faint hearted

But, Why is American Roulette paying the same 35:1 as European Roulette since it has 0 and 00?

 

[najisami]

But, Why is American Roulette paying the same 35:1 as European Roulette since it has 0 and 00?

Good question
I think one pays 34 to 1 and the other pays 35 to 1, but I could be wrong.

 

[burba]

Both European and American roulette pay 35:1 on a straight-up number bet.

• European roulette has 37 pockets (numbers 1–36 plus a single zero).
• American roulette has 38 pockets (numbers 1–36 plus zero and double zero).

If payouts were fair, they would be 36:1 in European roulette and 37:1 in American roulette. Since casinos still only pay 35:1, the house keeps a built-in advantage.

That edge ensures the casino always wins in the long run.

 

[Sunz of Beaches]

Thats actually very interesting as i always thought the difference in amercan roulette and european roulette is just the design. I was always wondering what to choose in the lobby and because i play super rarely roulette i did not care at all but never i saw that double zero in my wheel so i probably always opted for the european version.

 

[najisami]

Both European and American roulette pay 35:1 on a straight-up number bet.

• European roulette has 37 pockets (numbers 1–36 plus a single zero).
• American roulette has 38 pockets (numbers 1–36 plus zero and double zero).

If payouts were fair, they would be 36:1 in European roulette and 37:1 in American roulette. Since casinos still only pay 35:1, the house keeps a built-in advantage.

That edge ensures the casino always wins in the long run.

Thank you very much. The exact clarification I needed.

 

[hilary antonik filho]

Roulette is my disappointment. My first time in Vegas, I won a few dollars and went to bet on it. I won a few more dollars and added what I had won (believing I was lucky) and played $390 on 21 and it came up 12. I never wanted to play roulette again.
Now playing for free, I bet on black and it came up red, then I bet on 1 to 12 and it came up 18.
Enough.

 

[Navin Sarabjeet]

I played some roulette in the past, but mostly "call bets".
These are bets that are best done when the dealer has already spinned the ball. So the dealer doesn't see your bets before hand, because the dealer decides which vicinity the ball falls. Or you guys didn,t know that? Good dealers know how to control the ball.

 

[Newzooozooo]

I have always played European roulette. I wouldn't say it's my favourite game, but it's worth trying for fun. I've won a few times, but I've definitely lost more

 

[YLAN]

My 2cents is that roulette is a game of odds. The highest risk is 1:37 or 1:38. The risk can be significantly reduced 1:2 & almost just a flip by covering or betting half the numbers or more on the felt. Half or more of the time, one of the numbers will hit; & the other times, you loose a bankroll. I have never played roulette & I still have to test that strategy.

 

[Tero]

Actually I was quite oblivious about the differences between European and US roulettes. I never really had an itch to play the real thing.

When I was a kid I had toy roulette that looked a lot like this:

Then in the late 80's early 90's I spent few coins here are there on roulette machines that had maybe 40 (?) buttons to press and pretty predictable number rotation (link to image). But those went out of style when games started to move towards more digital solutions.

 

[pentazepam]

Today, almost all wheels are perfectly balanced, but throughout history, stories like this have been written about. True or false. Or just luck?

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1hmn5b2

 

[Tero]

Today, almost all wheels are perfectly balanced, but throughout history, stories like this have been written about. True or false. Or just luck?

I wonder what casino would allow you to record their roulette wheel? Unless it was done in secrecy.
But I could tell a true story about a slot player who managed to figure out (with help) a slot machine algorithm and win big. He ended up in court.

 

[choprav]

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.

Want to practice for FREE? Click the Roulette tab on the Free Games Page.

1 0 edge to house double 00 and 0 more edge to house. Worst game in a casino for the player.

 

[userX]

I don't see any fundamental difference between European roulette and American roulette. But I think that since I live in Europe, I should play European roulette, otherwise I might be kicked out of the casino as an illegal immigrant. I wonder if there is such a thing as Asian roulette, Chinese roulette for example?
We all know that there is russian roulette, and it is quite original. They have a talent for coming up with their own things.

 

[Marcwantstowin]

I don't see any fundamental difference between European roulette and American roulette. But I think that since I live in Europe, I should play European roulette, otherwise I might be kicked out of the casino as an illegal immigrant. I wonder if there is such a thing as Asian roulette, Chinese roulette for example?
We all know that there is russian roulette, and it is quite original. They have a talent for coming up with their own things.

They have Mahjong - easy game to play,

 

[Tammy]

I don't see any fundamental difference between European roulette and American roulette. But I think that since I live in Europe, I should play European roulette, otherwise I might be kicked out of the casino as an illegal immigrant. I wonder if there is such a thing as Asian roulette, Chinese roulette for example?
We all know that there is russian roulette, and it is quite original. They have a talent for coming up with their own things.

Well, there is a game called Chinese Checkers? Maybe Chinese roulette too? But please don't ever play the Russian variety...it could be bad for your health!

 

[Rost]

As far as I can tell, it's better to play European roulette because there's only one zero. Or, if you play American roulette, you need to place at least two additional bets on zero to minimize the risks.

 

[Rost]

I don't see any fundamental difference between European roulette and American roulette. But I think that since I live in Europe, I should play European roulette, otherwise I might be kicked out of the casino as an illegal immigrant. I wonder if there is such a thing as Asian roulette, Chinese roulette for example?
We all know that there is russian roulette, and it is quite original. They have a talent for coming up with their own things.

I think everyone understands that it is better not to play Russian roulette at all I wonder if cleaning companies work in casinos with Russian roulette, or if the staff does the cleaning.

 

[CNXRegie]

I’ve never played any type or variant of Roulette before, so I really had no idea how it works. From what I’ve learned in the posts here, it seems the main difference is just the number of zero pockets.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever try this game—unless there’s a free entry or, like on casino.us, the option to play with play money. Honestly, it feels a bit boring for a poker enthusiast like me. But hey, who knows? 🎲♠️🤔

 

[MK_]

I had a roulette game as a kid too so that may explain my fondness for roulette ....

or we have just stumbled upon my favorite "I know I'm going to lose game....

but I just like the sound the marble makes spinning around the wheel"😅👍

 

[Youvraj365]

The only difference i see is that you get 37 number to play in European roulette and in American roulette you get 38 number to play.