American vs European Roulette
Roulette is one of the most popular games around the world and here at mr.play Casino as well, with several varieties on offer. The two most distinct varieties are American and European roulette. While both follow the basic roulette format, there are differences between the two that can be important for players. Below we’ll explain how they’re different and what that means for you.
So how are American and European roulette different?
The roulette table The roulette table looks very similar in American and European roulette, with the exception of an additional field for the double zero (00) in the American version. Both clearly mark inside and outside bets. The table for French roulette looks slightly different, with certain fields for outside bets marked in French and placed on either side of the numbers.
The roulette wheel
The roulette wheel features red and black slots called “pockets” that are numbered from 1 to 36, plus one or two green pockets numbered 0 and 00. The pockets are arranged equally on the wheel, with the numbers being equidistant. As a result, there is an equal likelihood for the ball to settle in any of the pockets on the wheel. Red and black alternate on the wheel, and so do even and odd numbers to an extent – there are never more than two even or odd numbers next to each other on the wheel. The biggest differences between the American and European roulette wheels are immediately apparent:
- The sequence of numbers is different.
- The American wheel has an extra pocket, making it 38 to the European wheel’s 37.
- That extra pocket on the American wheel is a double zero (00), marked in green.
The clockwise sequence of numbers on the American wheel is 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2 The sequence on the European wheel (also clockwise) is: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26 Again, there is only a single green zero pocket on the European wheel. Essentially, having that extra zero on the wheel is what makes American roulette so drastically different. Why? The answer lies in the different odds.
The difference between payouts and odds
Payouts on American and European roulette are very similar — even the same in the case of certain bets — but the odds are always different. Let’s say you bet on a single number (called a Straight up bet). The payout for a win is 35:1, which means that you’ll get back x35 your bet plus your original bet — for instance, on a £1 bet you’ll win a cool £36. The odds of winning, on the other hand, are determined by the number of pockets on the wheel. In American roulette, there are 38 pockets on the wheel; therefore your odds of winning on a straight up bet are 1 in 38. The odds on European roulette are 1 in 37, because there are 37 pockets on the wheel. In either case, your odds of winning are smaller than the payout. This is what gives the house its eventual edge.
The zero and the house edge
In European roulette, the house edge is 2.70%. In American roulette, that extra zero and extra pocket raise the house’s edge to 5.26%.
Bets in American and European roulette at mr.play Casino
Roulette offers an abundance of betting options. In all variants, you can place inside or outside bets. Inside bets are bets placed “inside” the number zone on the roulette table. Outside bets are bets placed in the boxes “outside” the number zone.
Bets in European roulette
Inside bets
| Bet type | Payout | Description |
| Straight up | 35:1 | Bet on any single number, including the 0, by placing chips directly on the number |
| Split | 17:1 | Bet on two adjacent numbers on the table by placing chips on the line that separates them |
| Split 0 | 17:1 | Bet on combinations such as 0+1, 0+2, 0+3 by placing chips on the line that separates the 0 from the other numbers |
| Street (row) | 11:1 | Bet on three numbers in a line by placing chips on the line at the end of a row of three numbers, above the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, and 36 |
| Trio | 11:1 | Bet on three numbers by placing chips on the intersecting point between 0, 1 and 2, or 0, 2 and 3 |
| Corner | 8:1 | Bet on four numbers by placing chips on the spot (“corner”) where the four numbers meet |
| Six Line | 5:1 | Bet on six numbers (two adjacent lines) by placing chips on the intersecting point between two lines, at the end of two rows of three numbers |
| Top Line | 8:1 | Bet on the numbers 0, 1, 2, and 3 by placing chips on the intersecting exterior point where numbers 0 and 3 meet |
Outside bets
| Bet type | Payout | Description |
| Column | 2:1 | Bet on 12 numbers by placing chips in the boxes tagged “2 to 1” at the bottom of each numbered column. Zero is a losing number |
| Dozen | 2:1 | Bet on 12 numbers by placing chips in the zones marked “1st 12” (Low Dozen), “2nd 12” (Middle Dozen), and “3rd 12” (High Dozen) |
| Red | 1:1 | Bet on red numbers by placing chips on the red diamond |
| Black | 1:1 | Bet on black numbers by placing chips on the black diamond |
| Even | 1:1 | Bet on even numbers on the wheel by placing chips on the box marked “Even.” |
| Odd | 1:1 | Bet on odd numbers on the wheel by placing chips on the box marked “Odd.” |
| First half | 1:1 | Bet on numbers 1–18 by placing chips on the box marked “1–18” |
| Second half | 1:1 | Bet on numbers 19–36 by placing chips on the box marked “19–36” |
The racetrack in a nutshell
In addition to the roulette table, European roulette games at mr.play Casino feature something called “the racetrack.” Oval-shaped and containing the numbers in the order they appear on the wheel, the racetrack is a tool that allows players to quickly place bets on multiple numbers. It is divided into three sections, each covering a section of the wheel:
- Voisins
- Orphelins
- Tiers
In addition, placing chips on any number of the racetrack will cover its “neighbours” as well, including 5 numbers in your bet.
Bets in American roulette
American roulette offers the same betting options, with the addition of the basket, which is a bet that involves the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3. The basket is probably the riskiest bet in roulette, as it raises the house’s edge to 7.89%.
Inside bets in American roulette
| Bet type | Payout | Description |
| Straight up | 35:1 | Bet on any single number, including the 0, by placing chips directly on the number |
| Split | 17:1 | Bet on two adjacent numbers on the table by placing chips on the line that separates them |
| Street | 11:1 | Bet on three numbers in a line by placing chips on the line at the start of a row of three numbers, under the numbers 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34 |
| Square | 8:1 | Bet on four numbers by placing chips on the spot where the four numbers meet |
| Basket | 6:1 | Bet on five numbers by placing chips on the spot where the zero and 1 meet. This bet involves the numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 |
| Line | 5:1 | Bet on six numbers (two adjacent lines) by placing chips on the intersecting point between two lines, at the end of two rows of three numbers |
Outside bets in American roulette are the same as in the game’s European variant. The racetrack in mr.play Casino’s American roulette is similar to its European counterpart but only allows bets on neighbouring numbers on the track — you cannot bet on sections.
Conclusion
Roulette is one of the most popular casino games, both online and in brick-and-mortar casinos. mr.play Casino is host to both of the most popular variants: American and European roulette. The difference between the two boils down to one crucial alteration: While the European wheel has one zero, the American one has two, 0 and 00, which changes the house’s edge on all bets, making American roulette perhaps the riskier choice. Whichever one you choose will depend on what you value more in a game of roulette — thrill and higher stakes, or a lower house edge and better odds.
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