Blog Posted on 02/08/2014 | Author: Karen Macarthur
Differentiating between American and European Roulette
Roulette is the centre of attention in any casino where the land based or the online version. A game of chance and luck, it is the most visually captivating table games. Popular variations are the American and European Roulette with the latter being the most played version.
Both the American and European Roulette versions involve predicting where the spinning white ball will land on the roulette wheel. The only difference between the two is the presence of the extra numbered slot on the roulette wheel – the 00.
The American version is more popular only in the US because of the patronage of the fans present there. The European Roulette is more common in both the traditional and the online setting.
Physical Table Layout Differences
The casino house edge is the major difference between the American and European Roulette. There are still minor differences in the way the numbers are ordered on the roulette wheel and the table. While this makes not much difference to the gameplay, it pays to be familiar with the layout of the game.
Different coloured chips are given to the players in American Roulette for the Croupier to differentiate between the bets. In the European Roulette same coloured chips are given to all the players. It is highly dependent on the Croupiers memory to announce the correct winner. This difference is applied to only the land based roulettes.
Betting Strategies
Both the American and European Roulette systems have the same gameplay and betting rules. The main difference is in the casino house edge that applies when playing.
The American version has this 00 numbered slot both in the wheel and the table layout. The presence of this extra number increases the casino house edge to 5.26%. This is against the 2.7% house edge of the European version.
Consider this simple calculation on why the European Roulette is better than the American version.
If you bet on a single number, the odds are 1 out of 37 making it 2.70% in the European Roulette. With the American Roulette it is 1 out of 38 making it 5.26%. While this is a very small difference, when playing with real money everything counts.
Another common betting variation of the European Roulette is seen in the French version. The French Roulette follows the same gameplay as in the European Roulette. The En Prison Rule and the La Partage Rule are specific to the French Roulette.
La Partage Rule follows that if a bet is made on an Even Money bet and the ball lands on the single 0, then the player loses only half of the amount.
En Prison Rule again has the player lose half of his bet amount if the ball lands in the 0 slot. But in this case, the player is sent to a “prison” and his amount depends on the next spin. If he wins then the bet amount is safe, else the house wins. If the ball again lands on 0, then the next spin decides their fate and so on.
When the En Prison rule is applied, the house edge drops to an even lower 1. 352% compared to the American Roulette’s 5.26% house edge.
Types of Bets in American and European Roulette
The betting rules are the same in both the American and European Roulette. Only the difference is the Five Number Bet which is only applicable for the American Roulette.
Inside bets: Place your bets on a single number or any of the six possible grouping as below
- Straight Bet – 35:1 payout (Bet on one number)
- Split Bet- 17:1 payout (Bet on adjacent numbers,)
- Street Bet – 11:1 payout (Bet on 3 numbers in a row)
- Corner Bet – 8:1 payout (Bet on a block of 4 numbers)
- Five Number Bet –6:1 payout (Bet on 5 numbers (0, 00, 1, 2, 3)
- Six Line Bet – 5:1 payout (Bet on 6 numbers of 2 adjacent rows)
Outside bets: Place your bet on any of the blocks outside the grid.
- Column Bet –2:1 payout (Bet on 1 of the 3 columns,)
- Dozen Bet – 2:1 payout (Bet on 12 numbers of middle, high or low block)
- Even Money Bet –1:1 payout (Bet on 18 numbers (even, odd, black or red)
The Roulette is a quick and simple game to play. The thrill of waiting for the roulette ball to land into the slot and deciding your bet makes it the most exciting game. Both the American and European Roulette versions are making it the most played casino games.
