Are you a big fan of Roulette? Then you’ve probably already encountered several variants in your life. However, European and American Roulette are the most popular types you will usually encounter. These two different variations resemble each other in many ways. Nevertheless, there are a couple of clear differences in the rules of Roulette, but also with regard to what the Roulette wheel looks like. In this blog, we have collected and summarized all the important and essential information for you. In this way, I will get you a clear overview of the differences between these different variations.

Roulette Wheel Differences

When we talk about Roulette wheels, we can distinguish two different types: an American- and a European wheel. Obviously, American Roulette uses the American wheel and European uses the European wheel. On both wheels the numbers are numbered from 1 to 36.

But if we look at the differences, the two types are easy to distinguish from each other. The American wheel has 38 pockets – which are coloured in red or black – and contains 2 additional pockets. One with a single zero and one with a double zero. These are coloured green. The American wheel has 37 pockets (with a single 0).  Secondly, the layout. The pockets, which are provided with different numbers, differ in position when we compare the two different wheels. In addition, when we take a look at the house edge, we can conclude that the house edge is significantly higher at the American Roulette wheel in comparison to the European Roulette wheel. European Roulette therefore also provides better odds.

European Roulette

European Roulette is the best known, most classic, and most popular variation of Roulette that you are likely to encounter at online casinos. A frequently mentioned reason for this is that the odds of winning are considerably higher.

Moreover, European Roulette simply uses the standard rules of the game.

The reason why the odds of winning are higher is due – as mentioned earlier – to the amount of 0’s on the game board. But what does it actually mean, and what is the impact on the game?

Out of a total of 37 pockets, you can bet on a pocket on which you think the ivory ball will end. This is a total of 1/37th of a chance, which comes down to 2.70%. Is your bet successful? Then your bet will be returned to you.

American Roulette

On the other hand, we also have American Roulette. American Roulette is particularly popular in the United States, as its name suggests. This game has broadly the same characteristics as European Roulette.

American Roulette

However, the Americans have adapted things to the game, which increases the advantage of the house. This is caused by the extra 0 (0,00). Because of that extra 0 on the game board, the amount of numbers you can bet on has increased from 37 to 38. If you place a bet on one of the numbers, your odds here are 1/38th. This reduces your odds of winning.

Conclusion

All in all, we can conclude that European and American Roulette are very much alike. The biggest changes – which also significantly affect the game – are because of the differences in the roulette wheels. The additional additions that have been made in the American Roulette wheel reduce your chances of winning.

Many online casinos offer both variants, so you can often just make a choice according to your wishes and skills. Although, it sometimes happens that some casinos only offer one type of them. My advice, in this case, is to gain knowledge of both variants. In this way, you make sure that you don’t face any surprises. Don’t you want to take risks and have a bigger chance of winning? Then I advise you to choose European Roulette.