Roulette: European or American?

Roulette is also known as “The Devil’s Game”. This is because the sum of all the numbers found on the roulette wheel is 666.

As a beginner, the many different variations of roulette are often a little overwhelming. It is said that roulette is the simplest game in a casino. The confusion arises from the fact that over time attempts have been made to make the game a bit more interesting by making small tweaks.

In many casinos, especially online casinos like NetBet, there are two main categories for roulette: European and American.

The differences

The biggest noticeable difference between the two variants is the speed at which the game is played. American roulette gets down to business a lot faster than European roulette.

In addition, the table in American roulette is much smaller than the European one. This makes it easier for the croupier to collect and distribute the bets spread across the table. In Europe there are always at least 2, sometimes up to 4, croupiers per table, precisely because the table is so large and a croupier would be over-challenged on his own.

What is important with the two variants

The first key to understanding roulette is the number of zeros present. In American roulette there are 38 number boxes: 36 boxes ranging from 1 to 36 and two boxes reserved for 0 and 00. The function of the second zero in this type of roulette is the same as that of the single zero. The fact is that roulette with an extra zero gives players fewer chances of winning than European roulette.

In terms of numbers, the role of the extra zero is considerable. The casino’s chances of winning (also called House Edge) are doubled by the additional zero. It is precisely for this reason that the 00 was introduced in America. Under normal circumstances, the casino’s odds of winning are 2.7% higher than the player’s. With the additional zero, the chance of winning increases to a whopping 5.26%.

The second key point is the so-called “en prison” rule. American casinos increase their chances even more by removing this rule. So this rule only exists in the European version. It allows players, if the ball stops at zero, to leave the bets on the table for one round and have another chance the next time.

In American roulette, on the other hand, the bet is immediately lost if the ball comes to rest on one of the two zeros, unless a bet was made directly on 0 or 00.

So which version is the recommended roulette variant?

It all depends on what type of player you are. If you like the longer games with more freedom of choice and more time, then European roulette is your friend. In addition, the chances of winning with this variant are slightly better than with the version popular in America. However, American roulette has the allure of high speed. So something for the adrenaline junkies among you.