American Roulette Vs European Roulette
Originally from France, roulette is a casino game that is popular in both offline and online casinos around the world. With its increasing popularity, a number of variations of online roulette have come into existence, making the game even more interesting. You can even get mobile roulette on todays modern phones! Today, the most popular roulette variations you can play include the American roulette and the European roulette. Although both the versions are more or less the same, there are minor differences in the rules as well as the roulette wheel that is used in the game.
European Roulette
The European roulette, which is commonly played around the world, is commonly played on the internet. The European roulette wheel has 37 pockets in all, with numbers from 0 to 36. As the ball can land in any of the 37 slots, with the odds at 36:1 for the players, and 35:1 for the casino that enjoys a house edge of 2.7%. The numbers in the European wheel are randomly arranged so that the red and black slots are next to each other and the odd even numbers are opposite each other. The numbers on the table are arranged from the lowest to highest with the first three numbers in the first row and so on, making it easier for the players to bet.
American Roulette
The popular American version of the game is also offered in the online casinos. Unlike the regular single zero roulette, the American roulette wheel and table both have 38 pockets including 1 to 36 numbers, zero (0) and double-zero (00). Because of the extra 00, a player’s odds of winning go down to 36:1 and the house edge increases to 5.6%. As the house edge in roulette is already high in comparison to the other casino games, this makes the American version less preferable.
The American roulette wheel has both a single and double zero pocket, with the consecutive numbers being placed opposite each other. That means 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and so on are opposite each other. On both sides of the 0 and 00, there are 18 numbers each.
A Better Choice
Considering the house edge, many players feel that the European version of online roulette is better than its American counterpart. Besides the number of pockets in the roulette wheel, here are a few more differences between the European and the American versions.
Reduced Losses – As the house edge in European roulette is at 2.7% as compared to the 5.6% or American roulette, you lose only $2.7 in the European version and $5.6 in the American one for every $100.
En Prison – Another advantage of the European version is the betting option called En Prison that reduces the house edge by 1.35%. Here, a player can carry forward his bet to the next round in case the ball lands in zero. This bet is available only in the European version.
On the whole, the European version is more similar to the original French roulette, while there are changes incorporated in the American version. You can also look for other variations when you play these games online, and choose one where your odds of winning are high.
