If you have ever spent time at an online casino, you may have noticed that there are at least two different versions of roulette. Some of the most common versions include American and European roulette. While the games look very similar, there are a few differences between them. However, these differences are not always clear. Let’s take a closer look at them now.
The Big Difference
The next time you visit http://live-dealer.us/live-roulette take a close look at the American and European roulette wheels. You’ll notice that the American roulette wheel has 36 black and red numbers and 2 green numbers. The European roulette wheel has 36 black and red numbers and 1 green number.
The extra number on the American roulette wheel is 00. This is the major difference between the wheel, making bets placed on the American wheel a little less likely to win.
The House’s Edge
When playing American roulette, players will have a house edge of approximately 5%. European roulette comes with a house edge of around 2.7%. The difference in the house edge is down to the American roulette wheel having an extra number. The payouts and the bets in each game are the same, meaning that the extra 00 lowers the chances of winning.
The En Prison Rule
Many casinos use what is known as the “en prison” rule. This rule only applies to European roulette. The rule works in this way: if the ball lands on 0 and an even money bet has been placed, the money remains on the table. Players will have the chance to spin the roulette wheel once more.
Call Bets
Also known as “Announced bets”, call bets are bets that have already been predetermined. Bets such as these cover specific parts of the wheel. Call bets are only available in European roulette.
- Voisins du Zero covers the 17 numbers that are closest to the 0, more specifically numbers 22 to 25, with the 0 in the middle of the numbers.
- Orphelins cover numbers 1-9 and 17-6. There are two Orphelins on the wheel and they run almost opposite to each other.
- Tiers du Cylindre covers number 27 through to number 33.
Voisins du Zero is located at the top of the wheel, the Orphelins sections are in the middle, and Tiers du Cylindre make up what’s left of the wheel.
The Neighbors
The neighbors, or as it is spelled on European wheels “Neighbours”, is known as a straight bet. Players can place a bet on the number of their choice along with a straight bet on 2 other numbers on the chosen number’s left and right. Players choose which number they would like to bet on and the croupier will add another four bets surrounding that number.
The odds of winning this bet are approximately 13.5% and it can help to make the game a little more exciting.
As you can see, there are quite a few differences between American and European roulette. If these differences weren’t enough, some casinos offer many varieties of European roulette.