The winning probabilities in European and American roulette are different since the latter has an additional green number, commonly referred to as double zero-00, whereas European roulette doesn’t have this option.
Hence, the presence of this extra green number slightly decreases the chances of hitting other specific integers or sets that are in play, whether the gamer makes only one spin or multiple rotations.
In terms of house edge, the American roulette is estimated to have 5.26%, whereas its European counterpart has an average of 2.70%. The American version’s house edge is almost twice that of European roulette, all thanks to the extra 00 number.
Nevertheless, the bets and payouts present in each game are quite the same. For instance, 1 to 1 is for a red/black wager, whereas 35 to 1 represents a straight number bet. Moreover, if you observe keenly, you’ll notice that the additional 00 number in American roulette hasn’t just been fixed into an existing European roulette wheel design. The order of numbers represented in each wheel is also completely different.
American roulette
This version of the game has a wheel with a zero, double-zero and 36 standard numbers. Therefore, each player has 38 possible spaces whereby the ball can land. Meaning that when you place a bet on any particular number, there’s a 1/38 probability of winning. The chances of seeing the same color emerge on successive spins reduces by half from one spin to another.
Additionally, in American roulette you’ll realize that it’s less likely to see a single color appearing on several spins in a row, compared to the European version. This isn’t because the former is more ‘favorable’ and distributes red/black colors evenly, but rather there’s an extra green number of 00 which increases the likelihood of disrupting any flow of successive similar-color spins.
Unlike its European counterpart, the American roulette has a ‘five number bet’ that’s only unique to itself. These integers are 1, 2, 3, 0 and 00, they cannot be placed on a typical European table. However, this is a good thing since the house-edge found in this type of bet is higher than other bets with remarkable house edge ratio of up to 7.89%. It’s also the only wager in roulette that permanently holds a different house-edge compared to other possible bets on the table.
The only other roulette stakes that may carry a different house edge are ‘Even Money Bets’, these are common in European tables that make use of the ‘en prison’ or ‘la partage’ rule. If any of the two rules is effected, then house edge is reduced by half from 2.70% to 1.35%.
European roulette
Since European roulette has no ’00’ hole, players generally enjoy a greater chance of winning. For instance, for every $1 that’s bet on European Roulette you can expect to win back 97.37 cents with time. Whereas in the American version this figure is much lower at only 94.74 cents.
Furthermore, some casinos offer participants the option of using ‘en prison’ policy on their European wagering tables. This rule only applies to the European roulette but not the American edition. The ‘en prison’ rule allows you to spin another wheel for an opportunity to win, especially if you placed an even cash bet such as red or black but the results turned out to be 0.
Additionally, European roulette has ‘call bets’ option which is a form of ‘predetermined or announced’ bets covering specific parts of the roulette wheel. For instance, ‘voisins du zero’ represents a call bet that encompasses 17 numbers adjacent to the green 0. There are many other similar wagers to this one that can be played using the racetrack, which is available at certain designated roulette tables.
Also known as roulette odds, house edge is the percentage ratio of advantage that the casino has over its players. You can determine the house edge of a roulette game by dividing the total number of zeroes present on a wheel by number of pockets presented. That’s particularly true for standard roulette tables that pay out winnings at odds, like those that would have otherwise been fairer if the spin-wheel only contained 36 numbers without the zeroes.
In conclusion, the American roulette has a house-edge average of 2/38 whereas its European counterpart has 1/37. While there’s no specific formula that can be used to increase your chances of winning in roulette, looking deep into the odds of a game is the best way to understand what it really entails. Both of these two versions of roulette have their own unique house-edge values that some people may find attractive, solely based on their playing technique.