Roulette

American Wheel

This type of wheel is found in North and South American casinos and generally, in any American Roulette game. The wheelhead features 38 pockets, 36 for numbers 1 through 36, as well as 2 for the zero and the double zero.

Half of the 36 pockets are black, and the other half are red, with the colors alternating between one another. The zero and the double-zero pockets are both colored green. The two are always on opposite sides of the wheel, facing each other.

The numbers come in the following sequence when counting counterclockwise: 0, 2, 14, 35, 23, 4, 16, 33, 21, 6, 18, 31, 19, 8, 12, 29, 25, 10 27, 00 1, 13, 36, 24, 3, 15, 34, 22, 5, 17, 32, 20, 7, 11, 30, 26, 9, 28. This roulette wheel differentiates itself from those of other styles since it features an extra pocket for the double zero.

Because of this, American wheels are referred to as double-zero wheels. The addition of a double-zero pocket causes the house edge to rise to 5.26%, which is nearly twice as high as that in single-zero roulette games.

French Wheel

This type of wheel is found at both French and European Roulette games, since they are practically identical. This type of wheel is predominantly found in Continental Europe and Asia. Unlike the American wheel which has 38 pockets, the French one features only 37.

There are 36 pockets for numbers 1 through 36, colored black and red and alternating between colors, as well as a single zero pocket colored green. The sequence of numbers is unique to this wheel and it goes as follows: 26, 3, 35, 12, 28, 7, 29, 18, 22, 9, 31, 14, 20, 1, 33, 16, 24, 5, 10, 23, 8, 30, 11, 36, 13, 27, 6, 34, 17, 25, 2, 21, 4, 19, 15, 32. As you can see, there is no double zero pocket on the French wheel, which means that it has a low house edge at 2.7%. This is the main difference between the French and American wheels.

However, there are still some variables between European and French Roulette. For instance, the French version features either ‘en prison’ or a ‘le partage’ rule. This reduces the house even further to 1.35% for even money bets, making the French version the most favorable out of all of them.

Inside Bets

The Inside bets are those found in the grid, featuring numbers 1 through 36, as well as the zero and double zero (in American roulette only). The bets you can place here can be on single numbers, rows, columns, etc. Below you will find a full list detailing these bets and their respective payout ratios.

Inside Bets Payout

• Straight Up (single number) – Pays 35:1
• Split (two numbers) – Pays 17:1
• Street (three numbers) – Pays 11:1
• Corner (four numbers) – Pays 8:1
• Basket (0-00-1-2-3) – Pays 6:1 (only featured in American Roulette)
• Line (six numbers) – Pays 5:1

Outside Bets

The Outside bets are found near the grid and feature different betting options. When placing an Outside bet you are wagering on factors such as colour, odd or even, high or low, etc. If the ball lands in a zero pocket then any Outside bets will be lost. Below you will find all of the Outside bets and their payout ratios.

Outside Bets Payout

• High or Low – Pays 1:1
• Red or Black – Pays 1:1
• Odd or Even – Pays 1:1
• Dozen (one group of 12 numbers) – Pays 2:1
• Column (a column of 12 numbers) – Pays 2:1

American Roulette

American Roulette is perhaps the most played version of roulette in brick-and-mortar establishments. This type of roulette emerged in the United States during the 19th century as the country was expanding westwards. Currently, American Roulette is predominantly played in the Americas, whereas French and European enjoy a lot of popularity in Europe and Asia.

American Roulette differs from other versions by featuring a double zero pocket. This pushes the house edge further in the favor of the casino. The numbers sequence on the wheel is also slightly different from that of French and European roulette wheels. In some American casinos, you are likely to encounter the ‘Surrender’ rule. It is practically identical to the ‘le partage’ in French Roulette, where you get to keep half of your wager if you had placed an Outside bet and the ball landed in a zero pocket.

French Roulette

French Roulette is nearly identical to European roulette in all but a slight change in the rules. The French version of roulette features ‘la partage’ or ‘en prison’ rule. ‘La partage’ literally means splitting and this rule is applied in the event that you have placed an outside bet and the ball lands on zero. If that happens then half of your bet is returned to you, with the other half being claimed by the house.

‘En prison’ is French for ‘in prison’, and this rule is applied when the ball lands on zero and you have placed an outside bet. If that happens, then according to the ‘en prison’ rule you do not lose your money immediately, rather it stays on the same outside bet for the next spin, which determines whether you will win or lose the bet.

These bets are very beneficial to the player since they allow for at least a portion of a losing bet to be reclaimed. This makes French Roulette the most favorable roulette variation in terms of odds.

European Roulette

European Roulette is one of the most popular versions of roulette in the world. It is featured in many land-based casinos throughout the world, as well as in online ones. This version of roulette features 37 pockets, for the number 1 through 36 and the zero. Unlike American Roulette, this version features only a single zero pocket, making the odds much more favorable.

Overdue Numbers

Whenever the ball has not fallen in a specific pocket for a long time you may hear people saying that it is ‘overdue’ and that it will come up soon. This is also called Gambler’s Fallacy. The idea that something has to happen because it has not happened in a while. There is no logical reasoning behind this.

While it is true that it is improbable for the number never to hit, one must also understand that how probability works in casino games. The truth of the matter is that casino games hold no memory, regardless if you play them online or at a brick-and-mortar. The previous spin has no effect on the next, as each is independent from the other. While very improbable, it is possible for a number to hit several times in a row. This has happened in 1959, where in a Puerto Rico casino the number 10 came up 6 consecutive times. The odds of this happening are ridiculously low – 1:3,010,936,384. The point is that no one spin is influenced by previous ones and no number is ‘overdue’ at any point in the game.

Hot Numbers

This is a similar situation as the previous one. When certain numbers are coming up more often than others, some players may say that they are ‘hot and that you should bet on them. Disproving this argument is pretty simple. Just like with the ‘overdue’ number, the ‘hot’ ones are not influenced by any previous spins.

There are set odds for the ball to land in a certain pocket and these do not change. If the results are the same or similar on several consecutive spins, then that is the product of chance and nothing else. There are simply no other factors involved.

Lucky Numbers

You have probably heard this before, even outside the world of casino gambling. How a person has a lucky number. As nice as it would be for this to hold any truth, in reality, things a quite different.

Whether you are betting on the date of your anniversary, your grandmother’s birthday, or the number of kids that you have, this will have no effect on the outcome of the game. The only good thing about lucky numbers is that they give you an immediate choice what to bet on if for some inexplicable reason you cannot decide.

Cursing at the Ball

In some gambling circles, the idea has flourished that cursing at the ball will cause it to land in your winning number’s pocket. This is ridiculous and in a way amusing.

The ball is obviously an inanimate object, so regardless if you plead with it, swear at it, or talk kindly to it, the result will not be any different.