Variations of roulette: European & American online roulette types

There are two types of roulette games available, namely the European Roulette variant and the American Roulette variant. Both versions are essentially the same game play wise, but a small difference in the way the wheel is built considerably changes the odds.

If you never knew what the difference between European Roulette and American Roulette is, then this article will clear it up for you. Read everything carefully, because correctly understanding your winning chances in each variant of the game is essential.

American Roulette

The American Roulette when is, in fact, the first roulette wheel to be invented. And no, it was not invented in America but instead in France during the 18th century. The first roulette wheel used two zeros that gave the casino an advantage over the players.

Roulette then quickly spread across all of Europe and became the favorite game of many. Later it was introduced into the USA by French and English colonists, where it also conquered the players of the time that were visiting casinos. The reason why this roulette game was named American Roulette was because, in Europe, a new version started to become popular, the single 0 variant, that became known as European Roulette.

Now, there is an essential thing to remember when playing American Roulette, namely that it offers lower winning probabilities compared to European Roulette. This is because of the two zeros on the wheel; therefore, if both variants are available at a casino, always choose the European roulette version.

European Roulette

European Roulette was invented by two Frenchman named François and Louis Blanc, who decided to offer roulette games with only one 0 pocket, in order to attract more visitors to the German casino town of Homburg.

The single zero variant of the game quickly turned to be an enormous success, and more and more European casinos decided to adopt it. In America, the double zero variant was already hugely popular, and to distinguish the two roulette variations the old roulette version was named American Roulette, the new one European Roulette.

The fact that the European Roulette variant has only a single zero-pocket on the roulette wheel means that, in this version, the casino has a considerably smaller advantage over the players. You should always choose the European roulette variant over the American variant.

Variant Specific Rules

These roulette types also have certain specific rules that are beneficial to be learned, even though they don’t really influence the game play in a significant way. Check below.

The “En Prison” rule. In European Roulette, when the ball lands on the 0 pocket, the player will not lose its, bet, but the bet will count for a next round. If the zero-pocket will be hit again, then the player will get his money back, but not win anything at all. Please note that this rule is mostly used in real casinos only.

The “La Partage” rule. This is similar to the previous rule, only that when the zero-pocket will be hit, the player will only receive half of the betted money back. This rule is used in European Roulette and mostly in land-based casinos only.

The “Surrender” rule. This is the same as the “La Partage” rule, only that it’s used and called this way at American Roulette only.

As a summary, we’ll reveal to you that the house edge of American Roulette games is 5.26% and 2.7% for European Roulette. Like mentioned above, always play European Roulette instead of American Roulette.

If you need additional help or simply want to learn more strategies that will help you to win at roulette, then please read out other articles, as well.

Find more information about Roulette in our comprehensive guide.