Roulette is a casino game that needs no introduction. The little wheel of fortune has been around for centuries, and still dominates the table in gambling joints all over the world even today thanks to its favorable odds and simple rules.
Just pick your numbers, colors or sections of the table, place your chips and watch the wheel do its thing—it can’t really get much easier than that now, can it?
But what about when you’re faced with different versions of roulette? They, as in the American, European and French versions, might look and feel very similar at a first glance and once the wheel is in motion, but there are some slight nuances to each that could throw your whole game off if you’re not aware of them.
Whether that’s an extra pocket, a variation of a side bet, or another table rule, these seemingly small differences can have a big impact on the house edge and cost you your entire bet if you’re not careful. So let’s break down all three versions to get you up to speed and minimize the risk of that happening.
Where Are the Differences?
The biggest difference in all three versions is sitting right there on the wheel. European roulette has numbers 1 through 36 and one green 0, giving it 37 pockets in total.
French roulette also has 37 pockets and a single zero. The wheel itself isn’t where French roulette earns its reputation for better odds. That comes from a couple of special rules that can kick in when the ball lands on zero.
Then there’s the American roulette wheel, which features a 00 alongside the regular 0, bringing the total to 38 pockets. It doesn’t sound like much, but that one extra pocket almost doubles the standard house edge. Here’s how the three stack up:
Roulette VersionNumber of PocketsStandard House EdgeAmerican Roulette385.26%European Roulette372.70%French Roulette372.70%French Roulette with La Partage371.35% on qualifying bets
So already, if you’re choosing between an American and European wheel and everything else is equal, the European table has a pretty convincing argument in its favor.
American Roulette: What Difference Can One Extra Zero Make?
As it turns out, that extra zero in American roulette can impact the odds significantly. As there is both a 0 and 00, those two green pockets are what push the standard house edge up to 5.26%.
Let’s use one of the simplest bets on the table as an example: $10 on red. There are 18 red numbers on an American wheel, but the wheel has 38 pockets altogether. Along with the 18 black numbers, both 0 and 00 can spoil your red bet.
That means your actual chance of winning is 18 out of 38, or around 47.37%. You’re still only being paid even money when you win, which is where the casino gets its advantage. It might not feel particularly dramatic over five or ten spins. Play enough roulette, though, and that extra zero matters.
There’s also one American roulette bet that deserves a special mention: the five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. The house edge jumps to roughly 7.89%, which makes it considerably less appealing than the other standard wagers on the table.
Does that make American roulette a bad game? Not necessarily. Some players simply like it, especially if it’s the version they grew up seeing in U.S. casinos. Just be aware that mathematically, you’re paying a little more for the privilege.
European Roulette: Lose the 00, Improve the Odds
European roulette keeps things simpler because there’s only one 0, no 00 and 37 pockets altogether. That brings the standard house edge down to 2.70%.
Going back to our red bet, you now have 18 winning numbers out of 37 possible results. That works out at roughly a 48.65% chance of winning, which is still less than half, of course. Unfortunately, the casino hasn’t suddenly become a charity because somebody removed the double zero.
But compare the two games over a lot of wagers and the difference becomes much easier to appreciate. If $1,000 was wagered over time, the theoretical loss based on house edge would be around $52.60 on standard American roulette compared with roughly $27 on European roulette.
That doesn’t mean you’ll sit down with $1,000 and walk away exactly $27 lighter. You could double your money. You could lose the pot. Roulette can be wonderfully uncooperative with averages over a short session.
House edge is really about what happens across huge numbers of bets. And across those huge numbers, European roulette gives less of an advantage to the casino.
French Roulette: Where Things Get Interesting
French roulette uses the same basic single-zero wheel as European roulette, so why bother giving it a separate name? Because the rules can be much kinder when zero shows up.
Two phrases to look for are La Partage and En Prison. La Partage is particularly easy to understand. Suppose you put $20 on black and the ball lands on 0. Normally, that’s the end of your $20, but with La Partage, you get half of it back.
It only applies to qualifying even-money wagers, such as red or black, odd or even and high or low, but it makes a genuine mathematical difference. The house edge on those bets drops from 2.70% to around 1.35%.
En Prison works along similar lines, although your bet is effectively held, or “imprisoned,” for another spin after zero appears. Depending on the table rules, a winning result on the following spin can allow you to recover your original stake. This is why French roulette often gets singled out by players who pay close attention to the numbers.
There is a catch, though. Don’t see the words “French Roulette” and automatically assume you’re getting the 1.35% edge. Check whether La Partage or En Prison is actually offered and which wagers the rule covers.
What About the Different Bets?
At this point, roulette can get slightly confusing because a bet with a better chance of winning doesn’t necessarily have a lower house edge.
Put money on one individual number on a European wheel and you have a 1 in 37 chance of hitting it, roughly 2.70%. If it lands, the usual payout is 35:1. Bet on red instead and you have 18 possible winning numbers. You’ll hit far more often, but the payout drops to 1:1.
The casino has balanced the payouts against the probabilities, which is why the standard house edge remains 2.70% either way. So switching from straight-up number bets to red and black doesn’t suddenly give you a mathematical advantage. What it does change is how often you’re likely to win and how much your bankroll can bounce around from spin to spin.
French roulette is the interesting exception because La Partage can genuinely lower the house edge on those even-money bets.
Which Roulette Game Would We Pick?
If all three versions were available and the aim was simply to get the most favorable odds, French roulette with La Partage would be the first table we’d look at. A 1.35% house edge on qualifying bets is considerably more attractive than the 5.26% you’ll usually find on an American wheel.
If French roulette isn’t available, European roulette is a very solid second choice. You still get the familiar roulette experience, just without that troublesome 00.
American roulette comes third on the numbers alone. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with playing it for entertainment, but there’s little mathematical reason to choose a 5.26% house edge when a 2.70% version of essentially the same game is sitting next door.
The biggest takeaway is to quit worrying about lucky numbers, betting patterns or whether red is “due,” and simply just take a few minutes to look at the wheel in front of you. Sometimes the smartest decision you make happens before the first spin.
