While there were games on the European continent that either were called roulette or had a wheel with a spinning ball for 400 years, the birth of today’s roulette game didn’t take place until 1842.
Much like today, the desperate state government in Monaco came up with the idea of using gambling to fill in budget shortfalls. Necessity being the mother of invention, Francois and Louis Blanc stepped up by adding a zero and a massive boost to the house edge of the original game, And Monte Carlo and European roulette were born.
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The Difference in Roulette Wheels
And thus, the American wheel with its two zeros and 38-compartment wheel head was born. It is important to note that the order of numbers, while still alternating black and red, is also different, so if you like to bet four numbers next to each other on the Europen wheel, they will not be next to each other on the American wheel.
In many cases, because the volume and bets were so large in European gaming houses, you may see a European roulette table with one wheel head and a layout on either side being used by two dealers.
These odd layouts, while different from the usual one-wheel head, one-table layout generally found in American casinos, keep the gameplay the same.
European Roulette Wheel
The most significant difference is that the Europen roulette wheel has a single zero with just one green pocket. You may also find some European single-zero wheels have French rules.
Not all European wheels have French roulette rules, but all tables with French roulette rules are played on a European wheel head.
Generally, you will see a racetrack-looking betting area next to the main layout and the addition of several different bets, usually in French, which will indicate that this particular casino game is the French variation.
Other Roulette Variations
French Roulette
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American Roulette
Expert Guide
European Roulette Rules
Playing European roulette is just like playing its American version. You can bet inside bets, outside bets, straight-up bets, or line bets. Moreover, these will have the same payout odds as the American roulette game.
If you are on a European roulette wheel but one that has French rules, you will notice that there are some extra bets arranged across the racetrack like betting circle closer to the dealer, that you don’t see on a typical American and European roulette layout.
These are called call bets that cover specific numbers next to each other on the wheelhead.
Another exciting rule under the French roulette variation is called La Partage. La Partage is when you have bet even money outside bets, and the roulette ball lands in the single zero.
The dealer will divide your original bet in two, hand one half back to you, and keep only the other half, which is a vast difference in the house edge.
Another variation of this rule is called En Prison. En Prison means that if you have wagers on even money outside bets, they will be marked up and not allowed to be taken down until the following spin, which will determine if they win or lose, which for all practical purposes is the same as La Partage.
House Edge for European Roulette vs American Roulette
The American version of roulette, with its double zero wheels, has a house edge of 5.26%. But because American and Europen Roulette wheels pay the same on all of their bets, the European wheel only has a house edge of 2.7% due to only 37 slots instead of 38 and one less zero.
Combined with the French roulette wheel rules of either La Partage or En Prison, even money outside bets have their house edge reduced to just 1.35%.
It’s pretty evident that if you want better odds, you are going to need to find a European roulette wheel and there is no place better than at your favorite regulated online casino. This lower house edge is also crucial if we are trying to use betting systems like the Martingale or Labouchere. We need more ways to win to avoid long-losing streaks that will put us over the table maximum bet.
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Why Should I Be Playing European Roulette
Clearly, if you can reduce the house edge by 50% or even almost 75%, that is the roulette table you should be playing.
But the European roulette wheel can be hard to find outside European casinos. It is even harder to find roulette games with a French roulette table layout.
Fortunately for us, the advent of online casinos has come to the rescue. Not only do most online casinos offer European roulette rules right alongside American roulette games, but they even offer French roulette rules as well.
Many of these roulette wheels are live dealer casino games, meaning it is an actual roulette wheel spun by a real dealer in a studio somewhere. Many roulette players prefer these types of tables when they play roulette online.
Where to Play European Roulette Online
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BetMGM also offers a massive deposit match bonus. However, roulette play does not count towards the match bonus here. You can earn MGM reward points on all bets, and these can be used at MGM casinos around the country but are especially useful in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
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They have over a dozen different roulette games on offer. These include several European roulette online games and a French rules variation.
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BetRivers Casino roulette offerings, besides the ever-present double zero American roulette variations, are slimmer pickings. They offer a Europen wheel and a Single Zero Platinum Pro.
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European Roulette FAQs
American and European roulette are, at their heart, the same game with the same payouts, but the addition of an extra zero doubles the house edge for American Roulette.
The only bet that is slightly different is that there is no basket bet on Europen roulette as there is no second zero, but considering that that is the one bet with worse odds than the usual 5.26%, that’s not really a loss.
Remember, though, that the numbers on the European roulette wheel will be in a different order than on the American roulette wheel.
Both European roulette and American roulette allow you to bet inside and outside bets. On the inside bets, a straight-up bet pays 35 to 1 if you pick the winning number, the split pays 17 to 1, and the corner pays 8 to 1.
Moving onto the street bets, one street pays 11 to 1, and a double street pays 5 to 1. On the outside bets, if the roulette ball falls into your choice of red/black, even/odd, or 1-18/18-36, you will be paid even money.
If the roulette ball falls into your choice of the dozens or column bets, you will be paid two to 1. These payouts are the same in American Roulette as in European roulette.
The difference is that the single zero wheel means that there are better odds on the European Roulette game than on the American roulette wheel, due not only to one less green zero but also because there are only 37 slots, not 38.
The European roulette game is generally considered to be better. It has half the house advantage, which means you can play longer and win more often.
That being said, it can be challenging to find anything other than American roulette in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, let alone some regional gaming market with little competition.
So frequently, in a brick-and-mortar casino, we may have to take what we can get no matter the house edge.
It is exceedingly rare for a Las Vegas casino to have a single zero roulette or a European roulette wheel on its main floor.
Most casinos in Las Vegas will only have American Roulette, period. The ones that do have European roulette will have them in their high-limit salons with very high minimum wagers.
Most single-zero European roulette games have the same exact rules and payouts as American roulette. In the case of the French rules, there will be an extra betting layout resembling a race track and some additional bets that are called place or call bets.
The dealer can help you with these. Often, on these roulette layouts, you will also find the La Partage or En Prison rules discussed above.
We strongly recommend BetMGM, FanDuel, or Caesar’s Online casino for your roulette play. They offer up not only European roulette but French rules, which means that if you are betting the outside, even money numbers, you should see an RTP of 98.65 %. That is extremely good for any casino game, let alone a roulette table.
