The main difference in European Roulette is the single '0' which changes the house edge and the odds to some degree...
If winning at Roulette is your goal, then you will stick to the Red or Black, Even or Odd bets which have a much higher probability than betting on the specific numbers or combinations of numbers. Claims that there are ways to assure a big win are statistically false. The only system that is guaranteed to win in the long run is the house advantage. The house edge varies between European and American Roulette since there is an extra 0 in American Roulette, thus increasing the house advantage on the American wheel.
Claims that tracking the distribution of outcomes will reveal a probability toward one side or the other are insufficient since each spin is an isolated event with odds on that spin alone. Furthermore casinos periodically track outcome distribution to ensure no bias. On all wheels the numbers are distributed systematically and all sections are relatively equal in sum.
Rules and Odds Vary
Roulette is purely and simply a game of chance. The differentiation between European and American Roulette is that there is one extra number (00) in American Roulette so your odds differ as well. There is no difference in either version in that the house will always maintain the edge. The chips differ between Roulette and other table games for both styles of play. Roulette chips have no value denomination on them, they are merely blank chips.
The table has six to eight sets of 300 chips, each in a different color. Each player that buys in will receive his own color and the value of each chip will be the buy-in amount divided by the number of chips that player receives. Once a player buys-in the dealer will mark that stack with a token to indicate the value of the stack.
American Variations
The roulette wheel in the United States consists of 38 numbers from 0 to 36 and a double 0. Red and Black typically alternate with two odd numbers then two even numbers. Players place their bets and the Dealer spins the wheel and a ball. Several seconds later that ball will land in one of the numbered slots.
With the exception of Atlantic City, New Jersey and a select few U.S. Casinos that apply Single Zero Rules, all U.S. Casinos will offer bets, payout, and probability of winning according to the following table:
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American Roulette Rules |
||
| Bet | Payout | Probability |
| Red | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| Black | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| Odd | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| Even | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| 1 to 18 | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| 19 to 36 | 1:1 | 47.37% |
| 1 to 12 | 2:1 | 31.58% |
| 13 to 24 | 2:1 | 31.58% |
| 25 to 36 | 2:1 | 31.58% |
| Any One Number | 35:1 | 2.63% |
| Two Number Combination | 17:1 | 5.26% |
| Three Number Combination | 11:1 | 7.89% |
| Four Number Combination | 8:1 | 10.53% |
| Six Number Combination | 5:1 | 15.79% |
| 0-00-1-2-3 Combination | 6:1 | 13.16% |
Single Zero Rules of play can be found at several casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey and Las Vegas Nevada. The minimum bet at the Single Zero tables is typically higher than double zero tables. Additional Atlantic City Rules allow all even bets (red, black, even, odd, 1-18, 19-36) a win if the ball lands in 0 or 00 the player will lose only half of any even money bet, a variation of the European ‘en prison’ rule.
European Variations
The main difference in European Roulette is the single 0 which changes the house edge and the odds to some degree. According the European ‘en prison’ rule if the ball lands on 0 the player gets half of his bet back, or the bet becomes “imprisoned” for the next spin. If the imprisoned bet wins on the next spin the player gets it back but wins nothing. There is no clear cut application for this rule, for if on the next spin the ball happens to land in 0 again the outcome will vary.
Half of even money bets may be returned should this occur in some locations, while in others the bet loses on a second zero spin. Other options include the bet remains imprisoned until a spin produces a non-zero outcome, or if two zero spins occur back to back, the bet may become ‘double’ imprisoned which would call for two winning bets in a row in order to release the bet.
To reiterate, there are several variations regarding the ‘en prison’ rule and for the players sake it may be beneficial to ascertain the particular variation applied by each casino, whether it be online or land-based.