Roulette

July 16, 2021

Understanding the Roulette Wheel Layout - Know the Secrets!

Liam O'Sullivan
Written byLiam O'SullivanWriter
Researched byRajesh NairResearcher

Roulette is a mainstay game in any live casino you come across. This classic live casino game was developed by Blaise Pascal, a famous French Physicist, in the 17th century in his bid to create a perpetual motion machine.

Understanding the Roulette Wheel Layout - Know the Secrets!

However, during the 18th century, roulette became common in Europe and the world, thanks to French immigrants. Today, it ranks among the most popular casino games at land-based casinos and the best live casinos online.

The American Roulette Wheel

The American wheel is the most popular roulette variant in North America. It has up to 38 pockets, ranging from 0 to 36 with additional 0 and 00 numbers.

With that in mind, the red pockets are 18, whereas the other 18 are black. The green 0 and 00 pockets are placed on opposite sides.

Clockwise, the American wheel sequence goes like;

0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2.

The European Roulette Wheel

Sometimes called the French roulette wheel, the European variant is the most popular roulette wheel worldwide. Unlike the American variant, it features a single zero pocket, making it the go-to choice if you’re looking to beat the house edge.

But that’s where the difference ends. In the European variant, the 0 pocket is also marked green. In addition, half of the 36 numbers are black, with the rest marked in red.

Below is the clockwise sequence of the European wheel:

0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26.

How to Play Roulette

When playing casino games online, there are rules to follow. For example, in roulette, players will place a wager on the result of the next wheel spin. Obviously, this is after purchasing casino chips using real money.

Meanwhile, roulette bets are placed on multiple number combinations. First, you’ll get the ‘inside bets’ where players bet on a particular number (s). Here, you’ll secure a payout if the ball stops on the chosen number.

Next, gamers can opt for the ‘outside bets.’ In these roulette bets, gamers place wagers depending on outcomes such as red or black, odd or even number, and high or low. Interestingly, some players opine that this type of bet offers a higher winning probability than ‘inside bets.’

The Odds of Winning on American and European Roulette Wheels

As said earlier, the inclusion of the ‘00’ pocket on the American wheel makes the waters murkier. Why? This feature gives the house a significant edge over players. Typically, the European variant has a 2.70% house edge, whereas the American version has an unfriendly 5.26%.

For example, if you place a ‘Straight Up’ bet on any number in the European variant, your winning chances are 37 to 1. But in reality, the online casino you play at will pay out 35:1.

So, suppose you wager $1 on every number, including 0, you are sure of success on one of the 37 pockets. Divide 37 by 1, which gives you an average of 0.027027. In the world of house edges, this translates to 2.70%. Now calculate the house edge for the American variant using this formula.

Conclusion

Unless you’re really good at playing on the American wheel, choose the European variant. As you can see, the RTP almost doubles what you’ll deal with on the European wheel. And remember, the more digits you bet on, the greater your winning odds.

About the author
Liam O'Sullivan
Liam O'Sullivan
About

Liam O'Sullivan, an Irish digital maestro, seamlessly fuses his impeccable command of English with an enthusiastic penchant for online gaming. Highly regarded for his localization expertise, Liam fine-tunes online casino guides, ensuring they resonate profoundly with the diverse English-speaking populace.

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