American/European Roulette
The playing of the game of Roulette is similar on both sides of the Atlantic. Players bet on which red or black numbered compartment they think a small ball will end up in. The wheel is then spun in one direction and the ball is released in a manner that causes it to spin in the opposite direction. The ball bounces around the wheel and eventually settles into one of the compartments evenly spaced around the wheel. Players who have correctly identified and wagered on a space that matches the numbered compartment that the ball finishes up in win their wager, all others lose. Players can wager on one space, on several spaces or on groups of spaces (such as betting that the winning number will be red or that the winning number will be even). The wheel also contains green compartment(s) that when the ball finishes up in result in all bets, with the exception of bets made on the green number(s), to lose.
There are only slight differences between European and American Roulette wheels.
In the American version of Roulette the wheel contains 38 compartments for the ball to fall into. The compartments are numbered 1 to 36, 0 and 00. When betting on a single number to win the true odds are 37:1 but the casino payoff is only 35:1 the difference is a casino advantage of 5.26%.
In the European version the wheel contains only 37 compartments for the ball to fall into. The compartments are numbered 1 to 36 and 0. There is no 00 compartment. When betting on a single number to win the true odds are 36:1 but the casino still pays 35:1 for a casino advantage of 2.7%.
As well as the smaller casino odds when using a European wheel the European casinos offer a betting option, called "En Prison" that further increases the odds in favour of the player (the casino edge drops to 1.35%). The "En Prison" option is offered whenever the ball lands in the green compartment. When the ball ends up in the green compartment any player who has made an even number bet is given two options:
- He/she can surrender one half of the bet.
- He/she can "imprison" the bet. This means that the wager is set aside until the next spin of the wheel. If this next spin results in the player winning his/her wager the bet is returned (but without the usual payoff) and if the wager loses the bet is lost for good. For the odd time when green wins a again the bets remained imprisoned and the wheel is spun yet again until the result is a black or red compartment.
Perhaps the difference in house advantage explains why Roulette is less popular in North America than in the rest of the world.
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