There are two main types of roulette found in casinos - American and European. Both look almost identical and both are played the same way. There is however one big difference that makes European roulette a better bet. The number of zeros on the wheels. European roulette has one zero while American has two.
You might think that the difference is not worth worrying about but a quick look at the house edge tells the story. A single zero roulette table has an edge of 2.7% while a double zero table has an edge of 5.26% - almost double in favor of the house. Clearly you should always look for single zero tables.
It is the zeros that give the casinos their edge so any additional zeros quickly up the advantage. It does not matter what you are going to bet on you will also have odds worse when you have two zeros on the table. For example a straight bet has a 1 in 37 chance on a single zero table but a 1 in 38 chance on a double zero table. The pay outs are both 35 to 1 so over the long term you will lose more on the American table.
There is also one rule that is quite commonly found on French roulette tables that is great if you like even money bets. Known as the En Prison rule this rule comes into play when you have made an even money bet and zero comes up. You then get half of your bet back and the other half stays on the table for the next spin. If zero comes up again you lose the net but if your selected even money bet comes up you win. The actual rules for En Prison can vary from casino to casino.
Now that you know that you should always play European roulette you need to find the tables. In the USA you will find that the most common tables on casino floors are American double zero tables. Most Las Vegas casino do have at least one single zero table although the betting limits are almost always higher. One rule missing from almost all tables in the US is the En Prison rule.
All of the online casinos we have reviewed have both American and European tables. Obviously the smart players will avoid the American tables but the casinos still like to keep the double zero tables in case an unwary player does not know the difference. Some online casinos have games with the En Prison rules.
Casinos that use Microgaming software have several roulette variations with the French roulette being the only one with the En Prison rule. At Microgaming casinos you only lose half of your even money bet if the ball lands on zero. Cryptologic casinos also offer the sam rule on their VIP European Roulette but it has high betting limits so is only really good if you want to make big bets.
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