If you are entirely new to betting on roulette, you probably aren't aware that European and American roulette games exist – more importantly, they are vastly different. If you know a touch about roulette, you'll already be familiar with these issues. However, if you're thinking about having a crack at roulette for the very first time online, then we're here to help you avoid losing money needlessly. Allow us to explain European and American roulette below.
Avoid The Double-Zero Pocket
Firstly, American roulette and European roulette feature varying numbers of zero pockets. Zero pockets will see you lose (in most circumstances) if the ball lands in them. Therefore, the fewer of these there are, the better. European roulette has just one zero pocket, while American roulette has two of them.
Lower House Edges in European Roulette
The fact that we're looking at either one or two zero pockets has a profound effect on your odds when playing roulette online. American roulette's two zero pockets effectively mean that the casino has an edge of 5.25%. However, by only having a single zero pocket, European roulette has a house edge that is half that, at just 2.7%. There is the potential to drop the house edge even lower, and we'll explain how in a moment.
Introducing the Racetrack
European roulette games may also come with another feature not commonly found in the American game. Known as the racetrack, this represents a separate betting board located beside the main one. The racetrack is more commonly found in French roulette, but as European roulette is near identical, expect to see it pop up in some of these games, too. What it does is allow you to place a series of additional bets, namely ones that allow you to "cover" large portions of the wheel.
French Roulette Is Even Better
European and French roulette are identical in almost every way. However, there is a reason why you may wish to favour French roulette, even over the seemingly attractive European roulette. French roulette has two rule variants – En Prison and La Partage. These effectively allow you to either get half your bet back or use it for the next spin if you land in the zero pocket. What this does is lower the house edge from an already low 2.7% to 1.36%.
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