That’s because the American roulette has one additional zero pocket embedded in the layout. You’re probably wondering why the American version has a higher house edge than its European counterpart. The European format has a house edge of 2.7%, while the American roulette has a 5.26% house edge.
This number varies, depending on the roulette variant. House edge is a mathematical percentage that determines how much income a casino gets from every game. You’ve surely heard of the saying “ the house always wins” Well, that claim stemmed from the fact that every casino game has a house edge. It all comes down to trying to predict what number that little ball will fall into. A small ball is introduced when the wheel starts to spin, and players must forego where the ball will land.īefore each round, players place bets on the corresponding number, section, or color of the wheel, and if they predict accurately, they get paid.Īs you can see, the rules are quite straightforward. The zero pocket is colored green and other numbers are colored black and red (18 of each). Going back to the roulette layout, all roulette tables have 37 slots - numbered 0–36. That is if you’re playing the French or European version - the American variant has 38 slots.įor the sake of explanation, we’ll stick to the European format ( shown). For all the beginners out there, the roulette wheel consists of 37 slots or numbered pockets.