European Roulette, French Roulette and American Roulette: How are They Different?

European Roulette, French Roulette, and American Roulette are popular variations of the classic casino game. While they share similarities, understanding their distinctive features is crucial. This article will explore the contrasting elements of these three roulette variations, shedding light on their unique rules, layouts, and house edge.

European Roulette

This is one of the main variations of the roulette that you can easily find at the top online casinos in Europe. The European roulette has 36 numbers and a unique 0. European roulette is a very popular version of roulette. When it comes to odds, the European Roulette is in the middle meanwhile French  roulette being first with the most favorable odds and American roulette being third with the least favorable odds.

Therefore, this roulette variant will be a good choice for any kind of player. If you want to discover what you can benefit from this game, try the demo version of European roulette.

The layout of the European-style Roulette is very clear. The number grid is arranged horizontally on the table. Below it you will find the Outside bet divided into two rows. You can see three Dozen bets in the top row while, in the bottom row you will find other bets including Low, Even, Red, Black, Odd, High.

French Roulette

French roulette and European roulette use the same wheel and betting options. In fact, they are almost identical, except for two very important rules that apply to French Roulette.

French roulette has some specific rules, including ‘la partage’ and ‘en prison’. With La Partage, when you lose the Outside bet due to the ball falling in box 0, you can get half of your bet back. For The en prison rule you have another chance to get your Outside stakes back when the ball hits zero. Both the ‘la partage’ and ‘en prison’ rules are beneficial to players and they are only found in French roulette. To find out what makes this roulette variant profitable and enticing, try the some popular free online versions of French roulette. 

The layout of the French roulette table differs from that of the US and Europe. Specifically, the number grid is placed horizontally on the board. The Outside bets are placed on both of the numbers grid meanwhile the Dozen Bets are on both the upper and lower right side of the grid.

American Roulette

In general, American roulette is also slightly different from French roulette and European roulette. In particular, the American roulette wheel has many differences in the way numbers are positioned. In fact, the wheel adds the double zero, and this changes the game in a pretty important way, espcially the house advantage. If you are looking for more thrilling experiences on the wheel, free online American Roulette will totally fit the bill.

Basically, the layout of the American Roulette table is almost identical to the European Roulette game, however, there are some minor changes. The number grid is arranged vertically and you will find double zero and zero bets on its left side. Outside bets are also placed below the number grid.

About Odds

As mentioned, the use of different wheels has a significant effect on the game, especially in odds. In fact, French roulette and European roulette have a much lower house advantage over American roulette. For European roulette, there are 37 possible outcomes. Thus, when you place your bet, your chances of winning are 1 out of 37, which means your odds are 36: 1.

However, French Roulette applies the rule of 'la partage' or 'en prison'. These rules allow you to keep up to half of your bet or have another chance to bet. Consequently, the French Roulette's house advantage halves at 1.35%.

Bet Comparison

Roulette is one of the games with the widest range of betting options in the casino. Specifically, players can bet on specific numbers, group of numbers, color of winning numbers and more. Since roulettes come in many versions, you can see the difference between their bets. If you are a beginner you will find European, French and American roulette with relatively similar betting options. However, they do have differences.

In general, the American roulette has much worse odds than the European and French versions. The main reason for this is that it pays the same amount for one win bet, while it has lower real odds. The addition of double zeros has a huge effect of odds and return to player ratios. Thus, there is no denying that  American Roulette is the worst game in terms of player odds and return to player ratios.

Verdict

All in all, French roulette is your best version of roulette. French roulette has more favorable odds than European roulette, and American roulette. It has a much lower house advantage when it comes to La Partage's rule. As a result, you have more opportunities to get back your lost bet.

Just overcoming the seemingly odd terminology printed on the felt, you will win the roulette more often with the French roulette. Anyway, I hope this article provides plenty of information on the differences between the main roulette variations.