Online roulette is widely available in online casinos and it’s available in different variants. Among all roulette variants, the American and European Roulette games are the most popular. You can find these games in most casinos and they’re accessible, too, on mobile devices and in live casino format. Although these two variants share the same general rules and format, the European version is considered by many as the best option between the two. If you are a beginner or just exploring the best games to play, we recommend that you start with the European version. In this article, we look at the reasons why European Roulette is the best among all available variants!
What makes European and American Roulette variants different?
Roulette is one of the simplest casino games to play. In all variants, your objective is to bet on the outcome of the random spin of the online roulette wheel. There are plenty of bets to choose from, including a wager on a single number, group of numbers, or high/low or even odd/even. However, these two variants differ in one important aspect- the wheel’s layout. In the European variant, you will find 36 numbered pockets and they are displayed in alternating colors of red or black. There’s also an extra green pocket for ‘0’. In the American version, players will find 38 pockets where the ball can rest. Again, you will find numbers 1 to 36 with the green pocket for ‘0’. But players will notice an extra green pocket for the ’00’. This slight adjustment in the layout makes a huge difference and is the primary reason, too, why the European variant is better.
European Roulette offers a friendly house edge
The main advantage of the European variant lies in its house edge. With just the numbers in alternating colors of red and black, a bet on ‘red’ offers you roughly a 50 percent chance of collecting a payout. However, with the addition of the extra green pocket, the casino’s odds of winning are slightly greater than 50%. With this layout, the house edge for European Roulette is set at 2.70%. Since the American version offers two extra green pockets- a ‘0’ and ’00’- the house edge nearly doubles at 5.26%. Since the payouts for different bets remain the same for all roulette formats, you have a better chance of winning when playing the European version!
Improve your odds using the ‘En Prison’ and call bets
European Roulette also offers two beneficial rules that players can use. The first one is called the ‘En Prison’ rule that’s also used in the French version. Under this rule, your bet can stay in its place for another spin or round if the roulette ball lands on ‘0’. Remember, this rule is only applicable on the game’s even money bets such as high/low, odd/even, or red/black. If you use this rule, you can reduce the house edge further to just 1.35%!
The second beneficial rule is the ability to make ‘call bets’. In the European Roulette, the ‘call bets’ are those wagers that are announced to the dealer instead of simply placing chips on the table. These types of bets are more complicated and often used by experienced players. A popular example of the call bet is the Les Voisins du Zero or roughly translated as the neighbors of zero. This wager covers all 17 numbers that are positioned between 22 and 25.
In American Roulette, you can also play a call bet called the ‘Five Number Bet’. The chip is placed on 1,2,3, 0, and 00. However, it’s a risky bet with a house edge of 7.9%. Although it comes with a nice payout worth 6:1, it’s still a risky bet so it’s better to avoid this and the American version.
Get ready to play European Roulette
Casinos offer players a chance to play colorful variants of online roulette with promising payouts. However, if given a choice to play just one variant, you can’t go wrong with European Roulette. It comes with a straightforward rule, features a house edge of 2.70%, and comes with a friendly rule called ‘En Prison. You can even find websites that offer bespoke bonuses specific to European Roulette. Finally, it’s widely available in most casinos so you will not struggle to find the right site where you can play this game.
