Round and Round and Round She Goes…
For those not in the know, roulette is a casino game that draws its name from a French word, which translates to “little wheel”. The game is played all over the world now, but some distinctions separate American roulette from its European counterpart.
While it is widely thought that roulette was originally derived from an Italian game called Biribi, we do know where its current form originated: in France. Back in the 18th century is when the first version of roulette was born. Since 1796, Parisians have been enjoying roulette and the excitement it offers; the game is even mentioned in a French novel, La Roulette, ou le Jour, which describes a wheel found in the Palais Royale. The wheels most commonly found in Paris in the 1790s featured red for single zero and black for double zero and, to avoid all the confusion that came from this system, a green slot was used for the zeros in all French roulette wheels, starting in the 1800s. The roulette wheel underwent another transformation in the German spa town of Bad Homburg. Francoise and Louis Blanc introduced a new style of roulette wheel that featured a single zero in order to compete against other casinos using double zero wheels.
Early American roulette was, of course, taken from the French version, which was inspired by an Italian game. America, always a country that leaves its mark initially played on a wheel featuring numbers one to twenty-eight. There were also slots or pockets for a double and single zero, as well as the Eagle pocket, which brought the house an extra edge. The Eagle slot didn’t last long, though, and when the symbol of American liberty vanished from the wheel, they were left with a numbered wheel very similar to the European one.
By the 19th century, almost all of America and Europe were able to enjoy some form of roulette. When Germany banned all gambling in the 1860s, the Blanc family (long associated with the development of roulette) moved the very last legal casino in Europe all the way to Monte Carlo, which would go on to become a gambling mecca for the world’s elite. Monte Carlo is where the single zero wheels really took over as the preferred version of the game, and it is still so, everywhere but the US. The French wheel made progress in the US all the way up the Mississippi River from the Creoles in New Orleans, but cheating was rife, so the wheel had to be placed in plain view for the game to continue. The French version didn’t hang on long in the US and soon after became what we now know as American roulette. Roulette has been around for a long time and has undergone many changes over the years, but it has evolved into something that people all over the world are now able to enjoy.
Let’s take a look at modern roulette wheels and the significant differences between the American and European versions played in casinos all over the world today.
American Roulette
The game of American roulette differs from the French or European version in many ways. The wheel itself, the heart of the game, is physically different from the European wheel; the American Wheel has a total of 38 pockets where the ball may come to rest. It features both black and red numbers, from one to thirty-six. The American wheel also features two green pockets, which are the zero and double zero pockets.
The wheel is not the only thing that differs from American to European roulette; the house edge changes too. When you’re placing bets at an American roulette wheel, your odds of winning when you bet on particular numbers are one in thirty-eight. You would expect the payout to be on a 1-38 scale, but this is not the case: payouts on American roulette are still made in accordance with the French odds scale, so if you win, you’ll be doing it at thirty-five to one. You see, the extra green pocket on an American Roulette wheel was not just a whim but a strategy employed by the wheel’s designer to ensure that the odds favor the house more heavily. When you’re playing American roulette, the house has an edge of 5.26%.
European Roulette
The European or French roulette wheel still looks much the same as it did when it was first used in the 17 and 1800s. The wheel has thirty-six pockets, all numbered from one to thirty-six; these are either red or black. The European does feature green as well, but only one pocket in contrast to the two featured on the American wheel. This is the zero pocket.
The original French or European version of roulette features a 1-37 set of odds, which is lower than the American version. The house edge when playing the European version is, of course, also lower, coming in at 2.7%.
Final Word
While one might think that the difference in odds would be enough to sway Americans towards the European-style wheel, American casinos are unlikely to give up their extra house edge for anything. While it’s clear that your chances of winning are much more significant when playing European roulette, these two different styles will likely continue to coexist as long as gambling is alive and well. Whichever style of roulette you choose, we wish you the very best of luck!