American and European Roulette Tables
There are many bets at an American roulette table. Learning all the bets at the roulette table is a useful endeavor.
American Roulette versus European Roulette
American roulette and European roulette tables are very similar. To the untrained eye, it is all but impossible to determine the difference, but the difference is significant. European roulette offers a much lower house edge. At a European roulette table that offers the ‘en prison’ rule, you find a house edge of less than 2%, one of the lowest house edges available in any casino game. The easiest way to know whether it’s a European roulette table or an American roulette table is to look at the table’s layout. The American roulette table has two green numbers, while the European roulette table has only one green number. On the European roulette table, the green number is a zero. On the American roulette table, there is both a zero and a double-zero. As a result, the odds at an American roulette table are much more in favor of the casino than those at a European roulette table.
The Setup of a Roulette Table
A roulette table has two main parts. The first part of a roulette table is the roulette wheel. The wheel is comprised of 37 (European) or 38 (American) chambers where a ball can land. The wheel is spun in one direction, while the croupier pitches a small ball in the opposite direction. When the ball and wheel settle, the spin has ended, and the number chamber where the ball has settled is the number that wins the spin.
The other main area of the roulette table is often called the layout. It is generally green felt like the felt used in most table games at a casino. The layout is the area where all bets are placed. Players can place a bet by putting a chip on their desired bet before the croupier says “no more bets.” There are many different types of bet, ranging from the red/black, evens/odds, and first 18/second 18 bets which pay even money to the single number bets which pay 17:1. If you are playing at an American roulette table, all bets except for the five-number bet, which includes 00, 0, 1, 2, and 3, have the same house edge of about 5%. At a European roulette table, the bets with a lowest house edge are those which employ the “en prison” rule. Those bets are only the ones which pay even money. All other bets have a slightly higher house edge, which is still lower than the house edge on the American roulette table.
Choosing Your Roulette Table
If you’re looking to play roulette, you should look for a roulette table that matches your budget. That is, if you have $50 to play with, a table with a minimum bet of $5 is over your budget, because you’ll only be able to play for a very short time. Some casinos have a version called mini-roulette for low rollers. It’s important to note, however, that generally European roulette tables have a higher minimum bet than American roulette tables. Bearing in mind the difference in house edge, you should consider your budget and your wagering level carefully.