Introducing American Roulette
Of the different variations of roulette out there, the American roulette wheel is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable. It’s the one that players are used to seeing in the most famous land-based venues of Las Vegas or Atlantic City. As well as guiding you through the gameplay, we’ve found the best places to play American roulette in 2024 for real money online. Learn our top tips and start playing today.
How To Play American Roulette
STEP 1
Check out the table and its layout
Before you place any bets, take a close look at the American roulette table layout. You’ll see black and red numbers labelled 1 to 36, plus the green zero and double zero. That extra double zero makes for a fairly high house edge of 5.26%, which may affect your bankroll management.
STEP 2
Place your bets
Next, choose the type of bet(s) you want to place by clicking chips and placing on the table. Straight up bets on a single number pay out at 35/1. Outside bets such as red/black pay out 1/1. Columns feature 12 numbers and pay 2/1, with various other specialized bets like corner or line bets also available.
STEP 3
Spin the wheel
In virtually all titles of American roulette games online, except live dealer American roulette, you have total control over when the wheel starts spinning. Take advantage of this additional time to make sure you’ve covered the table to your satisfaction and look at the session’s history. Click the spin button to get it going.
STEP 4
Collect your winnings
Payouts and losses are returned to you (or taken by the house, as appropriate) automatically so this step is easy. Make careful note of any streaks emerging, such as all even numbers or a string of red numbers – many players like to adjust their bets based on this, although there is no science behind it.
Special Rules of American Roulette
The key difference between American vs European roulette (and French) is that American has the additional double zero. This halves the house edge of European roulette, and almost quarters that of French roulette.
As a result of that pesky double zero, some gamblers avoid American roulette entirely. In fact, the difference between a session of European roulette and the American equivalent is minimal. Don’t believe it? Make a note of how often balls land in a zero or double zero and you’ll see that the outcome is fairly rare in a typical session. Still, if you’re betting big, it makes sense to make your odds of victory as good as possible!
What’s Unique About American Roulette Odds and Payout?
Because there are a few different versions of roulette, you need to get to grips with some slightly different payout tables. Below you’ll find the payouts that you can expect from successful bets made in American roulette.
| Bet Type | Player Odds | Payout |
|---|---|---|
Straight (single number) | 2.6% | 35 to 1 |
Split (two numbers) | 5.3% | 17 to 1 |
Street (three numbers) | 7.9% | 11 to 1 |
Corner (four numbers) | 10.5% | 8 to 1 |
Column | 31.6% | 2 to 1 |
Dozen | 31.6% | 2 to 1 |
Red/Black | 47.4% | 1 to 1 |
Even/Odd | 47.4% | 1 to 1 |
Low/High | 47.4% | 1 to 1 |
Free Roulette Reference Chart – Download Yours!
Check out our downloadable chart for a visual guide to the rules of American roulette. It'll also tell you the key differences between European and American roulette table layouts. Discover the names of certain special bets used in European roulette. On top of this, discover how your odds of victory change depending which variation you’re playing.
Comparing Roulette Variants (at a Glance)
| Roulette game feature | American | European | French | Mini | 3D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pockets | 38 | 37 | 37 | 13 | 37 |
Double 0 | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Highest payout | 35/1 | 35/1 | 35/1 | 35/1 | 35/1 |
Lowest payout | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 1/1 |
La partage | No | Sometimes | Yes | No | No |
En prison | No | Sometimes | Yes | No | No |
Free play | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Live dealer | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
House edge | 5.26% | 2.7% | 1.35% | 3.85% | 2.7% |
Other Roulette Variants You Can Play
Playing American Roulette on Mobile
It doesn't matter whether you're using an iOS iPhone, iPad or an Android smartphone or tablet. Either way, you can practice American roulette on the move using dedicated apps or mobile sites that scale the action to your screen size.
Whether you use an app or an in-browser casino, you will be able to play American roulette. Any differences between the two formats have narrowed considerably with mobile gaming improvements in 2024.
Of course, the smaller screens of smartphones make it fiddly to place bets precisely – especially if you’re being bounced around on public transport! That said, there are plenty of casino software developers who have done an admirable job of recreating American roulette for use on mobile devices.Additionally, depending on your device, graphics on devices with smaller screens just won't measure up to desktop quality. Make sure you play with realistic expectations. Using your mobile to play free American roulette is still an excellent way to get extra practice at the tables.
American Roulette – Top Strategy Tips
Watch that house edge!
There’s no getting around the fact that the American roulette house edge is high compared to others. Sticking with outside bets (like red/black, even/odd) should see you win more consistently than betting on individual numbers.
Play free American roulette, a lot
If you’re unfamiliar with the rules, or aren’t sure how much you can afford, you shouldn’t play with real money yet. Take advantage of practice modes to get a feel for things.
Observe streaks (but don’t rely on them)
Although there’s no science to betting on or against streaks, many players do so anyway. After all, you wouldn’t expect to see 100 heads if you flipped a coin 100 times…though you might! Don’t forget that the outcome of every spin is independent.
Test out different strategies
Unfortunately, there’s no strategy to ensure you win every time you play. However, that’s not to say that you can’t enjoy some American roulette payouts by dabbling with them. D’Alembert is a useful strategy based on the theory of progression.
