European vs American Roulette: Which Variant Has Better Odds?

European and American roulette are the two dominant versions of the game, and they differ in one decisive way: the European wheel carries 37 pockets with a single green zero, while the American wheel carries 38 because it adds a second green pocket, the 00. That single extra pocket doubles the house edge, from 2.70% on European roulette to 5.26% on American roulette, which makes variant choice the most consequential decision you make before placing a chip. This guide compares every roulette variant side by side, explains why single-zero games beat double-zero games on the maths alone, and shows how French roulette’s La Partage and En Prison rules cut the even-money edge to just 1.35%. By the end you will know exactly which variant to play and why. You can test all three on real casino games, so practise the variants free on our simulator once you know which one suits you.

Table of Contents

• European vs American Roulette: The Core Difference
• Comparing Every Roulette Variant Side by Side
• Why Single Zero Beats Double Zero
• How French Roulette Halves the House Edge
• Which Roulette Variant Should You Play?
• Frequently Asked Questions

European vs American Roulette: The Core Difference

European roulette differs from American roulette in pocket count, and that one difference drives everything else about the two games. European roulette uses a wheel of 37 pockets numbered 0 to 36, while American roulette uses a wheel of 38 pockets because it adds a second green pocket, the 00, alongside the standard zero. Every other element looks the same, but the extra pocket changes the maths on every spin you make.

That difference lands directly on the house edge, the percentage of every bet the casino expects to keep over time. European roulette carries a house edge of 2.70%, meaning the casino expects to keep £2.70 of every £100 wagered across a long session. American roulette carries a house edge of 5.26%, nearly double, because the 00 adds a 38th losing outcome without raising any payout to compensate. The payouts on both wheels stay identical, so the American player simply faces longer odds on the same bet.

The reason the edge exists is the gap between true odds and paid odds, and the second zero widens that gap. On a European wheel a straight-up number wins one spin in 37, yet the casino pays 35 to 1 rather than the fair 36 to 1, and that shortfall is the house edge. On an American wheel the same number wins one spin in 38 while still paying only 35 to 1, so the casino keeps even more. To see exactly how each bet pays against its true probability, the roulette odds explained guide breaks down every wager on both wheels.

So the variant you choose decides your odds before any betting system enters the picture. No strategy, pattern, or staking plan changes the 2.70% and 5.26% figures, because those numbers are built into the wheels themselves. The sections below compare all the variants in one table, then explain why this gap matters so much over a real session.

Comparing Every Roulette Variant Side by Side

The three main roulette variants are European, American, and French, and they separate cleanly on pocket count, house edge, and one defining rule each. European and French roulette both use the single-zero wheel of 37 pockets, while American roulette uses the double-zero wheel of 38 pockets. French roulette then adds rules that European roulette lacks, which gives it the lowest edge of the three on even-money bets.

The table below sets the variants against each other on the four facts that decide which one to play.

Variant	Pockets	House edge	Key rule
European	37 (single zero)	2.70%	Standard single-zero wheel, no edge-reducing rules
French	37 (single zero)	2.70% standard, 1.35% on even-money bets	La Partage and En Prison return half your even-money stake when zero hits
American	38 (double zero)	5.26%	Adds the 00 pocket plus a five-number bet at 7.89% edge

European roulette sits in the middle as the clean baseline: a single zero, a 2.70% edge, and no special rules to learn. French roulette starts from the same wheel and the same 2.70% edge on most bets, then improves on it for even-money wagers through La Partage and En Prison, pushing that edge down to 1.35%. American roulette is the outlier, doubling the edge to 5.26% and introducing the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, which carries the worst edge on any roulette table at 7.89%.

This table is the short answer to the variant question, but the reasons behind it decide whether you actually feel the difference. You can switch between all three layouts on our 100+ real casino games, so compare the variants on our simulator while the figures are fresh.

Why Single Zero Beats Double Zero

Single-zero roulette beats double-zero roulette because the second green pocket adds a losing outcome without adding any winning payout, which is what doubles the house edge. On a single-zero European wheel, 37 pockets share the prize structure, and the one green zero is the only pocket that beats every outside bet. On a double-zero American wheel, 38 pockets share the same payouts, so both green zeros now work against you on red, black, odd, even, high, and low.

The cost of that second zero compounds with every spin you make, which is the part casual players underestimate. On a £10 even-money bet, the 2.70% European edge costs you 27p in expected value per spin, while the 5.26% American edge costs 53p, almost double. Across 100 spins at £10, European roulette expects to take £27 from you and American roulette expects to take £53, on identical bets at identical payouts. The wheel you sit at, not the bet you place, drives that £26 gap.

The single-zero advantage holds across every bet type on the layout, not just even-money wagers. A straight-up number, a corner, a dozen, or a column all carry a 2.70% edge on the European wheel and a 5.26% edge on the American wheel, because the extra pocket dilutes the win probability of every position equally. American roulette also adds the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, a wager that exists only because of the double zero and carries a 7.89% edge, the steepest trap on any table. To understand how each payout relates to its real probability, the roulette payout guide sets the paid odds against the true odds for every bet.

So if a single-zero game is available, choosing it over a double-zero game is the single most effective thing you can do for your odds. The choice costs nothing, requires no skill, and halves the house edge before you place your first chip. Once you have settled on single zero, French roulette offers a further reduction worth understanding.

How French Roulette Halves the House Edge

French roulette halves the house edge on even-money bets through two rules, La Partage and En Prison, which return part of your stake when the ball lands in zero. French roulette uses the same single-zero wheel as European roulette, so it starts from a 2.70% edge, but these two rules cut that edge to 1.35% on red, black, odd, even, high, and low bets. That 1.35% figure is the lowest house edge available on any standard roulette wheel.

La Partage and En Prison handle the zero outcome differently, though both leave you better off than a straight loss. Under La Partage, when zero hits and you hold an even-money bet, the casino returns half your stake immediately, so a £10 red bet loses only £5 rather than the full £10. Under En Prison, the casino instead locks your full even-money stake “in prison” for one more spin; if your bet wins the next spin, you recover your whole stake with no winnings, and if it loses, the stake is gone. Both rules apply only to even-money bets, and many French tables offer one or the other rather than both.

The mechanism behind the 1.35% figure is simple: halving the loss on the zero outcome halves the portion of the edge that comes from zero. On a standard single-zero wheel, the entire 2.70% edge on an even-money bet comes from the single green pocket beating you outright. La Partage gives back half of what you lose to that pocket, so the effective edge on those bets falls to exactly 1.35%. The improvement applies only to even-money bets, which is why French roulette is the disciplined even-money player’s variant of choice.

So a French table with La Partage gives the best odds in roulette on even-money bets, beating even a standard European table. The catch is availability: French roulette appears less often than European or American, and not every French table runs La Partage or En Prison. To feel how the rule changes a session, try French roulette on our simulator and watch what happens to your even-money stakes when the ball lands in zero.

Which Roulette Variant Should You Play?

You should play French roulette with La Partage when it is available, European roulette when it is not, and avoid American roulette whenever a single-zero alternative exists. The ranking follows the house edge directly: French roulette at 1.35% on even-money bets, European roulette at 2.70% on all bets, and American roulette at 5.26%. The best roulette variant for your odds is always the one with the fewest green pockets and the most stake-returning rules.

The practical verdict depends on which bets you favour and which tables you can reach. If you bet mostly on red, black, odd, even, high, or low, French roulette with La Partage gives you the lowest edge at 1.35%, so seek it out first. If you bet across the whole layout on numbers, dozens, and columns, European roulette serves you just as well as French roulette outside the even-money boxes, both at 2.70%, and European tables are far easier to find. American roulette earns a place on your screen only when no single-zero game is available, because its 5.26% edge costs you nearly twice as much over a session.

The variant decision outweighs every betting system you will ever read about, which is the most important point in this guide. No staking plan, progression, or pattern alters the built-in edge of a wheel, so a player using a betting system on an American wheel still faces worse odds than a player placing flat bets on a European wheel. The maths of the variant sits underneath every spin and cannot be played around. For a full breakdown of how the odds translate into long-run results, read the roulette odds explained guide.

So the action is straightforward: pick the lowest-edge variant your table list offers, and prefer single-zero games every time. You can play all three free with no stake and no sign-up, so practise European, French, and American roulette on our simulator and confirm the difference for yourself before you ever play for real. As a demo-only site, we exist so you can learn the maths without risking a penny.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between European and American roulette?

European roulette uses a wheel of 37 pockets with a single green zero, while American roulette uses a wheel of 38 pockets because it adds a second green pocket, the 00. That extra pocket raises the house edge from 2.70% on European roulette to 5.26% on American roulette, even though both wheels pay the same odds on every bet. American roulette also offers a five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 that the European wheel cannot, carrying a 7.89% edge.

Which roulette variant has the best odds?

French roulette with the La Partage rule has the best odds, at a 1.35% house edge on even-money bets such as red, black, odd, and even. European roulette comes next at a 2.70% edge across all bets, and American roulette is the worst of the three at 5.26%. The single zero on European and French wheels, combined with French stake-returning rules, is what gives these variants their advantage over the double-zero American game.

What is the house edge in European vs American roulette?

European roulette carries a house edge of 2.70%, meaning the casino expects to keep £2.70 of every £100 wagered over time, while American roulette carries a house edge of 5.26%, nearly double. The gap comes entirely from the second green pocket on the American wheel, the 00, which adds a losing outcome without raising any payout. The edge applies to every bet type on both wheels, not just even-money wagers.

What are the La Partage and En Prison rules?

La Partage and En Prison are French roulette rules that soften the loss when the ball lands in zero on an even-money bet. La Partage returns half your stake immediately, so a £10 red bet loses only £5 when zero hits. En Prison instead locks your full stake for one more spin, returning it whole if the next spin wins. Both rules apply only to even-money bets and cut the house edge on those bets from 2.70% to 1.35%.

Is single-zero roulette always better than double-zero roulette?

Single-zero roulette is always better than double-zero roulette for your odds, because the second green pocket on a double-zero wheel doubles the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26% without changing any payout. A £10 even-money bet costs 27p in expected value per spin on a single-zero wheel and 53p on a double-zero wheel, so single zero halves your long-run cost. Choose a single-zero European or French game over an American game whenever both are available.

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