All You Need to Know About European Roulette
Anyone familiar with casinos and online casino will have likely come across this fantastic game before and with good reason. It is the most popular roulette game outside of America and one of the go-to roulette games in Europe. There’s one clear reason why European Roulette is the preferred version amongst roulette players: the house edge is a humble 2.7%, which is roughly half of the house advantage in American Roulette, which works with 5.26%.
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If you’re going to play roulette, then European Roulette is without a doubt the safest and most profitable bet. In the following article, we’ll present you with useful tips and strategy, a quick how-to-play guide, and more!
European Roulette Wheel Layout and How to Play
In principle, roulette is a very straightforward game to play. Despite all the accoutrement that comes with the game like the chips, table, and wheel, there’s not much to it. Players simply choose in which numbered slot they think the spinning ball in the wheel will land. They choose a number or a range of numbers by placing their bets on a particular position on the roulette table. As you can see in the image below, the European Roulette wheel layout is pretty much the standard layout of roulette that you’ll encounter almost anywhere.
In the American version of roulette there are 38 slots on the wheel instead of 37 as with the European version of roulette. The slot that’s missing from this game is the extra zero. This might seem trivial but it makes a huge difference to the house’s advantage. In fact, it practically halves it: in American Roulette, the advantage is 5.26% and in European Roulette it’s 2.7%. It’s a bit of a misnomer since European Roulette actually used to have two zero slots – it’s just that one zero got phased out over time, while the double zero wheel stuck with the audiences across the pond. For more on the history behind roulette and interesting facts about the game, check out our dedicated page!
European Roulette: Bets, Rules, and Pay-Out Rates
Bets in European Roulette can range from very specific – betting on specific numbers for instance – to very broad, e.g. betting on the ball landing on an even number. These two kinds of bets are called inside bets and outside bets. Outside bets are those that are literally outside the numbers drawn up on the betting table. They include betting on the result being red, black, even, odd, or in one of the six divisions of numbers; 1 – 12, 12 – 24, 25 – 36 and the three columns. Outside bets are the easiest way to cover the table and increase your odds of winning. The risk with outside bets, however, is much lower. Inside bets refer to the area ‘inside’ the table of numbers on which the player places his or her chips. With inside bets the risk of losing is predictably much higher, but consequently the possible winnings are much greater. Check out the table below for a breakdown of all the inside and outside you can make in European Roulette.
| Inside Bets | Description | Payout | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight | Bet on a single number | 35 to 1 | 2.70% |
| Split | Bet on two numbers | 17 to 1 | 5.41% |
| Three Line | Bet on a row of three numbers | 11 to 1 | 8.11% |
| Corner / Square | Bet on four numbers that form a square | 8 to 1 | 10.81% |
| Six Line | Bet on two sets of three, two streets | 5 to 1 | 16.22% |
| Outside Bets | Description | Payout | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red or Black | Bets on all red or all black numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
| Odd or Even | Bets on all odd or all even numbers | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
| Left / Middle / Right Column | Bet on all 12 numbers in the left, middle or right table-section | 2 to 1 | 32.43% |
| 1st 12 or 2nd 12 or 3rd 12 | Bets on 12 numbers in four consecutive rows | 2 to 1 | 32.43% |
| 1-18 or 19-36 | Bets on the numbers 1-18 (low) or 19-36 (high) | 1 to 1 | 48.65% |
The house advantage for inside and outside bets is the same, so you’re just as likely to win playing red as you are playing 18 straight bets. There’s no designated European Roulette strategy in this regard – simply aim for a healthy balance of the safer outside bets and the riskier inside bets.
European Roulette Tips and Betting Strategy
As you might have guessed, there’s little one can do to affect the outcome of a spin of the roulette wheel. The best advice you can get in a game of roulette is to spread your bets and not play risky inside bets too often. Your best chances are always with outside bets and, although inside bets come with better rewards, if you want to stay in the game for the long haul you’d be well advised to at least balance out your bets between high-risk inside bets and low-risk outside bets. That’s what a good European Roulette strategy comes down to. There’s a good reason for the low payout on outside bets – you’re more likely to land them.
There are some roulette betting systems out there, such as Paroli or Martingale, which dictate the best ways to wager after winning or losing a round. But as far as tricking the wheel goes, there’s not much you can do to outsmart the table. Online, you’ll encounter plenty of mathematicians or professionals who’ll claim to have cracked some unique system to beat the roulette ball, but inevitably it’s just a load of nonsense. Players are better off saving their money and managing their bankroll, playing with a clear head and focusing on a good spread of bet types. Keen to play? Then head down to our recommended casino below or browse our full list of best online casinos for more choice!