European vs American roulette: the exact difference
One zero or two. Same payouts, but the house edge is 2.70 percent on a European wheel and 5.26 percent on an American one. The exact math, and why our simulator models the European wheel.
The comparison
| European | American | |
|---|---|---|
| Pockets | 37 (one zero) | 38 (zero and double zero) |
| Straight up payout | 35 to 1 | 35 to 1 |
| Expected return per point staked | 36 in 37 | 36 in 38 |
| House edge, every standard bet | 1 in 37 (2.70%) | 2 in 38 (5.26%) |
| Expected cost per 1,000 points staked | 27 points | 52.6 points |
| The five number bet (0, 00, 1, 2, 3) | does not exist | 7.89% edge, the worst bet on any table |
The exact math
Every standard roulette bet is priced as if the wheel had 36 pockets: a bet covering n numbers pays (36 - n) / n to 1, so its expected return is n divided by the pocket count, times 36 over n, which is 36 divided by the pocket count. With 37 pockets that is 36/37, a 2.7027 percent edge. With 38 pockets it is 36/38, a 5.2632 percent edge. The zeros are the entire difference.
The American wheel also offers the five number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3, which pays 6 to 1 against true odds of 5 in 38: an edge of 7.89 percent, worse than everything else on either wheel.
Why our simulator models the European wheel
Strictly better for the player is not a slogan, it is the arithmetic above: identical payouts and fewer losing pockets. The Roulette Assistant simulates a fair single zero wheel because it is the version of the game worth practicing, and every statistic we publish, from the payout chart to the strategy simulations, is computed on it.
Common questions
Are the payouts different between European and American roulette?
No, and that is the whole trick. Both pay 35 to 1 on a number, 1 to 1 on red, and so on. The American wheel simply adds a 38th pocket, the double zero, without improving a single payout, so every bet returns less on average.
Is European roulette always the better choice?
For the player, yes, strictly: every bet on the European wheel has a 2.70 percent edge against 5.26 percent for the same bet on an American wheel. Tables offering la partage or en prison on even money bets are better still; the glossary explains both rules.
Why does one extra pocket matter so much?
The house edge comes only from the zeros. One zero out of 37 pockets keeps 1/37 of everything staked, about 2.70 percent. Two zeros out of 38 keep 2/38, about 5.26 percent: the edge nearly doubles while everything you can see on the felt stays the same.
Practice on the better wheel
The app is a European single zero simulator with virtual points and live statistics.