Meet American Roulette

From the colorful, spinning roulette wheel to the crowd of cheering players, American Roulette is usually the center of attention on your typical Las Vegas casino floor. But many people, although familiar with the game, have never taken the time to learn how to play. As a matter of fact, American Roulette is one of the simplest games to learn. Not only that, but it's also one of the most fast-paced and exciting casino games around.

Know Your Roulette Table

So how does the game begin? It all starts with the roulette table, where players place their bets. This table is divided into two parts : the inside betting board and the outside betting board. The inside betting section consists of the numbers one through thirty-six, arranged in twelve rows of three numbers each, plus a space for zero and one for double zero. If you decide to place an inside bet, you can place your chips on as many as six adjacent numbers from the table.
The outside betting section consists of several more general bets that correspond to the numbers printed around the roulette wheel. For example, when placing an outside bet, you can choose all even numbers, all odds, all red numbers, or all blacks. Outside bets tend to have higher odds, but lower returns.

A Spin of the Roulette Wheel

Once the players have made their wagers, the game's focus turns to the roulette wheel, the more essential piece of the game. Most people are somewhat familiar with the appearance of a roulette wheel - you've probably seen one in movies, television shows, and if you've ever been to a casino, on the casino floor. This wheel is large and colorful. It has the numbers one through thirty-six printed around the circumference on alternating red and black slots. On an American Roulette wheel, you'll also see two wild slots - a zero and a double zero, both on a background of green.



Well, what happens next? The dealer, or croupier, gives the wheel a spin and sends a little white ball rolling through the wheel in the opposite direction. Once the wheel slows down, the ball falls into one of the numbered slots. If you placed your bet on that number, well then, you've just won the game.

What Makes American Roulette Different?

You may have heard that there's more than one type of Roulette out there. Casinos have come up with lots of variations on the classic - from American Roulette to Roulette Royale. So what's so special about the American version of the game?
It's all about the zeros. That's right, American Roulette is the only version of the game with a double zero slot - which means, in practice, that your odds of winning on any number are 37 to 1, instead of the more European 36 to 1. This casino advantage was introduced to Roulette when it made it's way overseas. In some early versions of American Roulette, the wheels had a zero slot, a double zero, and an American eagle slot as well.



So, in reality, American Roulette is ever so slightly more difficult to win. But, that's okay. Despite this difference, there's something fun about trying your luck the American way. Now that you know the rules of the game, you can play Roulette like it's played in the U.S.A.