UkraineAt first glance, roulette wheels look quite similar—featuring green, red, and black pockets. However, not all roulette wheels are identical. Here are the main differences:
1. Number of slots
A typical American roulette wheel includes 38 slots, with numbers 1 to 36 also red and black, but it adds a second green pocket for 00.
2. Number sequence
The arrangement of numbers also differs between the two versions. On the European wheel, the sequence is: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26.
For the American version, the sequence is: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2.
3. Odds and House Edge
The number of green pockets on the wheel impacts the house edge. In the American version, the double zero increases the house edge to 5.26%, compared to the 2.7% found on a European wheel. This results in lower odds for American roulette players. For example, the chance of a straight-up bet winning on a European wheel is 2.7%, while in American roulette, it's 2.6%.