American Roulette
The Fundamentals
American Roulette has the same basic rules as the other roulette variations – the croupier spins the wheel, placing the ball rolling on the track until it falls down on one of the number pockets. Each player makes a bet on a particular number, group of numbers or colors.
The first characteristic that distinguishes American Roulette from the other variations is that it has 38 number pockets, which include numbers from 1 to 36, alternating between black and red, plus a zero and a double-zero pockets, which are colored in green. Numbers have a specific arrangement on the wheel - two consecutive numbers are position opposite to one another (number 1 is opposite of number 2, 3 is opposite of 4 and so on).The additional double-zero pocket that American Roulette is characterized with gives the house a significant advantage, as compared to other variants of roulette. If the ball falls down on any of the zeroes, all bets except those on the zero are lost. A few casinos have accepted the rule "surrender", according to which a player with an even-money bet could keep half of it if the winning number is any of the zeros.
American Roulette Wheel and Table Layout
Another feature distinguishing the American Roulette is the chips that are used to bet. Players buy roulette chips directly from the table, as each of them receives a different color, which makes the differentiation between gambler’s bets a lot easier. Another slight difference is that the croupier in American Roulette handles the chips with his hands, whereas a special stick is used for that purpose in European Roulette.
Betting
Because of the additional double-zero, American Roulette has different odds of a specific bet winning. Each bet pays according to the probability for that bet to win. Different tables have a different minimum and maximum determined for every bet, and there are no limits for how many bets a player wishes to make at the same time. Bets fall into two major types: “inside” and “outside” bets. The inside bets are made on the inner part of the betting layout, whereas the outside are made on its periphery section.
Inside bets
- Straight bet
Bet is placed on one number. The odds and payout are 35to-1
- Split bet
Bet is placed on two adjoining numbers on the betting area by setting the chips on the line in-between the numbers. The odds and payout are 17-to-1
- Street bet
Bet is placed on three numbers positioned in a row on the betting area by setting the chips on the edge line at the end of the row. The odds and payout are 11-to-1.
- Corner bet
Bet is placed on four adjoining numbers on the betting area by setting the chips on the intersection part of the four numbers. The odds and payout are 8-to-1.
- Five-bet
Bet is placed on numbers 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 by setting the chips on the intersection part of the two rows. The odds and payout are 6-to-1.
- Sixline bet
Bet is placed two “streets” (six numbers) on the betting area by setting the chips on the intersection of the edge lines at the end of the both rows. The odds and payout are 5-to-1.
Outside bets
- Column bet
Bet is placed on all numbers included in one of the three columns on the betting area by setting the chips on the box at the end of the column. The odds and payout are 2-to-1.
- Group/dozen bet
Bet is placed on all numbers included in the first (1-12), second (13-24) or third (25-36) dozen of numbers by setting the chip on the dozen bet box. The odds and payout are 2-to-1.
- Black/red bet
Bet is placed on black or red color to win by setting the chips on the color bet box. The odds and payout are even money.
- Odd/even bet
Bet is placed on the winning number to be odd or even by setting the chips on the odd or even box.
- High/low
Bet is placed on the winning number to be low (1-18) or high (19-36) by setting the chips on the low or high box.
Learn How to Play European Roulette and French Roulette.
