European roulette is a game of chance in which players choose numbers on which to bet. There are two main variations of the game of roulette, known as American roulette and European roulette. The two games are quite similar in the way bets are made and the way the basic game is played.
In both American roulette and European roulette, players put chips on a board of numbers. They may wager on single numbers or groups of numbers (to a maximum of 18 numbers). Once bets are placed on the table, a ball is dropped down onto a spinning wheel.
When the ball lands on a numbered pocket on the wheel, a winning number is determined and players who chose that number when they wagered are paid their winnings.
So, what is the difference between American roulette and European roulette? In American roulette, the wheel has each number from 1-36 as well as a zero and a double zero. When the ball moves around the wheel, it has an equal chance of landing in any of the slots. The European roulette wheel has one less pocket and only includes the numbers from 1-36 and zero. European roulette does not have the double zero.
Since there is one less number on the wheel, each player who wagers on the numbers has a slightly higher chance of winning than if he or she had made an identical bet on an American roulette wheel. For example, if a player bets on a single number, there is a one in 38 chance of winning on an American roulette table and the payment is made at 35 to 1. However, a player on a European roulette table has a one in 37 chance of winning, but the same bet is still paid at 35 to 1.