Roulette

Roulette is a wheel game where players bet on where a ball will land after the wheel spins. Numbers run 0 to 36 on European wheels, or 00 to 36 on American ones. Bets split into inside (specific numbers, small groups) and outside (red/black, odd/even, dozens, columns).

The house edge is the whole story. European single-zero roulette carries a 2.7% edge. American double-zero roulette jumps to 5.26%. Same game, different math, nearly twice the long-run cost to the player. Always take the European wheel if you're given a choice. Most online casinos offer both, and the American version exists mainly to catch players who don't know the difference.

French roulette goes one better with La Partage. When the ball lands on zero, you get half your even-money bet back instead of losing it outright. That single rule drops the effective edge on red/black, odd/even, and high/low down to 1.35%. Half the cost of European roulette, a quarter of American. If you play roulette often and you're stuck at a casino that doesn't offer French rules, you're overpaying for the same game.