The Most Popular Roulette Games
Invented in the 17th century, the game of roulette has come on leaps and bounds, finding itself in prominent place on many online casino sites. It’s not hard to understand why, it’s a simple game and is easily accessible to all players. Its popularity among online gamblers has grown over the years and the countless varieties of roulette games popping up has mimicked this growth in fan base.
Choosing a table can be a bewildering experience, simply head to any online casino and you’ll be met with an endless choice of roulette games. Fear not, the remainder of this article explains the rules of the most popular variants in the UK, from American, European, French and the fantastic 3D roulette game! The difference between each game is looked in to as well as important details such as which wheel provides the best possible odds to players and the importance of the green zero or double zero pockets!
| European Roulette | |
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| Information: | |
| Unique: | Call bets |
| Numbers: | 37 |
| House advantage: | 2.7% |
| Provider: | 888casino |
European Roulette
Anyone familiar with casinos will have likely come across European Roulette before and with good reason. Outside of America, European Roulette is the most popular version of roulette. European roulette is played on wheel with 36 numbers and a single zero. Having just one zero makes this a better choice for players who want to offset the effect of variance. Players will find themselves winning more often, or mitigating their losses at the very least because the house edge at 2.70% is roughly half of the house’s advantage in American Roulette (5.26%). This means that for every £100 wagered the house will make £2.70. If you’re looking to play roulette, European Roulette is almost certainly the safest and most profitable bet. The differences between European and American Roulette are not limited to the double zero in American Roulette. There’s also some considerable differences in how players can bet in the two games. In European Roulette, players can bet on any combination of numbers as well as betting on red or black and even or odd. Inside bets vary from a single bet on a single number or what is called a straight-up bet to betting on, at the most, six connected numbers to make a line bet. Outside bets includes the dozens bets which groups numbers in the wheel into three parts by 12. Players can also make a high or low bet on two different groups of numbers. The first group of low number ranges from 1 to 18, whilst the high numbers range from 19 to 36. Additionally, players can bet on whether the ball will land on an odd number or an even number.
A combination of betting strategies can be used, including outside bets (choosing odd/even, black white and 1:1) as well as straight up bets, where betting on one single number pays 35:1. It’s also possible that the ball will land into the green ‘zero’ pocket. Should this occur, all bets on black or red are returned to the casinos house.
| French Roulette | |
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| Information: | |
| Unique: | La Partage |
| Numbers: | 36 |
| House advantage: | 1.35% |
| Provider: | Ladbrokes Casino |
French Roulette
Believed by historians to be the original version of roulette, this game has been around since the 18th century. A favourite of elites and common people alike, French Roulette has become so popular, it even crossed the ocean and became the baseline for American Roulette. In fact, the French variant originally contained a double zero slot as well, which stuck with the players overseas but got done away with in European casinos as single zero became the preferred standard. This ‘evolution’ has done the game good: establishing itself as the go-to game in bustling gambling hubs such as Monte Carlo, French Roulette is perhaps the most sought-after casino game nowadays, with an unmistakable air of elegance and a fantastic payout potential to boot!
It is true, however, that French Roulette is often easily mistaken for European Roulette, since both are so similar in nature – the wheel and table layout is the same, as are the various bet types. But although the two games share some detailed characteristics, the chances of winning are different between the two game types: the French version has a slightly lower house edge thanks to a special La Partage rule, described in detail below. With such a player-friendly feature, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more forthcoming game. And, thanks to the variety of online casino and live tables, you’ll be catered to regardless of your your betting power!
As well as the typical betting formats, the French game has one quirk; when the balls lands in the green slot, half of your bets are returned to you. When this happens, the house edge falls to just 1.35%. This concept is known as La Partage, gives players a better chance of increasing their stakes, this may indeed lead to significant impact on returns, which is why this version is so popular in both Great Britain and France. Note that the words on the table are indeed in French but aside from the one distinct feature, the game functions the same and players who don’t excel in French won’t be at a hindrance.
| American Roulette | |
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| Information: | |
| Unique: | Double zero wheel |
| Numbers: | 38 |
| House advantage: | 5.26% |
| Provider: | Ladbrokes |
American Roulette
Of course they’re bound to do things a little differently across the continent. The American version has exactly the same rules as its European counterpart, however there are a couple of notable differences between them. The first thing European players notice are the pockets, there’s a total of 38 pockets on the American roulette wheel with numbers range from 0 until 36. Unique to this version is the additional ‘zero’ known as the ‘00’ slot. The 00 slot sits opposite the 0 slot on the other side of the wheel, both of these gaming changing pockets are unmissable since their highlighted in bright green against the remaining red and black pockets.
Owing to the additional zero, the house advantage in American Roulette is double that of the house in European Roulette, 5.26% and 2.7% respectively. To succeed in roulette it’s important that you understand which version of the games you’re playing. A quick look at the roulette table or wheel will tell you. It’s also worth noting that the numbers on the American roulette are placed in pairs opposite one another. In European Roulette, they’re randomly placed about the wheel. This doesn’t make all that much of a difference to gameplay, but some people find the American wheel more aesthetically pleasing. Give American Roulette a spin if you’re looking for a slightly riskier version of roulette than the European or French iterations.
You’ll find the worst odds with the U.S version since the chance of the ball falling into one of the green slots is twice as likely, the house edge is doubled, which is why the game isn’t the most popular among roulette players.
| 3D Roulette | |
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| Information: | |
| Unique: | Super realistic |
| Numbers: | 37 |
| House advantage: | 2.7% |
| Provider: | William Hill Casino |
3D Roulette
Roulette players rejoice – this is the most realistic gaming experience around, outside of live casino table suites! This game’s 3D effect graphics boost the visuals with super sharp and bright colours, taking this version of online roulette to a whole new level. You’ll find this popular game at most online casinos and won’t need to learn any new rules since it’s the same objective as you’d expect: simply predict where the ball will come to rest on the roulette wheel with a wager or wagers of your choosing. Following European Roulette rules, you’ve got a single zero slot available to you, in addition to the option for additional wagers such as the neighbours bet. The house edge is the same as in classic European Roulette – 2.70%, meaning there’s no La Partage rule like in French Roulette.
What sets this game apart is the fact that the game play is noticeably more immersive here, as the dealer calls out the results of each spin. This is flawlessly combined with realistic background noises that evoke a bustling casino atmosphere, while the shiny roulette wheel glistens from the reflected casino floor lights. Another notable benefit of this version is the extended playing time, which gives you more opportunities to concentrate and really get into the game. The game-play is immensely straightforward – simply place your chips and click spin, and wait for the results to be announced.
Once you’ve tried it, non-3D versions look cartoonish in comparison and it’s hard to go back. This supped up edition with up-market graphic makes it far more inspiring to play and generally much for fun than 2D counterparts. Players feel more involved in game-play taking this from a computer game to a close-to casino like experience.
Interesting Variants
As mentioned before, the immense popularity of roulette has led to the creation of some particularly interesting variants. Although developers haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel here, the games have been tarted up but they don’t deviate from the same basic principles.
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+We’ve included Mini Roulette in our most exciting variations since it’s layout allows players more winning chance since it composes of just 13 pockets, 12 numbers and one zero, strategies and systems can be implemented more efficiently.
Multi Wheel Roulette is a must see for roulette fans! Choice three of your favourite tables and spin to your hearts content, simultaneously! We’d recommend this game on a tablet or computer since the content might not be clear on a mobile phone screen. Nevertheless, if you’ve got a short attention span or simply dream of as many wheels as possible on screen, this one’s for you!
With all these clues on the hottest roulette games to play, you’ll need some tips on where to play them, head to our roulette main page for our top pic roulette casinos.