American Roulette
American roulette is one of the best-known variants among players, whether you're at a physical casino or playing online. It's famous for its distinctive double zero (00), which keeps the pace of play high but also carries more risk than its European and French counterparts, thanks to a higher house edge.
In this article, we'll walk you through how this variant works, the specifics of its rules and bet types, along with some of the most commonly used strategies. That should give you a solid grip on this unique version of roulette so you can get the most out of the experience.
Comment jouer à la roulette américaine ?
The rules are exactly the same whether you're playing at a physical table or trying American roulette online. This variant, often called double-zero roulette, is defined by its extra 00 pocket. This pocket was added to the original European wheel to boost the house's edge, pushing it up to 5.26% — almost double the house edge found in European roulette.
Even so, roulette american — as it's sometimes searched for — remains hugely popular.
The wheel has 38 numbered pockets, running from 0 to 36, plus the extra 00. The numbers are arranged around the wheel in this order: 0, 2, 14, 35, 23, 4, 16, 33, 21, 6, 18, 31, 19, 8, 12, 29, 25, 10, 27, 00, 1, 13, 36, 24, 3, 15, 34, 22, 5, 17, 32, 20, 7, 11, 30, 26, 9, 28.
- 18 red numbers: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36
- 18 black numbers: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35
- Two green pockets: 0 and 00
One notable detail: each player is given chips in their own unique colour, making it easy for the dealer to tell players' bets apart and settle wins correctly.
As for how a round actually plays out, it follows the same classic sequence as other roulette variants — players place their bets, the dealer spins the ball and calls "no more bets," and everyone waits to see which number the ball settles on.
Additional Rules in American Roulette
COMMENT JOUER À LA ROULETTE - Tout ce que vous devez savoir sur la roulette de casino (en anglais)
Like any casino game, American roulette has its own variants and house-specific rules. Some tables, for instance, apply a special rule called Surrender.
This rule works much like La Partage in French and European roulette. Under the Surrender rule, if you've placed an even-money bet (Red/Black, Even/Odd, Low/High) and the ball lands on 0 or 00, you only lose half your stake — the other half is returned to you.
This brings the house edge down from 5.26% to 2.63%, making the game noticeably fairer for players. It's well worth checking whether a table — physical or in an american roulette game online — offers this rule before you sit down to play.
Types of Bets
Bets fall into two broad categories, and you'll find both whether you're at a physical table or playing an american roulette game online: inside bets, placed on individual numbers or small groups of numbers, and outside bets, which cover much larger sections of the table.
Inside Bets
Inside bets are placed directly on the numbers on the table layout. While the potential payouts are high, the odds of winning are correspondingly low. There are several types:
- Straight up. A bet on a single number, including 0 or 00. Pays 35:1.
- Split bet. A bet on two adjacent numbers, placed with your chip straddling the line between the two boxes. Pays 17:1.
- Street. A bet on a horizontal row of three numbers, placed at the end of the row. Pays 11:1.
- Street with zero (0 and 00). A bet on a row of three numbers plus 0 or 00, letting you cover four numbers with one bet. Pays 11:1.
- Corner (quad). A bet on four adjacent numbers, placed at the point where they all meet. You can also place a corner bet including zero (0-1-2-3). Pays 8:1.
- Five-number basket (00-0-1-2-3). Unique to American roulette. With a payout of just 6:1, this is the worst-value bet on the entire table, carrying a house edge of 7.89%.
- Double street (six line). A bet covering six numbers across two adjacent rows. Pays 5:1.
Outside Bets
With outside bets, wagers cover much larger sections of the table — the potential payouts are smaller, but your odds of winning are far better.
- Dozen bets. A bet on 12 consecutive numbers: 1–12, 13–24, or 25–36.
- Column bets. A bet on one of the table's three columns of 12 numbers, which are not consecutive.
When you play an american roulette game online, the software usually makes it easy to see the payouts and exactly where to place your chips.
Even-Money Bets
Even-money bets in American roulette get their name from the fact that the odds of winning sit close to 50%. Simple, cautious, and popular among players, they're a solid basis for more measured, longer-lasting strategies.
- Red / Black: you bet on the colour of the winning number.
- Even / Odd: you bet on whether the winning number will be even or odd.
- Low / High: you bet on which half the number falls into (1–18 or 19–36).
Because of the double zero, these bets are less favourable in American roulette than their equivalents in the French version.
Tips and Strategies for Playing American Roulette
With its high house edge, American roulette calls for a well-thought-out approach. While the usual staple betting strategies used across casino games all apply here too, it's worth weighing up which ones are actually worth using.
- Martingale. By doubling your stake after every loss, you recoup your losses in one go with your next win. Well suited to even-money bets, this strategy is nonetheless quite risky, since the amounts staked can climb very quickly. It's often restricted or banned on American roulette online tables.
- Fibonacci. After each loss, you increase your stake following the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, then start again from the beginning after a win. More forgiving than the Martingale.
- D'Alembert. A gradual strategy where you increase your stake slightly after each loss and reduce it by the same amount after each win.
- Paroli. This one tries to ride a winning streak by doubling your stake after every win — essentially the reverse of the Martingale.
Before staking any real cash, it's well worth practising these approaches on a free table first, so you get a proper feel for how the strategy behaves over a longer session.
Other Roulette Variants
American roulette is actually a fairly recent addition to a game with European roots (the very first version of roulette appeared in Italy back in the 17th century), and several other variants exist, each with its own particular characteristics.
- Mini roulette. Simpler, with just 13 numbers (0 to 12), this version is popular with beginners thanks to how quickly you can pick it up, though it also carries a significant house edge.
- Live roulette. Born out of the growth of online casinos, live roulette lets you play via video stream with a real dealer, blending the atmosphere of a physical casino with the convenience of playing online. Some sites even offer a VIP American Roulette table, with higher betting limits and a more exclusive setup for high rollers.
- European roulette. With just a single zero pocket, this version carries a house edge almost half that of American roulette.
- French roulette. Even more player-friendly, thanks to rules like La Partage and En Prison applied to even-money bets.
Conclusion
Less favourable to players than its French ancestor, but simpler to pick up and play, American roulette remains a firm favourite. That's precisely why it's one of the games most consistently found at casinos, whether at a physical table, on an electronic terminal, or online.
Before sitting down at a real table, we'd recommend trying American roulette online in free-play mode first — it's the best way to get comfortable with the rules and work out which strategies suit you best. That way, you'll get a proper feel for placing your chips correctly and understanding the odds before you move on to playing american roulette real money games at a licensed online casino.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many pockets are there on an American roulette wheel?
American roulette has one more pocket than the European and French versions, with 38 in total: the numbers 1 to 36, plus two green pockets for 0 and 00. Three familiar colours — red, black and green — mark them out on the wheel.
What are the two green numbers on a roulette american wheel?
There are two zeros on the American roulette layout: 0 and 00. Both pockets are set apart by their green colour, which stands out against the red of the odd numbers and the black of the evens.
What does a straight-up bet on a single number pay?
A straight-up bet is placed on a single number and pays 35 to 1. In other words, if you stake one unit and win, you get 35 units back on top of your original stake.
What colour is the pocket for 00?
The 00 pocket is treated no differently to the 0 pocket — it shares the same characteristics and is marked with the same colour. As a result, it's always green, meaning the wheel has two green pockets in total.
What's the house edge on American roulette?
It comes to 5.26%. That's a direct result of having two pockets — 0 and 00 — which cut into players' odds on even-money bets. For comparison, the house edge on European roulette is 2.7%, and on French roulette it's just 1.35%.
Is American or European roulette better?
From a pure odds perspective, European roulette is generally considered the better option for players, since its single-zero wheel gives a house edge of 2.7%, compared to 5.26% on the American wheel. That said, American roulette tends to offer a faster pace of play and is widely available, so plenty of players still choose it for the atmosphere and speed rather than the odds alone.
