American Roulette: The Ultimate Guide
In fact, if you live in the US and ever tried playing roulette in a casino, the chances are you encountered the American roulette wheel. It is slightly different from its European counterpart.
Did you know that you can also play American roulette online both for real money and for free? It’s available in most online casinos. Our team decided to feature the best ones to help you kickstart your online American roulette journey. Read on.
Top Paying Online American Roulette Casinos in the US
First of all, let’s check the best platforms that offer American roulette online for free or for real money.
Our team of experts narrowed down the selection to the following online casinos. All are licensed inside the US and feature cutting-edge security. Then again, each online casino is unique, so it’s up to you to pick the right one for you.
LICENSED & VERIFIED | REVIEWED BY CASINO EXPERTS | 21+ |T&C APPLIES | PLAY RESPONSIBLY
LICENSED & VERIFIED | REVIEWED BY CASINO EXPERTS | 21+ |T&Cs APPLY | PLAY RESPONSIBLY
LICENSED & VERIFIED | REVIEWED BY CASINO EXPERTS | 21+ |T&C APPLIES | PLAY RESPONSIBLY
LICENSED & VERIFIED | REVIEWED BY CASINO EXPERTS | 21+ |T&Cs APPLY | PLAY RESPONSIBLY
LICENSED & VERIFIED | REVIEWED BY CASINO EXPERTS | 21+ |T&C APPLIES | PLAY RESPONSIBLY
What is American Roulette?
American roulette is a variation of the game where players need to guess which pocket a ball will land on in a spinning wheel.
The biggest difference between European and American roulette is the extra green pocket on the wheel.
European wheels are numbered 0-35 (with the “0” pocket as the lone green number). American wheels are numbered 1-36 with both a “0” and “00” pocket (both green) on the opposite side of the board.
The History of American Roulette
Where does the history of American roulette start?
The answer is simple — in Europe. Some of the earliest versions of roulette were developed in the 18th century. Some historians claim there’s evidence that it was also played in the 17th century.
What matters is that the early version had two zero pockets, like the American version. Some casinos then reduced the wheel to one zero. The two-zero version was introduced to the New Continent and thus received the name American roulette.
How to Play American Roulette
So, how do you play American Roulette? If you have at least some experience playing roulette, then you probably already know how to play it. Still, we decided to make a short overview of how to play the American roulette game online, so let’s take a look.
Every featured casino offers at least one American roulette table with or without a live dealer. Pick one to start your journey.
If you want to play a non-live American roulette game for free, you just need to pick a game and start playing, as most online casinos don’t even require you to register for that. However, if you want to play for real money, you’ll have to open an account and make a deposit.
There are plenty of available betting options, so we recommend learning more about them if you have no experience with playing roulette.
Once the betting round is over, the ball will be inserted into the roulette wheel, so you need to wait for it to stop on a single number and see if you’ve won.
That is pretty much it. But, what are the betting options? Let’s look at them briefly below.
First, the inside bets
- Straight-up bet — If you wager on a single number, you’re making a straight-up wager.
- Split bet — By placing a chip between two numbers, you’ll split it and wager on both of those numbers.
- Street bet — By placing a chip on a line above or below a row containing three consecutive numbers, you’ll make a street bet.
- Corner bet — If you place a chip on a corner among four numbers, you’ll split the wager and bet on all four of those numbers.
- Line bet — By placing a chip between two streets, you’ll make a bet on all numbers of the two rows.
- Five-number bet — This is only available in American roulette and includes betting on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 by placing a chip between these numbers.
Identical outside bets
- Column bet — If you place a chip on one of the three fields below the three columns, you’ll bet on the 12 numbers of that column.
- Dozens bet — Place a bet on 12 consecutive numbers (first, second, or third 12 numbers, as there are a total of 36 numbers to choose from, except 0 and 00).
- Color bet — Place a wager on red or black.
- Odd/even bet — Place a bet on odd or even numbers.
- High/low bet — Place a wager on low 18 or high 18 numbers.
American vs European Roulette
There are three popular types of roulette — American, European, and French.
Many agree that the French and European versions are actually one version, as they use the same layout. But what is the difference between an American roulette wheel and a European roulette wheel?
The American roulette wheel layout is somewhat different as it contains two zero pockets — 0 and 00. The European and French versions have only one zero pocket.
That’s the entire difference, but it also affects the overall experience when playing roulette. The additional pocket gives you more options for betting, but it also slightly increases the house edge of American roulette.
American Roulette Tips and Tricks
The single most important tip to playing American roulette is to play within your means. Don’t exceed your bankroll on any bets and avoid chasing losses. It’s easy to get caught up while playing, but if you’re losing several spins in a row, it’s ok to take a break and cut your losses.
Similarly, if you’re winning more than losing, don’t be afraid to walk away while you’re ahead.
Unlike card games like blackjack, there’s really no way to offset the “house edge” when playing at the casino. It really does just come down to the luck of choosing the correct number.
Online American Roulette Laws in the US
Online American roulette is legal in all American states where online casino gambling is legalized.
Right now, the four states where you can play the popular game for real money are the following (many other states are currently working on legalizing online casinos so this list might expand in the future):
