Types of online roulette and their differences

Roulette is probably one of the most popular casino games that have been around for centuries. It is simple, yet exciting, and is a great game for socializing in both brick-and-mortar and online casinos. So what makes roulette the favorite game of so many? After all, casino users tried it at least one time, so it has to be more than just the thrill of spinning the wheel? 

Classic Variations

First, we’ll take a look at the three classic variations of the game:

• European Roulette
• French Roulette
• American Roulette

The first two are almost identical if we disregard the differences in the table layout and the fact that French Roulette has an additional rule that returns half of your losing even-money bet in case the ball lands on zero. As far as the differences with American Roulette, this game has often been referred to as double zero roulette. You’ll be able to soon learn more about all the aspects that differentiate these three main roulette types on the dedicated pages we’re currently preparing.

French Roulette

There are a lot of players who would consider the French roulette to be the queen of all casino games and not only roulette. No wonder, as this original game truly is one of the oldest table games, dating back to the French revolution. French roulette has a different table layout, but it is played on the European wheel. 

Every player has to put their chips on a table, depending on how they want to bet. Players can choose rouge and noir (red and black numbers), pair and unpair (odd and even numbers) or manqué or passé (low and high numbers).

Low numbers are 1 to 18, and high numbers are 19 to 36. The croupier is the man in charge as he announces that betting is closed and manages the wheel. Once the ball settles, he announces the number.

Many players favor this game because of the en prison rule that allows players a second chance to win the money placed on an Outside bet (bets placed on the outside part of the table) when the ball hits zero. There is also the la partage rule – when the ball hits the zero, and you have placed an outside bet, you get half of the money back. 

American Roulette

American Roulette has a somewhat wheel that contains a zero (0) and a double zero (00), both marked with green color, placed opposite of each other, which makes a total of 38 numbers on the wheel. It is believed how this type of roulette developed in the Atlantic City, as there was introduced a special rule – surrender.

Surrender is the same as la partage, as it allows you to keep half of the Outside bet when the ball lands on a zero. Others say how American roulette was born in New Orleans because that is where the double zero was first introduced. 

The layout of the table is also somewhat different, but players can still figure it out even if they are new to it. Outside bets are not positioned on both sides, but in two rows on a single side of the table. 

European Roulette

European roulette is the most present in online casinos, especially if the casino is owned by a European company. The wheel has 26 numbers and one zero, with numbers alternating in black and red, and zero being green.

Its wheel looks like the French wheel, but the table layout is American style, with two rows of Outside bets. Also, when it comes to odds it is right there in the middle between the French and American roulette. European roulette doesn’t have la partage and en prison rules, which makes it less attractive for players. 

Double Ball Roulette

First appearing in Vegas, double ball roulette takes the action up a couple notches by, you guessed it, tossing another little white ball into the equation.

The game actually started as an experiment by casinos (only a few have ever offered it). The idea was that it provided a little bit more excitement than the standard version of the game, and it would entice new players to give it a try.

Typically the game was played on a European wheel, meaning that low house edge that is seen in European roulette applied to double ball roulette as well.

If this version of the game sounds appealing to you, it’s probably best not to go around to every casino looking for it. Instead, browse some popular online casinos, which are much more likely to include double ball in its game offerings.

Multi-Wheel Roulette

If you thought double ball roulette sounded exciting, wait until you hear about multi-wheel roulette.

Instead of wagering on simply one ball and wheel combination, you get eight (!!) wheels to bet on at once. Now, one important thing to note is that you place the same bet on all active wheels, so you aren’t making eight bets each round, which would get pretty intense after a few spins.

One interesting aspect of this game is that you do get to choose which wheels are active. Meaning you don’t need to set all eight wheels in motion at one time, but if you want to, let the balls fall where they may.

It should be noted that you likely won’t find this game in a land based casino. With that being said, plenty of online versions exist which is good for one main reason: the visual aspect of the game interface.

Obviously, there is a lot going on when up to eight roulette wheels are going at once. That means it’s important to find a version of the game that seems visually manageable. My advice would be to look around for a website you feel comfortable with before depositing a large amount of money on a platform.

Rapid Roulette (or Video Roulette)

Real money roulette has a relatively low house edge. For casinos, that means they need to have players wager on more spins in order to get the volume of bets necessary to make a nice profit. This is the philosophy behind the low house edge, but highly profitable, slot machine industry.

Rapid roulette differs from the traditional setup by offering the game in a video form – or at least the players are placing their bets on a video board. The wheel itself is not virtual, and may or may not have a real person performing the spin each time. In some cases, the ball will be deployed electronically, although once it hits the wheel, it’s free to land wherever.

So if the casino has put this video-hybrid version of roulette in place to increase their profits, is it all bad news for the players? The answer is – actually, no.

Mini Roulette

Looking to simplify the regular version of roulette? I bring you Mini Roulette!

This game, which functions just like it sounds, involves the familiar roulette procedures but on a 13-number wheel instead of the standard 37 (for European) or 38 (for American).

One thing to note that does make mini roulette slightly different, aside from the reduced numbers, is the fact that a bet that does not cover zero will only lose half if the ball ends in zero. In regular roulette, you would lose it all.

Mini roulette is more of a novelty than some of the other versions on the list, but nonetheless it’s a fun game and can be profitable if luck (and a good betting strategy) is on your side.

Bets Based on Wheel Sectors

The so-called ‘Announced’ or ‘Call’ bets are available exclusively on European/French roulette. They are the only bets that are not based on the layout of the table, but on the layout of the wheel. Here is a list of all such bets, along with the numbers they cover.