Differences between French & American Roulette Wheels

In the early twentieth century, there weren’t many brick and mortar casinos around the world. The two most renowned roulette venues were in Europe (Monte Carlo) and the United States (Las Vegas). Roulette became increasingly popular from the 1970s onwards, while the rise of the internet and online gambling took the game on an entirely new level.

Over the years, a wide variety of roulette variants have been developed, each offering different strategies and rules. The two you’ll most likely encounter are French Roulette and American Roulette. Both seem very similar, and at first glance, an inexperienced gambler would hardly notice any difference. However, there are significant differences between the two variants, significantly impacting them. The most notable one is the wheel layout. Understanding how this aspect can influence the outcome of the game is crucial for anyone who wishes to develop as a roulette player.

French Roulette Wheel

The layout of the French Roulette wheel includes numbers 1 to 36, and a single zero. The numbers move clockwise in the following order:

0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26

It’s important to point out that the order of these numbers is not related to any arithmetic value, at least not directly. The order has been designed to balance out the game’s structure. Also, there’s no particular numerical pattern involved, making it difficult for players to focus on a single sector when making their bets.

There are certain characteristics you’ll quickly notice:

• Red and black alternate, meaning you won’t find two pockets with the same colour next to each other.
• Low and high numbers also alternate. Numbers 1-18 and 19-36 are located next to each other wherever possible.
• Odd and even numbers are evenly placed on the wheel so that you won’t find more than two odds/even numbers together.

The entire design and layout of the wheel have been carefully created, without any randomness, to provide a fair and balanced game.

American Roulette Wheel

When it comes to its layout, the wheel used in American Roulette also comes with the numbers 1-36 and a zero pocket. However, unlike its French counterpart, it features a double zero pocket. The numbers move clockwise, albeit in a different arrangement. Here’s how it looks:

0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2

Compared to the French Roulette wheel, the sequence is less visually balanced. Both low and high, even and odd numbers are more likely to be positioned next to each other.

How Roulette Wheel Affects the Game’s Outcome?

A French Roulette wheel has 37 pockets, numbers 1-36 and a single zero pocket. On the other hand, the American wheel has 38 pockets – numbers 1-36, a single zero and a double zero pocket. In practice, this gives French Roulette a house advantage of 2.7%, while the American variant has a house advantage of 5.26%.

That reflects on the game’s RTP. In French Roulette, the payout percentage is 97.3%, while on an American Roulette wheel, it drops to 94.74%. That’s quite a difference and a crucial one when choosing which of these variants to play. As you may have guessed, French Roulette is the preferred version for many roulette enthusiasts.