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History of gambling has seen quite a few examples where Americans borrowed a European game to develop it into a unique game of their own, making it more successful than its predecessor. Such was the case with American Roulette, which in essence is a slightly modified version of the classic gambling game from Europe. A major distinct feature of American Roulette is the double zero pocket in addition to the zero pocket. The game also follows several unique rules related to payouts. Finally, the numbers on the wheel are arranged in a somewhat different order. If you are new to American Roulette, these are the things that you have to pay special attention to.
History
French colonists are credited with exporting Roulette to the American continent, which is unsurprising, since originally Roulette was invented in France. As early as the middle of the 18th century, Roulette, or the ’Devil’s Wheel,’ had already been outlawed in Quebec, a town founded by French colonists in East Canada, some other areas followed the trend. Nonetheless, these bans imposed by local authorities did not scare the gamblers off: by the 19th century the real game of American Roulette, the one having a double zero and played in every American casino today, had spread throughout the southern United States. Thereafter northern states developed a taste for the game, too. However, the game of Roulette has never become ‘the King of Casino Games’ as it did in Europe. In American casinos, American Roulette is mainly viewed as entertainment for tourists, yielding in popularity to card games, Blackjack and Poker.
The predecessor of the modern casino game was different: aside from the standard set of pockets – numbers 1 through 36, a zero and a double zero – the wheel also had the American Eagle pocket. A traditional symbol of liberty, it not only served as a reminder that you were playing an American-style game, but also played a more pragmatic role, increasing the casino’s edge over the players. Nonetheless, the life of the Eagle pocket was not very long, and to date it has disappeared from all of the Roulette wheels nationwide.
Roulette bets explained: wheel layout
The main feature of American Roulette distinguishing it from the classic European Roulette is the double zero pocket added to pockets with numbers (1-36). Like the zero pocket, double zero is green in colour, while pockets with numbers are alternately red and black.
In terms of the concept of the game, American Roulette is no different from its European variation. The croupier spins the Roulette wheel and then throws in the ball. While the ball is spinning, players may still make bets until the croupier announces that no more bets are accepted. The announcement should come at least three circles before the ball stops.
A total of more than ten betting options is available in this casino game. These are distinguished between inside bets and outside bets. Unlike in European Roulette, a ‘five-bet’ is allowed so that a player can bet on 5 specific numbers at a time: 0, 00, 1, 2, 3.
Inside bets:
- Straight (Single). Covers 1 number.
- Split. Covers any 2 adjacent numbers, whether vertical (for example, 15 and 17) or horizontal (for example 8 and 9).
- Street. Covers 3 horizontal numbers in a row.
- Corner (Square). Covers 4 adjacent numbers in a square shape (for example, 11, 12, 14 and 15)
- Covers 6 consecutive numbers in two adjacent Streets.
- Covers 3 numbers on the intersection of 0, 1, 2 or 0, 00, 2 or 00, 2, 3.
- Five-Bet (Top Line). Covers 5 numbers in one specific combination: 0, 00, 1, 2, 3.
Outside Bets:
- Low Number (1 to 18) or High Number (19 to 36).
- Red or Black.
- Odd or Even.
- Dozen. Covers the first dozen (1-12), second dozen (13-24) and third dozen (25-36).
- Column. Covers 12 numbers in a vertical column (for example, 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34).
Rules
The objective of the game is identical to that of European Roulette: a player must guess which pocket the ball will drop in. Some American casinos also follow the La Partage Rule: if in ‘even money’ bets (odd / even, red / black or high / low) the ball lands on zero or double zero, the player loses only half of the bet, while the other half stays in play for the next round.
Lastly, the following rules of announcing bets apply to this variety of Roulette: bets can be made right after the croupier announces that the betting begins, and continue to be accepted even after the ball is spun until the croupier announces that bets are no longer accepted. Both inside bets (those placed on the inside area of the table layout) and outside bets (those placed outside of the table layout) are allowed. One has to keep in mind, though, that no bets may be made orally.
