Casino Roulette
In Europe, roulette is one of the most popular of the gambling games, and it is difficult to get a seat at any of the thriving roulette tables in major European casinos. In addition to the seated players, there are usually many others lined up behind the table, waiting impatiently for a seat.
In America, however, there is talk that roulette is a dying game, without much appeal to the average gambler. Why the Difference?
For one thing, there is the matter of tradition. Roulette is an institution in Europe, and in some of the great gambling halls such as Monte Carlo legends have sprung up around the game and its players. Here, in America, it is merely a transplanted European game, whereas our own games of bank craps and blackjack remain tremendously popular.
However, the major reason for the decline in Nevada is the difference between the American and European wheels, and the difference particularly in the edge that the casino has.
The European and American wheels both have 36 numbered slots, but, while the European wheel has only one zero, the American wheel has two. This makes a big difference in the odds immediately. With two zeros, the house advantage is 5.6%. If one zero is used, this advantage is reduced to 2.70%
Furthermore, the European game offers a rule that gives the player another small advantage. This is the en prison bet. What it means is that on all even money payoffs and bets, which are red, black, high, low, even and odd, if the ball settles on the zero the bet is imprisoned for another round.
Should a player bet on red, for example, and 0 comes up, he may leave the bet for another round. If red comes up now, he loses nothing. He still retains the original bet. Or he may, at his option, remove half the bet without waiting for another spin, and release half his bet that way. This option is not available, nor is the en prison rule, in any casinos in Nevada.
I believe it is a shame that the American game doesn't offer this option, for I firmly believe that if the American roulette table were made as advantageous as the European one the game would be thriving here. From time to time individual American casinos have used the European wheel, but not enough casinos to have an impact upon the large number of players.
With the en prison option, the house edge drops from 2.70% to 1.35%, a smaller advantage for the house than any line bet in craps.