The European Wheel (also known as the French wheel) is a popular type of roulette wheel in casinos in online gambling venues. This type of roulette wheel comes with 37 spaces, including slots from 1 to 36 and a “0” slot. This is in contrast with the American wheel, which has 37 spaces and includes both a “0” and a “00” slot.
European Wheel Vs. American Wheel Odds
When compared to the American wheel, which is what you will find in most casinos, the French/European roulette wheel is seen as being fairer towards the players. As can be seen from the table below, when making the same bet, the European wheel offers the player a higher odds of winning, which translates to a house edge that is 2x smaller:
European Wheel |
American Wheel |
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Wager |
Payoff |
Odds of Winning |
House Edge |
Odds of Winning |
House Edge |
Reds / Blacks |
1 to 1 |
48.65% |
2.7% |
47.37% |
5.26% |
Evens / Odds |
1 to 1 |
48.65% |
2.7% |
47.37% |
5.26% |
Low / High |
1 to 1 |
48.65% |
2.7% |
47.37% |
5.26% |
Dozens |
2 to 1 |
32.43% |
2.7% |
31.58% |
5.26% |
Columns |
2 to 1 |
32.43% |
2.7% |
31.58% |
5.26% |
6 line |
5 to 1 |
16.22% |
2.7% |
15.79% |
5.26% |
Topline |
6 to 1 |
X |
X |
13.16% |
7.89% |
Square |
8 to 1 |
10.81% |
2.7% |
10.53% |
5.26% |
Street |
11 to 1 |
8.11% |
2.7% |
7.89% |
5.26% |
Split |
17 to 1 |
5.41% |
2.7% |
5.26% |
5.26% |
Straight |
35 to 1 |
2.70% |
2.7% |
2.63% |
5.26% |
In addition to better odds, European wheel games also have a slightly different, more player-friendly ruleset. One example of this is the En Prison rule, which is triggered when the ball lands on a “0”.
This makes European wheel roulette one of the fairer casino games you can play, alongside baccarat, blackjack, and full-pay video poker.
European wheel:
- A popular type of roulette wheel that comes with 37 spaces.
- It has slots from 1 to 36 and a “0” slot.
- Is played with a slightly different ruleset.
- Seen as being fairer than the American roulette wheel.