Today’s Revolutions
Europe’s most popular game never really caught on in the United States, perhaps because of the changes that the American casinos made to this glamorous game. While no longer having three zeros, with the extra “0″, American roulette carries one of the heaviest casino advantages in the house, thereby discouraging the popularity it enjoys in Europe. With 38 numbers, players have to overcome a 5.26 percent house edge because whenever 0 and 00 are hit, all bets lose. This is over five times worse than playing the most favorable bets on the craps table, or utilizing blackhack basic strategy.
In Europe, roulette uses only 37 numbers - 36 numbers and one “0″. Even-money bets are placed “en prison” when 0 is hit. This is an option in which the player loses half the bet, or is permitted to let the bet remain in action, with the results to be determined on the next spin. Because the European version utilizes the “en prison” rule and a single “0″, the house edge is a comfortable 1.35 percent. The only American jurisdiction that offers “en prison” is Atlantic City, but because casinos there use 0 and 00, the house edge is halved to 2.7 percent. “En prison”, or surrender, means that if the player has bets on the “outside” - odd/even, high/low, black/red, the dozens or the column bets - he only loses half his bet when 0 or 00 hits.
Nonetheless, rouleette remains an exciting game, mainly because of the variety of bets available. The 38 numbers in the American game are grouped into colors, columns and sections. The layout looks complicated, but is actually rather simple, once a road map is provided. Because roulette originated in France, and most European croupiers recognize bets made in Frnech, we’ll include the French translation.