American Roulette Explained
What this guide covers
American roulette is the second major standard wheel format, distinguished by a single structural difference from European roulette that has an outsized effect on the odds. This guide covers what defines the format, why its house edge is meaningfully worse, and the specific bet unique to it. For a direct side-by-side comparison, see European vs American roulette; for the full rulebook, see roulette rules explained.
The defining feature: two zeros
American roulette uses a 38-pocket wheel — the standard numbers 1 through 36, plus two zeros: a single 0 and a second 00. This extra pocket is the entire structural difference from European roulette, and it's the reason the format carries a meaningfully worse house edge despite using an otherwise identical betting layout and payout table.
The house edge
The added 00 pocket brings American roulette's house edge to 5.26% across nearly every standard bet — roughly double European roulette's 2.70%. This happens because payouts stay exactly the same across both formats (a straight-up bet still pays 35:1 either way), but American roulette's extra losing pocket widens the gap between true odds and payout without any compensating adjustment. Full math on this is in roulette odds explained.
The top-line bet
American wheels support one bet type that doesn't exist on European tables: the "top line" or "basket bet," covering the five numbers 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 with a single wager, paying 6:1. This bet carries a notably worse house edge than every other bet on the table — 7.89% — since its payout doesn't scale correctly against its true odds the way the rest of the menu does. It's worth avoiding specifically, even if you're playing American roulette for other reasons.
Why American roulette still exists and remains popular
Despite the worse odds, American roulette remains widely offered, particularly reflecting its historical dominance in the US casino market, where double-zero wheels became the regional standard well before European wheels gained a foothold there. Many players encounter American roulette as their first exposure to the game specifically because of this regional prevalence, and the format retains a loyal following independent of the odds difference.
Rules that don't apply on American wheels
En prison and la partage — the special rules that cut the house edge on even-money bets on European and French tables — generally aren't offered on American-format wheels. This is part of why the gap between American and European roulette's best-available odds is even larger than the base 2.70%-versus-5.26% comparison suggests; a French table with en prison active can reach roughly 1.35% on even-money bets, a figure American roulette has no equivalent path to.
When American roulette might still make sense
If a European table simply isn't available at a given moment, or if you're specifically drawn to the top-line bet's unique structure or the format's regional history, American roulette remains a legitimate way to play — the game is just as fair and regulated as European roulette, only structurally less favorable on average. It's also worth noting that some players simply prefer the visual layout or pacing of tables they associate with the American format, which is a legitimate personal preference distinct from the odds question.
Identifying an American wheel at a glance
The clearest visual tell is the presence of two green pockets on the wheel — one marked 0 and one marked 00 — compared to European wheels' single green zero. On the flat betting layout, this shows up as two separate zero boxes at the head of the number grid rather than one. If a table's rules screen doesn't make the wheel type immediately obvious, this visual check confirms it quickly.
Betting strategy considerations specific to American wheels
Since the house edge is higher across the board, any structured betting system covered in the roulette strategy guide will, on average, lose faster on an American wheel than an equivalent European one, even though no system changes the underlying math either way. This is worth factoring into bankroll expectations if American roulette is your only available option for a session.
American roulette across RNG and live formats
Like European roulette, the American format is available across RNG tables, live dealer tables, and some faster-paced variants — though it's noticeably less common in speed, auto, and multiplier formats like Lightning Roulette, which tend to default to European rules given their broader international audience. If you specifically want to play American roulette in a live format, it's worth checking a casino's live lobby directly, since it may be a smaller subset of the overall live roulette offering compared to European tables.
Frequently asked questions
Why does American roulette have worse odds than European roulette? The added 00 pocket increases the wheel's total pocket count to 38 without any corresponding payout adjustment, widening the gap between true odds and payout across nearly every bet type.
Is the top-line bet ever worth placing? No — it carries a meaningfully worse house edge (7.89%) than every other bet on an American table and is worth avoiding specifically.
Can I find en prison or la partage on American tables? Generally no — these rules are specific to European and French-format tables and aren't typically offered on American wheels.
How can I tell if a table is American without checking the rules screen? Look for two green pockets on the wheel (0 and 00) or two separate zero boxes on the flat betting layout, rather than the single zero found on European tables.
Is American roulette less fair than European roulette? No — both are equally fair and regulated; American roulette simply has a structurally worse house edge, not a less honest one.
