How to play
The American wheel looks almost like the European one until you spot the second green pocket. Alongside 0 there’s a 00, for 38 pockets in total, and they sit directly across the wheel from each other. The numbers 1 to 36 are the same eighteen reds and eighteen blacks, but their order around the rim is different from the single-zero wheel.
Placing bets is quick:
- Pick a chip of 10, 50, 100 or 500 from the tray.
- Tap any spot on the layout to drop a chip there; tap again to stack another. Both 0 and 00 have their own boxes at the head of the number grid.
- Undo removes your most recent chip, Clear wipes the table, Rebet repeats last round’s bets.
- Hit Spin. When the ball stops, winning bets are paid and the result is added to the row of recent numbers, newest first.
Limits are 10 to 1,000 credits per spot, always in tens, with no more than 5,000 on the table in a single spin.
What 00 changes
Payouts on this table are identical to the European game: 35 to 1 on a single number, 2 to 1 on a dozen or column, 1 to 1 on the even-money bets. The ball, though, now has 38 places to go instead of 37, and both green pockets lose for every outside bet.
| Bet | Pays | Wins here | Wins on one zero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single number (0 and 00 included) | 35 to 1 | 1 in 38 | 1 in 37 |
| Split (incl. 0/00), street, corner, six line | 17, 11, 8, 5 to 1 | 2, 3, 4, 6 in 38 | 2, 3, 4, 6 in 37 |
| Trio: 0-1-2, 00-2-3 or 0-00-2 | 11 to 1 | 3 in 38 | n/a |
| Five-number bet: 0-00-1-2-3 | 6 to 1 | 5 in 38 | n/a |
| Dozen or column | 2 to 1 | 12 in 38 (31.6%) | 12 in 37 (32.4%) |
| Red, Black, Odd, Even, 1–18, 19–36 | 1 to 1 | 18 in 38 (47.4%) | 18 in 37 (48.6%) |
That one extra pocket doubles the house’s take. On every bet the edge is 2/38, or 5.26%, against 2.70% on the European table.
You can check it with a straight bet. Over 38 spins you expect one hit, worth 36 units back, after staking 38. Two units short, one for each zero. A red bet: 18 wins returning 2 units each is 36, again two short of 38.
What that means in credits
Edges are easier to feel as amounts. For every 1,000 credits you wager:
- on this wheel, the expected loss is about 53 credits;
- on a single-zero wheel it’s about 27;
- on even-money bets at the French table, with its half-back rule on zero, about 14.
Short sessions can go anywhere, of course. But the longer you play, the more your results lean towards that 53.
Strategy
One bet is worse than the rest. The five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 (the ring at the outer corner where the zeros meet the 1) pays 6 to 1 but would need 6.2 to 1 to match the others: its edge is 3/38, about 7.89%. Every other bet, from single numbers and splits to dozens and red/black, carries the same 5.26%. Choose those by how you like the swings, not by odds.
Treat 0 and 00 like any other number. They’re each a 1-in-38 straight bet paying 35 to 1, no better and no worse than 17 or 32. Some players cover both as a hedge against outside bets; that only adds two more 5.26% bets.
Bet size matters more than bet type. Because the edge is the same everywhere, the main thing you control is how much goes through the wheel. Smaller chips and fewer spins mean a smaller expected loss.
The history row is decoration. The last dozen results are shown for atmosphere. The wheel doesn’t remember them, and 00 coming up twice in a row says nothing about the next spin.
Doubling up runs into the limits. A loss-chasing progression on red needs 10, 20, 40… and after seven losses in a row the next bet would be 1,280, above the 1,000 cap. Seven straight losses on red happen about once every 90 or so attempts on this wheel.
If you enjoy American Roulette, try Andar Bahar or Asia Poker next.
