How to Play European roulette

When playing roulette, you might have noticed a range of roulette games, with versions consisting of; European, American, Rapid, Multi-Wheel and Double-Ball roulette.

For the European version, the rules are straightforward if you're aware of the traditional concept of roulette. The only significant difference is the single zero roulette wheel.

This has become one of the most popular versions of the game due to the lower house advantage and wide range of betting options that are available.

European Roulette Rules

The European roulette table includes many different bets and the layout is slightly different when compared to American roulette. Regardless, players still have the choice to select inside and outside bets.

To play, you will first need to select a bet on the table. You can place single bets or a combination of bets.

Once your bet has been placed and the window for betting has closed, the roulette ball will spin around the wheel. Eventually, the ball will slow down, until it comes to a complete stop in one of the segments. Successful bets are awarded to players who have correctly predicted the correct segment where the ball will land.

European Roulette Wheel

In the American version of roulette, the wheel consists of 38 pockets with two zero segments. Within the European game, you will notice that there is only one zero.

Having only one zero, the European version does have a lower house edge, which is one of the reasons why it has become such a popular choice. This is more true when the payout values of the two games are the same.

European Roulette Betting Options

European Inside bets

Inside bet types allow you to bet on the specific numbers on the roulette wheel. In European roulette, this ranges from 0 to 36. The odds of winning with inside bets are much smaller when compared to outside bets.

• Straight-up bet - Bet on a specific number
• Split bet - Covering two numbers that are adjacent to each other
• Street bet - Includes a row of three numbers
• Square or corner - Betting on a total of four numbers

European Outside bets

If you're new to the game of roulette, opting for outside bets could be a good approach as they do offer better odds of winning. With this being the case, the payout odds are typically lower.

• Red or Black - Betting on the colour that will hit
• Odd or even - Selecting whether an odd or even number will hit
• High or low - Here you can bet on the number being either low (1 to 18) or high (19 to 36)
• Dozen bet - From the wheel, the 36 numbers are split into three dozen sets; 1 to 12, 13 to 24 and 25 to 36.
• Column bet - Here, you can select a column of numbers and if one of the numbers within the column hits, you win.

Called bets

Commonly used in games of European and French roulette, Called Bets cover sections of the wheel that players can bet on.

Voisins du Zero (Neighbours of Zero)

Selecting the Voisins du Zero bet covers the 17 numbers that are positioned the closest to zero on the wheel.

Tiers du Cylindre (Thirds of the wheel)

Covering 12 numbers on the wheel, this bet covers roughly a third of the pockets, hence the name.

Jeu Zero (Zero game)

As one of the smaller called bets, the Jeu Zero bet covers the numbers positioned between 12 and 15 on the wheel. It is also recognised as a smaller version of the Voisins du Zero bet as it covers a similar section.

Orphelins (Orphans)

From the Tiers du Cylindre and Voisins du Zero bets, any numbers that have not been covered are included in the Orphelins bet.

European roulette payout odds

With a different house edge and betting types available when compared to other versions, the payout odds can vary slightly.

European payout odds

• Straight-up bet: - 35:1
• Split bet: 17:1
• Street bet: 11:1
• Square bet: 8:1
• Column bet: 2:1
• Dozen bet: 2:1
• Red/Black: 1:1
• Odd/Even: 1:1
• High/Low: 1:1

Many players decide to play the European version over the American as the payout odds remain the same at 35:1 for a straight-up bet, but the house edge is lower in the European game.

Play European Roulette Online

Select from a variety of online European roulette games, coming in the form of live roulette and virtual roulette.

From the collection of Live online casino games, you could try Live Roulette from Evolution. Evolution has provided live chat functionality, allowing you to interact with players and the dealer.

For a slightly different version of European Roulette, there is Live Speed Roulette. Taking all the classical rules from European roulette, this version speeds up the gameplay with less time spent between rounds.