The European roulette wheel, or French wheel, is always preferred by the smart live casino player. Although it does not have the organised look of the American wheel, the odds are slightly less in the houses favour than they are with the American game. Why is this?

Why will a smart live casino roulette player always look for a European roulette wheel? The reason is simple: it offers them better odds. As you are probably aware, there are two types of roulette wheels; the American wheel, and the European (or French) wheel. The two wheels are similar but have different odds. This is down to the addition of an extra green zero pocket, this time numbered with a '00' (double-zero) on the American roulette wheel. This single addition can greatly change your chances of winning any wagers you place on the outside bets, decreasing your chances but increasing the houses.

Although both the American and European wheels have the same 36 numbers, their layout is slightly different. The European roulette wheel has a fairly random order, but the American wheel aligns the numbers opposite each other. The American wheel places the green zero and double-zero directly opposite each other, splitting the remaining numbers into 18 pockets each side of red and black. Although some people prefer the organised approachand look of the American wheel, the smart live casino player will be looking at the odds, not the wheel, and will always choose the European wheel over the american one.

Why are the odds better on the European roulette wheel than the American one? Well, just taking outside betting as an example (the bets where you place your chips on odd or even, or red or black, etc), you will notice there is no zeros included in those bets! As the smart live casino player will know, the fifty-fifty bets are not fifty-fifty bets precisely for that reason; when you bet on red, it isn't a fair chance that red will turn up. There may be eighteen black numbers and eighteen red numbers, but there is also one (or two) green numbers.

Due to the green numbers not being included when you are playing your outside bet, if you were to place a 'fifty-fifty' bet on, say, a red, you are not betting on eighteen of the thirty-six pockets. You are betting on eighteen of the thirty seven, or thirty eight (on an american table) pockets. This means that you could cover all the outside bets and still loose, if the green pocket (or pockets) come in. This is why the smart live casino roulette player looks for a European roulette table.

The addition of an extra pocket does not seem like much, however this is how casinos make their money. By increasing the house odds simply by adding the extra double zero, the house is more likely to win on every outside bet by 5.26%, up from 2.70%. Or, putting it another way, your chances go down from 16 in 37 to 16 in 38. Your best approach is to always look for the best odds in your favour, not in the favour of the casino. No-one ever got rich by throwing away money.

It is for these reasons that the smart live casino roulette player will always look for a European roulette wheel and avoid an american wheel at all costs. The odds will always be stacked against you in any casino game, but the illusion is given that they are all fair. Remember that they are not, play smartly, and always look for a European table, and walk away from the American wheel no matter how appealing it looks.