Roulette Wheel Types
There are three main roulette wheel types in the wild: European, American and French. They look almost identical from a distance, but the math behind them is not.
The wheel you sit at determines the house edge on every bet. That single choice has more impact on long-term result than any betting system layered on top.
Quick comparison
| Wheel | Pockets | Zero pockets | Standard house edge | Even-money edge with La Partage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 37 | 0 | 2.70% | n/a |
| American | 38 | 0 and 00 | 5.26% | n/a |
| French | 37 | 0 | 2.70% | 1.35% |
European wheel
The European wheel has 37 pockets: numbers 1-36 plus a single zero. This is the global standard outside of the United States and the version used in most online casinos.
Every bet on European roulette carries a 2.70% house edge. That includes red/black, dozens, columns, single numbers - all of them.
If you have the choice, this is the wheel to play and the wheel to test on. See European Roulette Strategy for more.
American wheel
The American wheel has 38 pockets: numbers 1-36, single zero and double zero. The extra 00 pocket nearly doubles the house edge to 5.26%.
Every bet on American roulette is worse than the same bet on European. There is no exception. If you see both wheels on a casino floor, the American table exists because the casino prefers it.
Strategy systems still 'work' the same way - they just lose money faster. See American Roulette Strategy.
French wheel
The French wheel is physically the same as European: 37 pockets with a single zero. The difference is the table rules - La Partage and sometimes En Prison.
Under La Partage, when zero hits on a 1:1 bet (red, black, odd, even, low, high) you lose only half your stake. That cuts the effective edge on those bets from 2.70% to 1.35%.
If you are testing even-money systems like Martingale or Red/Black, French roulette is the best wheel in the building. See French Roulette Strategy.
Which wheel to test on
For honest comparison, test European unless you have a specific reason to use American. The Roulette Strategy Tester defaults to European.
If you usually play in a US casino, test on American so the numbers reflect what you will actually see. Just expect every strategy to look worse than the European version - that is reality, not a bug.
Specialty wheels
Some online casinos offer non-standard wheels: triple zero (Sands Roulette), mini-roulette (13 pockets), or branded variants with bonus pockets. Avoid these. The house edge climbs into 7-15% territory and no strategy can paper over that gap.
Lightning Roulette and similar live-dealer variants use a normal European wheel with multipliers on inside bets. See Lightning Roulette Strategy for the math.