European vs. American roulette: how much worse is the double zero?
Almost twice as expensive. The second zero nearly doubles what every bet loses on average, so play a single-zero wheel whenever you can.
House edge 2.70% on a single-zero wheel and 5.26% on a double-zero wheel, 1.95 times as much. 100 spins of 10 chips on red lose 27.03 chips on average on the first and 52.63 on the second.
Play roulette with the odds trainerRoulette odds for every bet
What each wheel costs
| Wheel | Pockets | Red wins | House edge | Chips lost, 100 × 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single zero (European) | 37 | 48.65% | 2.70% | 27.03 |
| Double zero (American) | 38 | 47.37% | 5.26% | 52.63 |
| Triple zero | 39 | 46.15% | 7.69% | 76.92 |
Every bet has the same edge on each wheel except the top line on the double- and triple-zero layouts. Chips lost is the average: the house edge times the 1,000 chips bet in all.
Why
Both wheels pay the same: 35 to 1 for a number, 1 to 1 for red. The American wheel just adds a 38th pocket, the 00, which every bet loses to. That takes the house’s share from one pocket in 37 to two in 38. Triple-zero wheels, found in some Las Vegas casinos, add a third zero and cost almost three times as much as a single-zero wheel.