One of the most popular casino table games, American roulette is perhaps the most misunderstood version of the roulette table. 

History shows that while the game originated in France, the roulette wheel now used in European and French roulette is, in fact, a revised version, and the American roulette wheel is the most accurate representation of the original game. 

An American roulette wheel is often considered the odd one out as it has 38 slots, rather than the 37 found on the wheel at other tables including the European Roulette table. Many people believe that this was a deliberate move by American casinos to throw the game further into the house favour; however, it appears to have mimicked the original design rather than the revamped version. 

No America roulette review would be complete without looking at the most essential piece of kit at the table, the wheel. Whether you play in a real casino, online with a live dealer, or have a virtual interpretation of the game, you should find the American roulette wheel the same wherever you go. 

Nothing beats the aesthetic quality of a classic wooden wheel, and the American wheel features 38 equally spaced sections that contain the numbers 1-36 in an alternating black and red pattern will make up the bulk of the wheel. 

The numbers do not run numerically but have a randomised pattern, different again to the sequence found on a French or European wheel. The remaining two spaces which will be directly opposite each other, are coloured green and display the numbers 0 and 00. This changes the odds when compared to other versions of the game as there is one more slot than most wheels. 

The randomness of the numbers is further enhanced by the use of tiny silver flippers that are located around the edge of the wheel and depending on the casino could be six or twelve. These little raised canoe-shaped areas are designed to disrupt the path of the ball and further add to the random nature of the game as the ball can be kicked in the opposite direction or nudged to a different area. 

When the wheel is spun and the ball launched the game is in play and bets cannot be changed. 

If you are playing live dealer roulette, your wheel will be with the croupier on the live stream, if you play virtual American roulette it will be a computer generated graphics. Either way, you will find that there is a betting mat under the wheel that enables the interactive gameplay. Here you will drag the chips you want onto the bets you wish to make.

No matter what version of roulette you are playing there will be similarities and differences in the betting mat. All betting mats will contain the main 1-36 numbers arranged in ascending order in lines or streets of three. 

At one end you will then find the 0 and 00 marked in green as they appear on the wheel. At the opposite end are the three column bets. Under the main numbers you will find the first, second and third dozen bets, then the odds and evens, red and black and high and low bets. 

While graphically you will discover changes due to the casino house style, the layout will be the same no matter where you play American roulette. 

So now we have answered the question ‘What is American roulette’ it is time to learn about the types of bet you can make. There are lots of different bets that fall into two categories. Inside bets offer the player a higher return on their wager but are less likely to succeed whereas outside bets have a lower yield but a greater chance of success. 

The overall purpose of the game is, of course, to predict precisely which number the ball will stop on but if that were the only bet the game would never have achieved such a level of popularity. One of the reasons that people love to play roulette online or at casinos is because of the variety in the bets you can place. 

The simplest form of bet, and mostly based on the 50/50 principle or coin toss. You bet that the ball lands on red or black, odd or even of the low or high numbers. You get a payout of 1-1, so you get back what you bet, and the actual odds, slightly in favour of the casino are 46.37%. 

The other outside bets are the dozen bets, 1-12, 13-24, 24-36 and these carry odds of 31.58% with a payout of 2-1. You will not get big returns on your bet, but you are more likely to win with an outside bet. 

There are six types of inside bets that you can make, and these do offer a bigger payout but are harder to achieve. 

Single Number - Payout 35:1 - Odds 2.63%

2 Number Combination - Payout 17:1 - Odds 5.26%

3 Number Combination - Payout 11:1 - Odds 7.89%

4 Number Combination - Payout 8:1 - Odds 10.53%

6 Number Combination - Payout 5:1 - Odds 15.79%

Bet on 0,00,1,2,3 - Payout 6:1 - Odds 13.16%

You will also find that more experienced players will make house special or announced bets. These are a little harder to understand and as the name suggests must be announced to the dealer who will then announce the bet again. These will be displayed at the table so you can still use them should you choose but it is often worth getting to know the game a bit first. 

If you are looking to for American roulette casinos online, you will find you have a wealth of choice and all of the big name casinos have a great reputation and will offer this game. The live dealer version has gained in popularity and is available in lots of places.