Roulette bets with the best odds
Comparing roulette wheel types head-to-head
WHEN BETTING ON whether a roulette result will fall in the high or low half of the layout, two wheel types present themselves frequently: European single-zero or American double-zero. The difference in probabilities and house edges will affect how much you can expect to win or lose long-term, so it’s important to compare them head-to-head.
European Versus American: Probabilities Differ
The main difference between European roulette and American roulette is the probability of each bet winning. With European high/low, you need the ball to land on one of 18 winning numbers and American high/low needs the same 18 numbers. Single-zero roulette has 37 pockets and double-zero roulette has 38 in total.
European high/low has a winning probability closer to 50/50, while American high/low is slightly less likely to win. The odds on either side are even-money. There’s another rule worth knowing before you pick a European roulette table. BestCasinos.gr explains how en prison can lower the house edge on high/low bets to 1.35%.
High-Low Win Probabilities
| Probability (Percent) | Probability (Fraction) | Wheel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| European High 19–36 | 48.65% | 18/37 | Single-zero |
| European Low 1–18 | 48.65% | 18/37 | Single-zero |
| American High 19–36 | 47.37% | 18/38 | Double-zero |
| American Low 1–18 | 47.37% | 18/38 | Double-zero |
As the table shows, European high/low has around a 48.65% chance of coming in. On a single-zero wheel, that’s 18 times in 37, but within 100 spins it will happen about 49 times on average. American high/low is 47.37% because of 38 pockets, so it happens about 47 times in 100 spins. European high/low is just under 50%, winning 48.65% of the time.
Remember, probabilities like these have small differences when multiplied by thousands or hundreds of thousands of bets. In the long run, European high/low accounts for about 48.65% of winning outcomes. American high/low loses 52.63%, so the player who bets high or low expects to win 18/38 times and lose 20/38. Those odds look close, but on roulette they are not as even as they may seem to you. European high/low wins 48.65% of the time and pays 1:1 on a winning wager.
House Edge
The downside of American high/low is that the double zero pushes it farther from 50% than the European version: with high or low the house still pays $100 profit on a winning $100 wager, so a 5.26% advantage remains. Yes, that’s how standard roulette payouts work. American high/low is not among the better roulette options. It comes with a house edge of about 5.26% but the chance of winning that bet on one spin is 47.37%. The odds you should prefer are the ones on the single-zero wheel. European high/low has less edge, just under 3% but each bet still has negative expected value. Don’t forget to check for bonuses—they can sometimes really help players achieve their goals—and the Casinoinsikt.se website has gathered a lot of information about them.
Best Bets: Take or Avoid?
The advantage plays out between European high/low and American high/low. European high/low is a bet worth preferring. It is a near-even bet, even if 48.65% seems close. The standard bets have the comfort that putting a few chips down is no problem since they can produce different short-term results without changing the underlying edge. But American double-zero is one reason why European single-zero performs better. Of course, high/low gives players a lot of frequent wins and can come out ahead over short runs, but staying long on it will increase exposure to the house edge over time, especially across many spins.
What Happens on Zero?
Many take this factor into account. When the ball lands on zero, high and low both lose unless the table applies la partage or en prison to even-money bets. The odds are close but European high/low has a better expected return. And when the ball lands on 1–18, the low bet wins, and though 19–36 covers the same 18 numbers, neither side has an advantage over the other. Most standard tables offer both high and low. The croupier usually clears losing bets and pays winning bets after the ball settles to prepare the table for the next spin. Some just bet high and cash out; that’s still subject to variance and the house edge. Players who can do that without changing the wheel’s mathematics have long learned the “high versus low” choice creates no player advantage.
European or American High-Low?
It comes to this: European high/low is more favorable but still loses in expectation. American high/low has a lower probability and costs more. Except those are just features of a betting game that has fixed payouts and probabilities. And when you’re betting long and counting and you know that each spin is independent of every new spin, high/low can still seem deceptively close to 50/50. If you’re looking at casinos on Casino Guia, check whether they offer European roulette before anything else. That single zero makes more difference to your odds than any high/low betting strategy.