Roulette Wheel

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games in the world. Almost every single casino on the planet, be it online or land-based, has at least one version of it and, of course, Wildz is no different.

We offer a wide selection of different roulette variants, including the main options of European roulette and American roulette, as well as many live dealer options like Immersive Roulette.

Each one has slightly different features and rules but, no matter what roulette variant you choose, there will always be a wheel, a table, and a set of numbers.

But have you ever stopped to think about them, how they works, and how they affect the game? Let’s take a deep dive to find out.

A deeper look at the roulette wheel

The wheel used in roulette was invented several centuries ago by a French inventor named Blaise Pascal. He didn’t set out to create a casino game, he was actually trying to make a perpetual motion machine.

We now know that perpetual motion machines aren’t physically possible, but he did create a perpetually fun game that has been enjoyed for generations since.

The roulette wheel we know today contains 37 or 38 different pockets, each with individual numbers from 0 to 36 (American roulette also has 00). 0 and 00 are colored green, while the others are split 50/50 with half painted red and half painted black.

Pascal’s design means that, when it’s spun, the wheel will run for quite a while, giving players plenty of time to place their bets.

Shortly after the wheel is spun, a ball is sent in the opposite direction. As it loses momentum, it will fall into one of the pockets of the wheel, deciding which bets win.

Roulette tables all have different layouts

Just like the roulette wheel can have some minor differences, the table where you place your bets can also vary slightly.

It is only slightly though and a casual player could very easily not even notice that the table was different if they switch between games.

American roulette has the same table layout as its European cousin, the only change is the additional box for the 00.

French roulette, on the other hand, uses a different layout for the outside bets though it’s still pretty self-explanatory. The French layout allows the player to place a few special wagers, mostly that cover one of the three thirds of the table.

The RTP depends on your bet & roulette table setup

In roulette, we don’t measure the casino RTP, instead, we calculate the house edge. It is, essentially, telling you the same thing but instead of showing how much you can expect to receive back on average, house edge demonstrates the theoretical amount the casino keeps from bets over a long period of time.

When you play roulette in an online casino, you may want to optimize your play to get the lowest possible RTP. In this case, you want to place even-money bets on a French roulette table.

This is because the house edge can be affected by:

The number of pockets on the wheel
The number of green pockets
The type of bets you place

American roulette has the highest edge at 5.26% while European roulette is almost half this at 2.7%.

If you place inside bets on a French roulette game, the house edge remains the same as European roulette. However, two additional rules known as La Partage and En Prison mean your even-money outside bets don’t lose instantly if the ball lands in the 0 pocket. This reduces the edge to just 1.35%, the best you can get in roulette.

Aside from this, the house edge remains the same for almost every wager. The only other exception is if you place a five-number bet in American roulette, such wagers see the house keep an average of 7.89% of the amount wagered.