Roulette Wheels - French Wheel, American Wheel, Hybrid Wheel

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Roulette wheels differ in pocket count, number sequence and construction. The layout and paytable determine the betting odds; the appearance of a wheel does not establish its return.

European single-zero wheels

A standard European wheel contains 37 pockets: 18 red, 18 black and one green zero. The numbers around the rim are not in numerical order. With ordinary payouts, the house edge is approximately 2.70%. For example, a one-unit straight-up bet wins 35 units with probability 1/37 and loses one unit otherwise.

French roulette rules

French roulette usually uses a single-zero wheel. Some tables offer la partage or en prison on even-money bets. La partage returns half the stake when zero wins, reducing the house edge on those bets to approximately 1.35%.
Under en prison, a qualifying bet may be held following zero and subsequently released without profit or lost. Repeated-zero treatment matters: the approximately 1.35% figure applies when the bet remains imprisoned through further zeros. Read the actual rules rather than assuming the name guarantees a particular concession.

American double-zero wheels

A conventional American wheel has 38 pockets, including 0 and 00. Most standard bets have an approximately 5.26% house edge. The five-number bet covering 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 pays 6:1 and has an approximately 7.89% edge. A special half-loss rule, if offered, changes the relevant even-money calculation; it is not universal.

Physical, automated and virtual wheels

A live dealer or automated mechanism may operate a physical wheel. A software roulette game can display an animated wheel while a random number generator determines its outcomes. Hybrid electronic tables can combine physical equipment with screen-based betting. Their availability and rules depend on the venue and jurisdiction.
Modern physical models can incorporate monitoring equipment, but features vary by manufacturer. Players should report suspected defects rather than handling the equipment themselves.

Check the complete game

Count the pockets, check the paytable and read any bonus or multiplier rules. Extra zeros, side bets and altered straight-up payouts can change the return. A recent sequence of results does not make a number due on a fair independent game.