Roulette Wheel: American vs European Compared
The roulette wheel is the spinning disc that determines the result of each round. American and European wheels look similar but have different pocket counts and pocket orders, which changes the house edge and the behaviour of physical and RNG-based games.
European Roulette Wheel
The European wheel has 37 pockets: 0 plus 1-36. The pockets alternate red and black for the numbered pockets, with the zero pocket coloured green. The number sequence around the wheel is not numerical; it is engineered to spread red/black and high/low evenly around the rotor.
The standard European pocket order, starting at 0 and moving clockwise, is: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26.
American Roulette Wheel
The American wheel has 38 pockets: 0, 00, and 1-36. The additional double-zero pocket sits opposite the single zero. The pocket order also differs from the European wheel and is designed so that consecutive numbers face each other across the rotor.
The standard American order, starting at 0 and moving clockwise, is: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2.
Direct Comparison
| Feature | European | American |
|---|---|---|
| Pockets | 37 | 38 |
| Zero pockets | 0 | 0, 00 |
| House edge | 2.70% | 5.26% |
| Best for system testing | Yes | No |
Why the Pocket Order Matters
Pocket order is built to scatter colours, parities, and high/low ranges so that no quarter of the wheel concentrates one outcome. That design protects the casino from biased physical wheels: if a wheel develops a slight tilt, the engineered order keeps red/black and odd/even close to evenly split in the affected zone.
RNG Wheels in Online Games
Online roulette games simulate the wheel with a random number generator. The physical layout is preserved visually, but the result of each spin is the output of a certified RNG. The pocket order still matters for visual confirmation, but the math is determined by the RNG. Read our RNG explainer for more.
Practical Notes for Players
Always pick the European wheel when both are offered. The single zero halves the house edge versus the American wheel, and the system math in our roulette systems guides assumes a European wheel.
For more on roulette mechanics, variants, and odds, return to the main roulette guide. To put these ideas into practice, the free roulette demo on the homepage is built for risk-free experimentation with every bet type and variant covered here.