American Roulette for Beginners – Basic Rules and Strategies

By: Olena

Posted: January 24, 2022

Updated: March 14, 2023

American roulette enters the top-3 of the best roulette games
Rules, strategies, and winning tips for American roulette are different
Learn how to play American roulette for real money at online casino sites

American roulette stands out from other games for a number of reasons. It is an exciting yet tricky variation of roulette that doesn’t fit every single player. If you want to try it, learn the rules, objectives, and strategies for American roulette from our guide.

Roulette is probably the best casino game for beginners. All variations of roulette are quite easy to play and win. In 2022, the most popular types of roulette are French, European, and American roulette. American roulette is among the table games with the biggest number of fans in the US, Canada, Asia, and the UK. With the development of online gambling, American roulette is slowly reaching more and more countries throughout the world. Maybe, this is the best time to learn how to play American roulette!

In this guide, you will learn everything about American roulette including:

What is American roulette?
American roulette rules
Winning strategies and useful tips
Differences between three popular roulette variations
How to play roulette games for free
Best sites to play roulette online

A Beginner’s Guide – What is American Roulette?

American roulette or Double-Zero roulette is one of the easiest casino games to play. Along with European and French roulette, it enters the top-3 of the most popular variations of this classic table game. Learn the American roulette basics if you want to play it in land-based casinos or at online gambling sites in Canada. American roulette is pretty similar to other roulette variations but with its own peculiarities. It features a wheel made up of 38 sectors. They include numbers from 1 to 36 colored red and black in equal parts. There are also two green sectors that include 0 and 00.

Due to the arrangement of an extra double-zero sector, American roulette is considered one of the most difficult games for players. The odds of winning usually peak at 5.26%. On the other hand, it makes American roulette the most unpredictable and exciting variation of roulette.

How to Play American Roulette – Simple Rules and Strategies

To play and win, you should learn at least basic American roulette rules. The objective of the game is to predict which numbered sector the ball will stop at. Before the game starts, all players make bets on a particular sector using chips. Then, the dealer spins the ball and the wheel in two opposite directions. After some time, the ball stops at one of the 38 sections. The player who has bet on this section is the winner.

Playing online roulette is a bit different. No dealer is here to spin the wheel, except for live online roulette games. Instead, the player makes bets by clicking on the respective section and then starts the wheel spinning. If the ball falls into the player’s section, the winnings will be automatically added to his account. Although the rules don’t differ much from other variations of roulette, the presence of double-zero makes the American one more interesting. To win the game, players should learn the American roulette basic strategy or maybe a couple of them.

American Roulette Strategies – Mastering Double-Zero Roulette Quickly

There are many American roulette strategies for beginners yet not all of them are equally good. Therefore, we have collected the most important winning tips that can help you beat the casino and have some profit.

So, the best American roulette tips include:

Playing low house edge games. Online casinos offer a wide variety of American-style roulette. Your task is to find games with the best odds and/or the lowest house edge. In both cases, the chances of winning will be better than playing common American roulette with an average of 5.26% odds.

Placing a single-number bet repeatedly. One of the best ways to win at American roulette is to keep on betting on a single number (even/odd, low/high, etc). In the long term, this strategy will result in a successful bet.
The Martingale System strategy. We have already discussed it in our French roulette guide.

American Roulette Betting – How to Bet in American Roulette?

Like most roulette variations, American roulette bets include inside and outside bets. Inside bets include bets that are made on individual, adjacent or small groups of numbers. In their turn, outside bets include wagers on large groups of numbers. All bets in roulette are made on the table layout.

Inside bets	Outside bets
Straight-up bets – bets that are placed on any single number	Column bets – bets that are made on the whole column of numbers
Split bets – bets on the line between two adjacent numbers	Dozen bets – bets on a group of 12 numbers from 1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12 boxes
Street bets – bets on three numbers that stand in a row	Bets on color – bets on all red or all black numbers
Corner bets – bets on four numbers in a “square”	Bets on odd/even numbers – bets on all odd or all even numbers
Five bet – a one-option bet on 0, 00, 1, 2, and 3	Bets on low/high numbers – bets on all low or all high numbers
Line bets – bets on 6 numbers i.e. two rows of three numbers	NewAR – an optional bet on either “black/odd or 0” or “red/even or 0”

About Winning Odds – What is the Payout on American Roulette?

Understanding the American roulette odds is important to avoid any surprises. If you aim to play roulette for real money, find number payouts and odds for the double-zero-style game in the chart below.

Bet	Odds	Payouts
Straight-up	2.6%	35 to 1
Split	5.3%	17 to 1
Street	7.9%	11 to 1
Corner	10.5%	8 to 1
Five	13.2%	6 to 1
Line	15.8%	5 to 1
Column	31.6%	2 to 1
Dozen	31.6%	2 to 1
Color	47.4%	1 to 1
Odd/even	47.4%	1 to 1
Low/high	47.4%	1 to 1

If the player makes a NewAR bet on “Red/Even or 0” or “Black/Odd or 0”, the payouts will be 3 to 1 in the case of Red/Black or Odd/Even number winning. If 0 wins, the payout will be 2 to 1.

How to Play American Roulette Online and Live

Players can find a wide variety of American roulette games in land-based casinos. Predictably, this is the most popular roulette variation in the US. Casinos in Vegas are filled with roulette tables but it is still better to play American roulette online. Nowadays, most casino sites offer various American roulette games. Players can enjoy video roulette in which they play against the computer. The whole gaming process in video roulette is automatic: you only need to place a bet and press the play button.

In live roulette, players compete against each other or the house in real-time. Live American roulette is set in a real casino or studio with a human dealer hosting the game. This is the best way to play Double-Zero roulette online to have a real casino experience.

Free American Roulette – Where Can I Try It Without Any Risk?

At some online casinos in Canada, players can try their luck without risk and play free American roulette. It is possible to play roulette games for no fee with the help of bonuses. Most casino sites offer welcome bonuses for new players, so you can use them to have a couple of spins for free.

To choose a good online casino to play roulette, always pay attention to the following criteria. Firstly, the site must have a valid license meaning that it is operating legally. Secondly, the online reputation of the casino matters, so read reviews from real players. Check whether the casino is blacklisted or not. It is really important as there is quite a large number of shady sites trying to steal players’ personal information or simply not paying out the winnings.

Finally, the variety of deposit/withdrawal options is one of the most important things that identify a reliable online casino. The presence of as many languages as possible is also a good sign. Some of the examples of the best online casinos are Intertops, 888casino, King Billy Casino, 22Bet.

Frequently Asked Questions about American Roulette

How can I win at American roulette?

To enhance your odds of winning at American roulette, play games with the lowest house edge and place single-number bets. Looking for winning strategies can be helpful too.

What are the best strategies for Double-Zero roulette?

There are many strategies that can help you win at Double-Zero roulette. The Martingale System is considered the best winning strategy for roulette players.