There are a total of 38 pockets on the American roulette wheel, ranging from 0 to 36, plus the additional 00 number. Please note that except the different types of wheels there are also different types of tables and rules variations.

Interestingly the first roulette introduced in France had two zeros, but that changed when the German casinos wanted to compete and introduced the single zero roulette to attract more clients. This should have a deterring effect on prospective players, but there are still plenty who choose this type of wheel, mainly because in some countries like the USA there are no alternatives, as the vast majority of casinos houses only double zero wheels. One big difference between them is that the American version has two zeroes on the cylinder, which leads to a bigger advantage for the casino. One of the first decisions that roulette players need to make is whether to spin a European or American roulette, as these are the two main types of roulette wheels. The game of roulette as we know it today started being played a century later, around 1760, in France.įor the untrained eye, there is no difference between the different types of roulette wheels, but at a closer look, the differences become self-evident. The roulette cylinder was introduced in a primitive form, in the 17th century, by Blaise Pascal, a French physicist, philosopher and inventor, in his quest to create for a perpetual motion machine.

Roulette wheel layout image