Payouts are tied to the house edge in online roulette. To excel in this game, it’s crucial not only to understand payouts but also to grasp the concept of the house edge – knowing what it means and how it influences your gameplay.
The house edge in online roulette refers to the statistical advantage that the casino has over you in terms of odds. It represents the percentage of each wager that the casino expects to retain in the long run. In other words, the built-in advantage ensures the casino makes a profit over time.
In roulette, the house edge is primarily influenced by the presence of green pockets on the wheel, typically marked with the numbers 0 and 00 in American roulette and just 0 in European roulette. These green pockets are additional spaces that do not correspond to red or black, odd or even, and create an imbalance in the potential outcomes.
For example, in European roulette with a single zero, the house edge is approximately 2.70%, while in American roulette with both 0 and 00, the house edge increases to around 5.26%. The house edge affects the overall odds and payouts in the game, and you should be aware of it to make informed decisions and strategies while playing online roulette.
To better learn roulette payouts and the house edge, imagine placing a $1 bet on every number, including the zero(s). In European roulette, where there’s a single zero, you’re betting $37 in total for one spin. Since only one number can win, the prize for that winning number is $35, plus your initial $1 bet, totaling $36. The $1 difference in the payout compared to the $37 bet results in a 2.70% house edge.
If you switch to even-money bets, like betting $100 on black with a 48.65% chance of winning according to the roulette payouts chart, and you decide to split it with $50 on black and $50 on red, you’ll still lose 2.70% of the time due to the single green pocket.
In American roulette, the house edge is higher due to adding another green pocket (00), even though the payout remains the same. In this case, betting $1 on every number costs $38 per spin, but the prize is only $36, according to the roulette payouts calculator.
This results in a $2 loss each round, representing a 5.26% casino advantage. This percentage reflects the chance that the ball lands in either of the two green pockets.