American Roulette isn't Always Bad
Roulette isn't a game that's filled with strategy. Save for one bet in American roulette (5 number), every wager features the exact same house edge. The only real discrepancy in the game occurs across the different variations.
American roulette features a 5.26% house edge, European roulette has a 2.70% casino edge, and the French version carries a 1.35% house advantage. Considering these options, either European or French roulette are the games that you want to be playing.
But American roulette isn't such a bad option when the conditions are perfect. In fact, it can be even better than European roulette if you play at the right casino. This being said, let's take a look at when the American version gives players a better opportunity to win.
Halving the House Edge
Many casinos are aware that players don't exactly like the prospect of facing a 5.26% house advantage. This puts it on par with slots, Caribbean poker and scratch cards in regard to your chances of winning. And the big catch is that you don't even have an opportunity to win a jackpot!
So in order to make American roulette more appealing to players, some casinos enact a "half-back" rule (similar to 'La Partage'). This rule states that any losing bet which lands on 0 or 00 will return half of a player's wager. So if you bet $10 and the ball lands on 0, you'd receive $5 back.
Taking into account that you get half of your bets back, the American roulette casino edge drops from 5.26% down to 2.63%. And this is even a little bit better than the 2.70% house advantage that's seen in European roulette.
Where is the Half-Back Rule?
The biggest place to find American roulette games with the half-back rule is Atlantic City. This rule has been around in Atlantic City for quite some time to encourage more people to play roulette.
Aside from the East Coast's gambling mecca, players can also find the half-back rule at online casinos. Again, the same principle applies where online casinos want people to be willing to try American roulette, just like any of the other games.
Of course, you can't just blindly expect the half-back rule to be present. So make sure to play some free American roulette before betting any real money. This will allow you to see if you're getting half back on losing bets that land on 0 or 00.
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