Roulette Wheel Guide – How Many Numbers on the Layout
Roulette Wheel Basics
It is fairly safe to say that almost all of us have seen a roulette wheel at least once in our lifetimes. Whether it has been at an actual casino, оn the big screen or in a computer game, most people are familiar with the concept. And for those of you, who have lived on another planet, here is a quick explanation. The traditional roulette wheel has 37 pockets numbered from 0 to 36, while the American variant has 38, two of which are zeros. Once a round starts, the dealer will spin the wheel and drop the ball on the outside ring. When the speed slows down enough, the ball ends up in one of the numbered slots, thus deciding the winner. Here are some of the main components of the roulette wheel:
- Diamonds – obstacles designed to alter the trajectory of the ball, they are an important part of the roulette wheel, which helps ensure random and unbiased results.
- Ball Track – that part of the wheel, that the ball travels through. Conventional casinos use wooden tracks that have a thin layer of epoxy resin that prevents wear and tear.
- Rotor – the mechanism that makes the wheel turn. It weighs close to 15kg and is designed to eliminate wheel bias. It is also the only moving part, thus the one that breaks most often.
- Pockets – also known as slots are the 37 or 38 numbered sections of the roulette wheel, where the ball eventually comes to a halt. They are either black or red, with the only exception of the 0 which is green.
- Base – the outer part of each roulette wheel, which is part metal and part wood. Its main role is to protect the wheel and especially the ball track.
When looking at a side by side comparison between conventional and online roulette wheels, you will see no difference, as game developers and online casino operators alike do their best to ensure as much authenticity as possible. Of course, there are some games that rely on a more abstract interpretation of this centuries-old design, but they are pretty rare, thus not worth discussing. As we already mentioned, there is a slight difference between the European and American designs, which we are going to discuss in details in the following paragraph.
European Wheel – All You Need to Know
The European style of roulette is by far the most popular one and dates back to the late 18th century. It features 37 pockets, numbered from 0 to 36. All slots are either red or black, while the one with the number 0 is green. In the number ranges from 11 do 18 and 29 to 36 you will find that odd-numbered pockets are black and even ones are red. In the ranges between 19 to 28 and 1 to 10, on the other hand, the odds are red, and the evens are black.
Now, as we previously mentioned, the thing that defines the layout of the European roulette wheel is the fact that it only features a single zero. Thanks to that, the house edge is only 2.70% in comparison with the 5.26% of the American version of the game. Each player has a chance to win of 1/37 for all single number bets, and that number remains the same across European roulette tables across all online and land-based casinos. And while on the topic of probabilities, we need to note that contrary to popular beliefs, there is no way, shape or form can a player influence game or lower the house edge.
Popular European Roulette Wheel Bets
Continuing on the topic of the European roulette wheel, we can’t go without taking a closer look at some of the bets that players place most often. Basically, there are two main types – inside and outside wagers. The first will see players placing their bets on the inside of the roulette table layout, which means that they will be betting on individual numbers only, whilst the latter revolves around combinations of numbers. If you are new to the game of roulette or you simply want to learn all there is about the different available wagers, then you should definitely take a look at our roulette bets page. In the meantime, you can find the most popular European roulette wheel bets in the table down below.
| European Roulette Bet | Roulette Wheel Numbers |
|---|---|
| Reds | 1, 3, 5 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36 |
| Blacks | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35 |
| Evens | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 |
| Odds | 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 |
| Low | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 , 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 |
| High | 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 |
The man reason why all the bets listed above are so popular is the fact that they offer low risk and a 50% probability of winning. Naturally, they feature a 1:1 payout, which is not the most exciting but can still make you win a hefty amount of money. Thus, these are considered new players friendly, and we tend to recommend them to the more inexperienced gamblers. If you’d like to take a look of the other available bets and consider all of your odds, then its definitely a good idea to visit our roulette odds page where you will find all the necessary information and then some.
American Wheel – In a Nutshell
The American roulette wheel shares all of its major components with its European relative. The ball track, rotor, diamonds and base are all completely the same, the only difference being the pockets. And more specifically, their number. In the American variant, there is an additional one numbered 00. Naturally, this affects the probabilities and payouts of the different bets. For example, the house edge is 5.26%, which is 2.56% higher than in the European version of roulette. Naturally the average payout per £100 wagered is 94.74% on American roulette, against 97.30% for the European one.
When you take a look at the wheel for the first time, the pattern in which the numbers have been laid out may seem random, however that is not the case. Consecutive numbers are always placed on the opposite side of the roulette wheel. For example, 2 will be opposite to 3, 14 to 13, and so on. In the picture above, you can see a side by side comparison between the European and American layouts of the wheel. One last thing to keep in mind is that the additional pocket on the American roulette wheel also affects the number sequences and the call bets. For those of you, who are less experienced and have never heard the term, call or neighbour bets are a category of special wagers that are comprised of different number combinations and usually allow for considerably larger bets to be placed. This game can be usually seen at the most popular live roulette casino sites.
The 0 and 00 Bets
The addition of the 00 to the roulette wheel allows players to place not one, but two additional bets. The first of them are the 0 and 00, which are both single number bets and come with a probability of 1/37 or 2.78%. Contrary to the common logic, the payout for betting on either 0 or 00 is exactly the same as it is on the European roulette variant, despite the additional pocket. In both cases you will get 35x your initial bet in case your guess was correct.
| American Roulette Bet | Roulette Wheel Numbers | Payout | Probabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | 0 | 35/1 | 2.78% |
| Double Zero | 00 | 35/1 | 2.78% |
| Row | 0 and 00 | 17/1 | 5.56% |
The other wager, that is exclusive to the American roulette variant, is the row bet. In this case, you will be betting on the ball stopping on either 00 or 0 and your odds will be 1/18 or 5.56%. If you win, the house will pay you 17x your wager. The higher probability of winning makes this bet suitable to less experienced players or those of you who have rather limited funds.
The Most Popular Roulette Wheel Numbers
Roulette wheels, especially the ones produced in the last 50 or so years are extremely precise, function flawlessly and are completely free of bias. Yet, people continue to believe that the longer a certain number has not been chosen, the higher chance there is that it may happen. For this exact reason, many software developers include a hot and cold number section on their online roulette games, so that players can see the pockets that have been selected the most and the least. And while that is a perfect example of the gamblers fallacy, it is true that some numbers tend to come up more often than others. Good examples of such numbers are 20, 29, 2 and 5. Despite that, however, you should keep in mind that none of this has been scientifically proven and if you put your money on the line you will be relying on the good old luck.
Roulette Wheel History – How It All Started
The exact time when roulette was first discovered is rather unclear, although, there are reliable sources that suggest the early 1700s as the genesis of this classic casino game. In 1720, Frenchman Blaise Pascal came up with a primitive form of the roulette wheel while looking for a perpetual motion machine. More than a century rolled by, before roulette as we know it today, hit the casino floors of Europe. It was Francois Blanc who introduced the first roulette wheel with a pocket that contains only one zero. This proved to be a big deal, as it gave the house a much larger house advantage. In the years to come, roulette became one of the most popular classic casino games in both Europe and North America and has since remained a player-favourite.
| Year | Roulette Wheel Event |
|---|---|
| 1720 | Blaise Pascal introduces a primitive variant of the roulette wheel |
| 1796 | The game is played for the first time in its current form |
| 1843 | Francois Blanc comes up with the idea of leaving only one 0 pocket to the wheel. |
| Late 1800s | Roulette spreads across Europe and the US, becoming one of the most popular casino games |
| 1970s | Casinos flourish around the globe, with roulette games leading the charge |
| 2016 | First triple 0 wheel introduced by The Venetian Las Vegas |
In the more recent decades of roulette history, not much has been done to alter the way the game is played. After all, why change something, if it works perfectly fine? Moreover, thanks to modern technologies, roulette wheels are now built to a far higher standard which makes them more durable and completely eliminates any bias, that might have occurred due to imperfections of the device. The only noteworthy innovation took place in 2016 when The Venetian Las Vegas introduced the first triple 0 roulette wheel in the world.
Roulette Number Sequence & Wheel Layout Logic
Taking a quick look at either a European or American roulette wheel and you will think that the pockets have been laid out randomly. That, however, is far from the truth. A lot of thought and many years of development have been put into the roulette wheel design that we know and love today. So here is a short list showing some of the reasoning behind the current layout.
- The Colours Should Alternate the Wheel – what this means is that there should never be two pockets of the same colour next to each other.
- The Player Should Be Confused – as most fo you have noticed the roulette wheel is very hard to understand the first couple of times you play. Of course, that has been done on purpose to make the game more challenging.
- The Low and High Numbers Should Alternate as Much as Possible – similarly to the colour design, the low and high numbers should not sit next to each other. The only exception are the 5 and 10 on the European roulette wheel.
- Odd and Even Numbers Distribution – the odd and even numbers must be laid out on the roulette wheel in such a way that no more than two of them are neighbouring.
All that being said, once you play roulette long enough, you will familiarise yourself with the layout, and it will all start to make more sense. If, however, you want to advance quicker and become a pro in no time, we thoroughly recommend that you take a look at our guide to the roulette rules.
Play Roulette for Real Money
And of course, once you get to know the roulette wheel well enough, you can start playing for real money and enjoying the game in its fullest form. Take great care when selecting the roulette variant as it may make or break your experience. Checking if the gambling venue is safe and secure is also a must, however we’ve done that for you. Without any further ado, here is our top recommended roulette casino on the UK market that you can start playing at!
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Frequently Asked Questions
As we have come to the end of our guide to the roulette wheel it is now time to answer some of your most frequently asked questions. We are going to keep them short but detailed. We hope you find them helpful and informative!
More Roulette Guides
We hope that we have managed to answer all of your roulette wheel questions and then some. If you’d like to find out more about the game of roulette as a whole, then we wholeheartedly recommend that you take a look at the rest of our roulette guides. You can find links that lead straight to them right after the end of this paragraph. Not only will you learn some new and useful information, but you will also find link and promo codes for some amazing exclusive bonuses. So don’t think about it too much and take a look at our pages!