Summary:
- European roulette wheels have 37 numbers, and American roulette wheels have 38 numbers, with the extra one being the famed double zero.
- The layout of European and American tables and the number sequences on the wheels differ significantly due to the extra green pocket and the different wheel layouts.
- European roulette has a better house edge for players than American roulette at 2.70 per cent to 5.26 per cent due to the second green pocket on the American roulette wheel.
The Iconic Roulette Wheel
A testament to its accessibility and entertainment value, roulette has been around since the 18th century in very much the same form as it is now. However, we've seen multiple variants blossom at online and live casinos.
The roulette wheel is, arguably, the most iconic part of casino gaming. It’s the epitome of randomised outcomes, featuring red numbers, black numbers and one or two green numbers.
Better still, it’s loaded with what players are looking for: lucky numbers!
What is the Layout of a Roulette Wheel?
The roulette wheel is a perfect circle that isn’t weighted toward any number or side. Around the wheel are all of the numbers you can bet on via the table, which will present either 37 or 38 numbers.
You get 37 numbers on a European roulette wheel and 38 numbers on an American roulette wheel. The double-zero green pocket in American roulette increases the betting options but reduces the chance of other bets winning.
Each number has its own pocket on the wheel. When the game starts, the croupier runs the ball counter to the direction of the wheel’s spin. It then bumps, tumbles into the chamber and eventually lands in the winning pocket.
The winning pocket can trigger any number of winning bets. For example, a €10 bet on Red would win if any of the 18 red-pocket numbers takes the ball at the end of the wheel spin.
Roulette Wheel Pockets and Numbers
Here’s what you need to know about the core variants of the roulette wheel, pockets and number sequences.
How Many Numbers Will You Find on a Roulette Wheel?
The primary differences in the numbers on a roulette wheel come from the European and American variants. There’s also the rise of the triple-zero variant to consider.
In all forms, at physical roulette tables, the numbers on the wheels will be divided either by metal separators or full metal blocks.
What’s the Layout of an American Roulette Wheel?
An American roulette wheel comes with two green pockets.
These are there for the zero and double-zero bets. Uniquely, the number sequence around the wheel makes opposite numbers consecutive. For example, 15 is opposite 16 on the 38-number sequence.
What’s the Layout of a European Roulette Wheel?
European roulette wheels have just one green zero pocket and 37 total numbers. While the sequence around the wheel is standardised, it doesn’t follow a pattern of sorts.
How Many Numbers Are on a Triple-Zero Roulette Wheel?
Triple-zero roulette wheels have three green pockets and depart from the usual roulette wheel layout. Rather than the zero pockets being separated, as in American roulette, all three green pockets are next to each other in this game.
What Are the Odds on Roulette?
The odds on roulette differ depending on the bets that you place and the roulette table variant.
Generally, outside bets – the betting options outside of the table’s numbers – cover more pockets for lower payouts as they’re more likely to occur.
Inside bets, which are placed on any specific number or group of adjacent number boxes on the table, tend to have longer odds and larger payouts but cover less of the wheel individually.
The odds of the famed table game will also be impacted differently if you play the American or European version of roulette.
The additional green pocket of American roulette – which isn’t covered by outside bets – makes them and the other inside bets less likely to occur on average, increasing the house edge while not changing the payouts.
What Bets Can You Place on Roulette?
- Straight Up: Bet on one number for a 35:1 payout.
- Split: Bet on two numbers with one chip for a 17:1 payout.
- Street: Bet on three numbers via a border-placed chip for an 11:1 payout.
- Corner: Bet on four numbers with one chop for an 8:1 payout.
- Top Line: Bet on one, two, three, and the zero(s) with one chip for a 6:1 payout.
- Line: Bet on six numbers with one chip from the border for a 5:1 payout.
- Red/Black: Bet on all Red or Black numbers for a 1:1 payout.
- High/Low: Bet on numbers one to 18 or 19 to 36 for a 1:1 payout.
- Odd/Even: Bet on all odd or even numbers for a 1:1 payout.
- Column: Bet on all numbers on one of the three columns for a 12:1 payout.
- Dozen: Bet on the 1st 12, 2nd 12, or 3rd 12 to back 12 numbers for a 2:1 payout.
How Do Roulette Wheel Layouts Differ?
Here are the number sequences of the European and American roulette wheels to show how the layouts differ:
- European Roulette: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26
- American Roulette: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2
A Few More Questions Answered
How Many Numbers Are on a European Roulette Wheel?
On a European roulette wheel, there are 37 number pockets. The ball can land on the red and black numbers of one to 36 or the green zero pocket.
What Are the Sections on a Roulette Wheel Called?
The sections on a roulette wheel are referred to as pockets, and there’s one pocket under each number that features on the roulette wheel.
Why Does the American Roulette Wheel Have an Extra Number?
The American roulette wheel has an extra number to increase the house edge. Having a second zero, the double-zero pocket increases the house edge from 2.70 per cent to 5.26 per cent.
How is the Sequence of Numbers on a Roulette Wheel Determined?
On the roulette wheel, the sequence of numbers always goes red and then black until a green pocket either ends or splits the sequence.
Bar the two green pockets, American roulette wheels have numbers opposite a consecutive number, such as 19 being opposite 20 or 15 opposite 16. European roulette wheels don’t have a kind of pattern to the sequence, but the number sequence is standardised.
What is the Significance of the Number 17 in Roulette?
In practical terms, the number 17 on a roulette wheel doesn’t have any more significance than any of the other red or black pockets.
For roulette players, however, studies have found it to be the least random number as it was selected the most when people were asked to say a random number from one to 20.
Are There Any Patterns or Strategies for Betting Based on the Roulette Wheel Layout?
If you want to apply a pattern or strategy to betting on the roulette wheel layout, it’s a good idea to find a French roulette table or one with racetrack betting.
On this, the betting zones are based on the wheel layout and the number sequence mirrors that of the wheel. The inside bets are the neighbour bets Tier, Voisins du Zero, and Orphelins.
Can the Layout of a Roulette Wheel Affect the Game’s Outcome?
The only aspect of the roulette wheel layout that can affect the game’s outcome is the number of green pockets.
More green pockets and zeros increase the house edge, meaning players have a higher risk of losing on all outside bets and the many non-zero inside bets.
How Do You Calculate Odds and Payouts in Roulette?
To calculate the odds of winning a single roulette bet, you take your potential number of winning pockets and divide that by the total number of outcomes on the board. Multiply that by 100 to get your probability percentage.
The payouts are different for each bet, from 1:1 for bets like Red or Black to 35:1 for a straight-up bet.
Are Online Roulette Wheels Different from Physical Ones?
Online roulette wheels are only different from physical ones by being created digitally. Still, the outcomes will remain wholly randomised, only by an RNG rather than the physical spin of a croupier.
Should you prefer each spin to be spun on a real wheel but can only play online, check out the live casino roulette wheels, which are all physical table games with a real croupier.
What Are the Most Common Types of Bets Placed on a Roulette Wheel?
The most common types of bets placed on a roulette wheel are outside bets, specifically Red or Black bets.