The Roulette Wheel

2007 May 24, Erana Hansen

Roulette is a hugely popular game of chance, enjoyed by casual players worldwide due to its simplicity and lack of skill based decisions. Even though the game doesn't require much thought to play successfully, many serious players like to study the game, analyze the composition of the numbers on wheel, learn the odds of each betting option and develop a strategy to use when they play. Although their strategy does not mean they can "beat" Roulette, their understanding of the game gives them an improved chance of success.

The major component of Roulette is of course the wheel itself. Most people do not understand the importance of the distribution of the numbers on the wheel. Casual players think that the numbers are simply spread randomly. Even though the numbers do look somewhat random, this is simply not true. Next time you play Roulette, take a closer look at the wheel and you may notice a few interesting details.

Firstly you will notice that the Roulette wheel features alternating red and black numbers around the entire wheel. Often you will also find that two odd numbers alternate with two even numbers. The distribution of numbers is also carefully arranged so that the sum of the numbers for any given section of the wheel would be roughly equal to any other section of equal size.

So if the odds are the same for each number, then why would casinos bother to layout the numbers in this manner? Originally it was designed to give an even spread of each betting option across the wheel. The design also helped to overcome the potential problems of "wheel tracking" or "section shooting". For example, it was hard for a dodgy dealer or rigged wheel to target red/black numbers if they were spread, as opposed to being grouped in one section of the wheel.

Some people (and books) have claimed that Roulette wheels in live casinos can develop a bias, with a heavy side and a light side, which causes numbers on the heavy side to win more often. Since the numbers were evenly spread around the wheel, there was no single betting option on the board which allowed the casual players to take advantage of this possibility. More savvy players, who understood the layout of the wheel, began to develop their own betting patterns where their bets would enable them to cover sections of the wheel.

The reality is that in today's modern technological environment, Roulette wheels are tested thoroughly to make sure that they are 100% unbiased and ensure "wheel tracking" is merely a myth in today's game.

Finally it's important to mention the significance of the zero (0) and double zero (00) on the Roulette wheel. The existence of these numbers is what gives the house an advantage over the player. It's a good idea to avoid any game with a 00 on the wheel as the house edge will be large.

According to legend, the creator of Roulette, French mathematician Blaise Pascal, bargained with the devil in order to get the secrets of the game of Roulette! Perhaps this story is a little far-fetched for you, but if you add up all of the numbers that appear on the roulette wheel, 1 to 36, the total is a scary "666" – the devil's number! Coincidence?