The Roulette Wheel

Roulette is a casino game that is played with a ball that is spun in the opposite direction of a spinning wheel that has numbered pockets. Players place their bets according to the pocket number in which the ball will fall in, type of number whether odd or even or the color of the pocket. Roulette is actually a French word meaning little wheel, so the game is solely based on what happens on the wheel. Since the game is based on the wheel it is wise that you take time to study and understand it if you are to become a great roulette player.

The wheel is designed in such a way that it has a track that is inclined towards some numbered and colored pockets. The number of pockets on the wheel depends on the roulette variation. For French or European variations, the wheel has a total of 37 pockets while for the American version it has 38 pockets. The pockets are lined up in a certain fashion such that the numbers are not in chronological order. On a single zero roulette wheel, the numbers are lined up randomly while on the double zero wheel they are lined up in pairs opposite to each other. The following lists shows how the numbered pockets in a single zero and a double zero roulette wheel are lined;

Single zero roulette wheel
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

Double zero roulette wheel
0;20;9;28;32;11;30;33;7;17;5;22;34;15;3;24;36;13;1;00;27;10;25;29;12;8;19;31;18;6;21;26;16;4;23;35;14;2

Looking at the above list of numbers it is evident that since the numbers are on a wheel, on the single zero wheel, 0 is between the numbers 26 and 32 while on the double zero wheel, 0 is between the numbers 2 and 20 and 00 is between 1 and 27.

The single zero wheel has one green pocket numbered while the double zero wheel has two green pockets (the 0 and 00 pockets). The presence of the double zero in the American roulette wheel increases the house edge to 5.26% as compared to the 2.70% house edge on a single zero French or European roulette wheel. So if you are to play online roulette remember that you have higher chances of winning on a single zero roulette wheel than on a double zero wheel. It is important to note that although the roulette wheels are named according to where they originated, you will still find a European roulette wheel in America. Therefore, each time you see the two different wheels just keep in mind the effects each wheel has on the odds before you decide to place your bets.

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