Roulette is a diverse game with numerous variations and wheel layouts. For example, if you ask a player familiar with the American roulette wheel, they may tell you the wheel has 38 numbers, including 0 and 00. However, a player familiar with the European wheel might say 37, as there is just a single zero pocket.
So, which is it? Exactly how many numbers are there on a roulette wheel? In this article, we give you the answers to these questions, explain the two most popular roulette variations, and tell you what the numbers on a roulette wheel add up to. Read on.
How Many Numbers Are There On a Roulette Wheel?
Roulette games consist of two primary variants that are played worldwide. These variants are known as American and European roulette, named after the primary places they were first played and popularised in.
Therefore, the numbers on a roulette wheel differ depending on the type of roulette one is playing. So, an American roulette wheel has different numbers than a European roulette wheel.
American roulette is classified by its two green pockets for 0 and 00, while European roulette has only one green pocket, a single 0.
Let's take a look at them in detail below.
American Roulette Wheel
The American roulette wheel has 38 pockets, including the two green pockets, 0 and 00. Of these 38 numbers, 18 are black, and 18 are red, while the two zeros are characterised by two green pockets.
The zeroes are at the opposite ends of each other, dividing the numbers 28 and 2 (0) and 27 and 1 (0). Therefore, the American roulette numbers look like this, in a counterclockwise direction: 0, 2, 14, 35, 23, 4, 16, 33, 21, 6, 18, 31, 19, 8, 12, 29, 25, 10, 27, 00, 1, 13, 36, 24, 3, 15, 34, 22, 5, 17, 32, 20, 7, 11, 30, 26, 9, 28.
European Roulette Wheel
The European roulette wheel has 37 numbered pockets with one green pocket as the zero. Like the American roulette wheel, it also has black and red pockets. It also has an equal division of red and black numbers.
So, there are 18 black numbers and 18 red numbers. The difference between a European wheel and an American one is the green pockets and the house edge. Because of the single zero, a European roulette wheel has a lower house edge than the American roulette wheel.
The numbers on the European roulette are laid out as follows, starting from zero and going to the left: 0, 26, 3, 35, 12, 28, 7, 29, 18, 22, 9, 31, 14, 20, 1, 33, 16-, 24, 5, 10, 23, 8, 30, 11, 36, 13, 27, 6, 34, 17, 25, 2, 21, 4, 19, 15, 32.
What Do All The Numbers On a Roulette Wheel Add Up To?
If you were to add up all the numbers on a roulette wheel, regardless of the roulette variant, it doesn't matter if it's an American, European, or French variant; the total would add up to 666.
This number has led to interesting theories about the game, with some people naming it the Devil's Game based on the bible's association with the 666 number.
This theory is believed to have been made popular by Francois "Magician of Homburg" Blanc, a French mathematician who apparently made a deal with the devil to learn the inner workings of a roulette wheel. In some cultures, the number 666 is considered a lucky number, painting the game in a lighter light.
Obviously, these are just theories, and if you understand the random nature of this game, you'll understand that the number 666 was just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the number's association with luck or the devil.
Regardless of your belief, roulette is an ever-growing and popular game with unparalleled potential to be around for a long time (if its history and age are anything to go by).
What's The Highest Number On a Roulette Wheel?
Although American and European wheels have 37 and 38 numbered pockets, the highest number on both variants is 36. That is because both variants have numbers 1 to 36, with 36 being the highest number on the wheel.
However, that does not mean 36 has the highest payouts when playing a roulette game. It is simply a number that is highest numerically and not necessarily in value.
The amount of payout you receive if you place a winning bet on a roulette game depends on the bet you have placed, not necessarily the number you have placed the bet on. For example, if you place a Straight Up bet on the number 2 and the ball stops on the number 2, you'll receive a payout of 35 to 1.
And, if you place a Red bet and the ball stops on the number 36, the bet wins, and the payout is 1 to 1.
Conclusion
European and American roulette wheels have the numbers 1 to 36. However, the addition of the zero pockets increases the number of pockets to 37 and 38. Not only that, these zero pockets also add a variation on the house edge of each of these games.
However, the numbers are not placed in order on the wheel. That is to balance the outside bets, such as the High/Low bet, as all of the high numbers would be next to each other, as would the low numbers.
Roulette game continues to impress, intrigue and interest many people around the world despite being known as the Devil's Game. If you are looking for an online casino that offers online roulette games of different variations, you're in the right place. Create an account here at Roulette Online for access to our full collection of online slots and live casino games, including roulette.
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*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins, etc.) mentioned in relation to this game are subject to change at any time.