Roulette has French origins that date back to the 17th century, and the game gained prominence across Europe in the 18th century. French mathematical genius Blaise Pascal generally receives credit for the invention of the roulette wheel. However, its design was not the first of its kind, as Chinese and Greek civilisations of earlier times also had games that involved spinning a shield or a wheel of some sort.

Roulette in French literally means little wheel, and the game as we know it today involves a spinning wheel, a roulette table with the betting layout, and a roulette ball. When you play roulette, the objective is to bet on which pocket of the wheel the ball will land in. The ball, when dropped onto the wheel, spins in a direction opposite to that of the wheel to produce random and independent outcomes. Further randomising the outcomes is the non-linear arrangement of the numbers on the wheel.

Roulette wheel numbers on different variations

There are three major roulette versions: European, American and French. However, the French version has an identical wheel structure to the European one, so we can consider only two wheel variations: European and American.

The major difference is that the European wheel includes a single zero pocket, while its predecessor American cousin has a single zero and a double zero pocket. The other difference is the arrangement of the standard 36 numbers on the wheel.

For the European wheel, the numbers are in this order: 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.

For the American wheel, the order is as follows: 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.

While the European arrangement is random with no discernible pattern, the American wheel is designed to provide a balance between even and odd numbers and high and low numbers. Altogether, European roulette has 37 pockets, while American roulette has 38 pockets.

What do the numbers on a roulette wheel add up to? 666. Also known as the “Number of The Beast”, many have attempted to trace the origins of roulette as the devil's game. When Francois Blanc bought the 37 pocket version of the game to the Monte Carlo Casino in 1843, rumours spread that he had bargained with the devil to learn the secrets of roulette. However, as the game is attributed to a mathematician, it is more than likely a joke from Pascal about gambling being a vice.

Is there a roulette number strategy?

Generally, there are a couple of roulette wheel numbers that are considered very good choices to bet on. Numbers such as 7, 17, and 23 provide some superstitious and statistical advantages with a tendency to reoccur. Players often bet on these numbers, and they are typically considered among the best roulette numbers.

You can also observe your game history to determine the most recurring numbers. The relevance of these hot numbers is just as high as that of the cold numbers (least occurring ones). They can guide you to which single or group bets to place and which ones to avoid. Ultimately, while it is possible to employ a roulette number strategy, the outcome for each roulette spin is totally random and independent.

The top number position on a roulette wheel

The zero number in almost any variation of the roulette wheel is pivotal. The single zero stands at the top of the wheel. Within the European version, it’s surrounded by numbers 26 and 32 in black and red, respectively. However, on an American roulette wheel, it’s surrounded by two and 28, both red.

The most popular roulette number to bet on

Among the popular numbers, the standout is the number seven. This is believed to be a lucky number on and off the roulette table. Given that this game is chance-based, players are eager to test their fate with the so-called luckiest number. This means that the red seven is the most popularly played bet.