How Roulette Works

The roulette wheel consists of the numbers 1 through 36 plus one zero in Europe, and with an additional double zero in North America. Even numbers are coloured red and odd numbers are coloured black. Zero (and double zero) sections are green.

The numbers on the wheel alternate between red and black, but are not consecutively placed. Instead of being random, the numbers are ordered to try to achieve balance between both black and red, high and low, and odds and evens.

Spinning the Wheel

The game depends on the player's prediction of which of these numbers the ball will land on when the dealer spins the roulette wheel. The ball circles the outer rim of the wheel between 4 and 40 times, whilst the carousel (the hub) spins continuously in the opposite direction. When the ball and carousel collide, the ball bounces randomly, eventually coming to rest in a slot with a number attached to it. That number is the winning one. European players have a 1 in 37 chance of any specific number hitting, whilst US players have a chance of 1 in 38.

International Variations

There are three basic variations on the roulette theme in casinos around the world, although the differences are very small. The three variations are: British, French and American, as shown in the table below.

It's worth bearing in mind that although many British casinos designate their roulette table 'American Roulette', this refers to the fact that they use different coloured chips for each player, rather than the use of the double zero roulette wheel.