Roulette wheel

The roulette wheel is one of the main components, in addition to the ball and cloth, that make the roulette game works.

The roulette wheel consists of slots in which numbers are marked in three colours, green, red and black.

Depending on the type of roulette you play the number of slots varies.

In this article, we are going to analyze and learn some amazing things and all the info you need to know about the roulette wheel.

Step by step we are going to see all of them. So let’s start from the beginning!

Roulette wheel introduction

The roulette wheel is mostly made of wood, like maple, cherry, oak or mahogany, and sometimes all four materials are used.

The basic casino roulette wheel is made in the size of 80 centimetres in diameter.

There are a number of different types of roulette tables that are made as needed for social clubs or for home use that is made of various materials such as plastic, metal and others.

In most cases, the bowl is made up of wood while the rotator that is also the main part of the roulette wheel is made of metal.

The rotator is also the most important part because it allows the bowl to spin.

What is a roulette wheel?

The roulette wheel is the main factor that determines the outcome of the game, but of course, for everything to work it is necessary to have a:

• roulette cloth that supports all the colours and numbers of the roulette wheel,
• the ball,
• the chips,
• and of course the persons who will spin the wheel and play.

The roulette game consists of two components, the spinning roulette wheel placed in a bowl and a ball, which spins around the bowl’s edge. The ball falls into the spinning wheel in one of its pockets. 

The game has 38 outcomes and players can bet on different aspects of the outcome such as the colour, number, odd/even, high/low number and more.

How roulette wheel works?

Before the dealer spins the wheel in one direction and the ball in the opposite direction, a player has to predict the number the ball will rest on finally. Wagers are placed on a number of groups, colours, pair or odds, or individual numbers. 

If the ball rests on the number you have wagered on, the dealer will mark the winning number and pay the winning bets.

Roulette wheel parts

The roulette wheel is made up of the following parts:

• Turret (it is used to hide the height adjuster)
• Ball track (have the intention to randomize the spin of the weel)
• Spindle (mechanism for spinning the wheel, invented by Blaise Pascal)
• Tiles (American roulette has two zero tiles, while European has only one)
• Ball (in past was common that balls are made from ivory, nowadays they are used of phenolic and acetal)

Roulette wheel numbers

The roulette wheel has numbers starting from 0 up to 36 which are coloured in black and red alternately.

The red odd and black even numbers are in the range from 1 to 10 and from 19 to 28 at the roulette point.

While in the range from 11 to 18 and from 29 to 36 the odd numbers are black and the even numbers are red.

American vs European roulette wheel

With both American and European roulette points, you bet on which field the ball will land.

Players bet on whether the ball will land on a black or red number, even or odd, high or low number, group of numbers, columns, certain number and more.

The European roulette wheel contains 37 slots with numbers from 0 to 36 while the American roulette wheel contains 38 slots with numbers from 0 to 27, and double zero (00).

At first glance, this may not make much of a difference, but a double zero for the American roulette wheel makes the house edge 5.26%, while in the European house edge it is 2.3%.

This makes Return to Player higher if you play European Roulette, so we always recommend it.

Now that you know this you will surely notice that in most land-based casinos there are tables with American roulette points.

Other roulette parts

As we have already said the main three ingredients of a roulette game are chips, wheel, cloth, and ball. In this part, we will talk a little about the other three parts that are required for the normal functioning of the game.

Roulette cloth

Roulette cloth is ideal for providing a professional feel to the game.  If you want to create your own instant roulette surface or make a Roulette table on your own, a Roulette cloth is an important and basic requirement. It can serve as a good alternative to the expensive roulette table. 

The surface is smooth to play and the cloth can be stored away easily when not in use.

Made of 100% felt, the cloth allows easy gliding of cards and protects the surface of the table from chips when they are thrown.

 

Good quality felt is needed for roulette and it is green in colour measuring 140 cm x 90 cm. Placing the cloth on a table will provide an instant Roulette table.

The numbers on the mat include 0 and 00, so it can be used in European and American Roulette.

The house edge and chances to win at these two types of roulette are not the same.

Players should always choose European roulette before American, and if you use the roulette big number strategy house edge can be decreased even more.

Roulette ball 

Roulette ball was initially made of wood or ivory. However, at present, the ball is made of synthetic materials such as phenolic, nylon, acetal and Teflon.

The ball behaves differently based on the material that is made of. So, you need to identify the different types of balls, if you are playing the game professionally. 

The balls differ in size too. The sizes used in general include 3/8, 5.8. ¾, ½ and 7/16 inches. However, ¾ and 5/8 are the common sizes used in present-day casinos. And the balls are made of ivorine or Teflon.

You can identify ivorine balls by their pale-yellow colour, while Teflon has a flat white colour. Most players prefer Teflon balls, as these are easy to predict and have less bounce than the ivorine balls.

See on which numbers do the roulette ball most often end up!

Roulette chips

Roulette chips are an indispensable part of the roulette game because by putting chips on numbers and colours in roulette cloth, you let the croupier know what you are betting on and how much. There are several types of chips in roulette and each has its own value.

The value of the chip is defined by its colour including red of $ 5, green of $ 25, orange of $ 50, and black of $ 100. But however the value and colour of the chips vary from the state in which the casino is located as well as the casino itself.

Interesting facts about game of roulette

Roulette game has several interesting facts and facets which will surprise and delight you.

Here are a few of them:

• The roulette wheel has numbers starting from 0 up to the highest number that is 36. The even numbers are black and odd numbers are red in the 1 to 10 range and reversed in the ranges from 11 up to 18 and from 29 up to 36.
•  A croupier or dealer spins the wheel in a particular direction and the ball in the other direction. The ball moves on a circular and tilted track that runs on the wheel’s outer edge.
• The roulette cylinder was first introduced way back during the 17th century. Blaise Pascal, an inventor, philosopher and physicist had invented the game when he was trying to create the machine in perpetual motion. The Roulette game as we play it today was introduced in the 18th century in the 1760s in France when Lois Blanc and Francois designed the wheel using Zero for the King of Monaco, Charles III. 
• The American version of Roulette has 38 numbers (pockets), which includes numbers 0 to 36 and 00 as the additional number. Of these, 18 pockets are black and 18 are red in colour while the 00 and 0 slots are green in colour.
• European Roulette has 37 numbers which start from 0 up to 36. The numbers are coloured in red and black with the 0 as a single slot.
• A very interesting fact is that when we add up all the numbers on a roulette wheel we get the sum of 666! This is why this game is also known as the “Devils Game”.
• The most famous roulette wheel manufacturers are Casino Equipment, B.C. Wills & Co, Caro, King Roulettes, Cammegh, Huxley, and some others.

Roulette wheel odds 

The odds in Roulette are based on the type of bet you wager. For bets of a single number, the odds are highest and the odds are lowest for outside bets such as red/black or odd/even numbers. 

European roulette has better odds than the American roulette table. Strategies like Martingale and Double O Seven are used by players to improve odds with the former featuring payout bets of even odds like red/black, and the latter requires spreading your wager in a specific way, but players should not rely on them.

The odds of winning at roulette are 36:1, which is very low, but odds can be higher if you learn pro tips to win at roulette.

FAQ

Sources:

• https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/blaise-pascal
• https://mathworld.wolfram.com/BeastNumber.html
• https://www.tcsjohnhuxley.com/product-category/roulette-wheels