The wheel is the battlefield. It is the court that judges the outcome (without possibility for an appeal). The fixed ⚾️ point of the horizon on which every roulette player has his eyes full of anticipation. A slight difference, a minor ⚾️ game of the wheel, one number left or right, can decide ruin from victory. It is unthinkable to call yourself ⚾️ a roulette player if you haven’t studied the physical and mechanical aspects of roulette. The wheel is the game.
The roulette ⚾️ cylinder was introduced in a primitive form, in the 17th century, by Blaise Pascal, a French physicist, philosopher and inventor, ⚾️ in his quest to create for a perpetual motion machine. The game of roulette as we know it today started ⚾️ being played a century later, around 1760, in France.
For the untrained eye, there is no difference between the different types ⚾️ of roulette wheels, but at a closer look, the differences become self-evident. One of the first decisions that roulette players ⚾️ need to make is whether to spin a European or American roulette, as these are the two main types of ⚾️ roulette wheels. One big difference between them is that the American version has two zeroes on the cylinder, which leads ⚾️ to a bigger advantage for the casino. This should have a deterring effect on prospective players, but there are still ⚾️ plenty who choose this type of wheel, mainly because in some countries like the USA there are no alternatives, as ⚾️ the vast majority of casinos houses only double zero wheels. Interestingly the first roulette introduced in France had two zeros, ⚾️ but that changed when the German casinos wanted to compete and introduced the single zero roulette to attract more clients.
Please ⚾️ note that except the different types of wheels there are also different types of tables and rules variations.
AMERICAN ROULETTE
There are ⚾️ a total of 38 pockets on the American roulette wheel, ranging from 0 to 36, plus the additional 00 number. ⚾️ 18 of these pockets are red, the other 18 are black while the two slots featuring 0 and 00 are ⚾️ green. Speaking of these slots, they are placed at the opposite side of the cylinder, just like consecutive numbers while ⚾️ overall there are no adjacent numbers of the same color. This is how the counterclockwise sequence of numbers looks like ⚾️ on the American roulette wheel: 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
The European or French roulette wheel has a single zero, which makes it a better choice for ⚾️ those who want to offset the effect of variance. House edge is significantly decreased and on the long run, players ⚾️ will be winning significantly more, or at least mitigate loses. The zero slot is still green and the other 36 ⚾️ numbers are split in half, with 18 being black and the rest red. This is how the clockwise sequence of ⚾️ numbers looks like on the European roulette wheel , 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, and 32.
EUROPEAN ROULETTE WHEEL BASED BETS
There are some specific bets that refer to the European wheel ⚾️ layout. These bets are placed by the dealer after a players orders him and gives him the chips. Then the ⚾️ dealer says the bet again, as to avoid any misunderstandings. The bets are:
Zero play
Numbers covered: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, ⚾️ 32, 15.
Bet: (4 chips) 1 chip on 0/3 split, 1 on 12-15 split, 1 on 26 straight up and 1 ⚾️ on 32-35 split.
Voisins de zero (neighbors of zero)
Numbers covered: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, ⚾️ 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25
Bet: (9 chips) 2 chips on the 0-2-3 trio, 1 on each of the splits: ⚾️ 4-7, 12-15, 18-21, 19-22, 32-352 and 1 on 25-26-28-29 corner.
Orphelins (orphans)
Numbers covered: 17, 34, 6, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9
Bet: ⚾️ (5 chips) 1 chip on 1 and 1 chip on each of the splits: 6-9, 14-17, 17-20, 31-34.
Tiers
Numbers covered: 33, ⚾️ 16, 24, 5, 10, 23, 8, 30, 11, 36, 13, 27
Bet: (6 chips) 1 chip on each of the splits: ⚾️ 5-8, 10-11, 13-16, 23-24, 27-30, 33-36.
Neighbors
Numbers covered: five consecutive numbers on the wheel, the bettor indicates the middle number “and ⚾️ its neighbors”
Bet: 5 chips, 1 chip straight on each number
THE LOGIC OF THE ROULETTE WHEEL LAYOUT
In both American and European, ⚾️ the order of the numbers on the wheel-track is totally different than what their arithmetic value would suggest and totally ⚾️ different for each of the two types of wheels. This is one of the secrets why roulette is such an ⚾️ amazingly balanced game in theory. The succession of the numbers on the wheel is well thought out in order to ⚾️ accomplish four different things:
1. Confuse the player. It is very hard for the novice player to make a mental picture ⚾️ of the wheel and understand the relation of the numbers and sectors. This makes it very difficult to notice any ⚾️ bias or to bet on specific sectors. And the roulette table layout can add to the confusion. Experienced roulette players ⚾️ know the sequence of numbers on the wheel by heart. Often this happens naturally from experience, but you should try ⚾️ to get a pretty good idea, a mental image, where the numbers lay as soon as possible anyway.
2. The colors ⚾️ should alternate completely on the wheel. Two consecutive numbers should have different colors. This is an absolute condition for both ⚾️ types of wheels. Furthermore, the color distribution on the table should be as balanced as possible, but this was a ⚾️ much lesser concern.
3. Low (1-18) and High (19-36) numbers should alternate as much as possible. In European roulette the only ⚾️ point where this condition is not met is the 5 next to 10. In the American wheel, there are many ⚾️ sectors with adjacent Low numbers and adjacent high numbers. This is why the American wheel is not considered as perfectly ⚾️ balanced as the European.
4. Odd and Even numbers should be evenly distributed along the wheel with no more than two ⚾️ even or odd numbers adjacent to each other.
TWO INTERESTING ASYMMETRIES OF THE EUROPEAN ROULETTE LAYOUT
If you split the circumference in ⚾️ two halves from the zero. On the left side, you find all the black low numbers and all the red ⚾️ high numbers. On the right half are all the high black numbers with the low red numbers.
Furthermore, in the 9-number ⚾️ sector 29-7-28-12-35-3-26-0-32 there is no number from the second dozen.
ROULETTE MANUFACTURES
Over the internet, there is a preference for European roulette ⚾️ and most online roulette games use this type of wheel, but in brick-and-mortar casinos, this is not necessarily the rule. ⚾️ The number of roulette wheel manufacturers is on the rise, but there is a handful who stand out from the ⚾️ crowd.
Cammegh is one of the market leaders and the most impressive part is that it acts as an independent manufacturer, ⚾️ with headquarters in Ashford, Kent. John Huxley is also a household name, but few know that following their acquisition by ⚾️ the TCS concern, the brand now goes by the name of TCS John Huxley. Last but definitely not least is ⚾️ Paul-Son, a company whose reputation precedes it and which was acquired by Gaming Partners. (ref.: roulette assembly diagrams)
CONSTRUCTION AND TRUSTWORTHINESS
There ⚾️ are some basic requirements for the construction of a professional roulette wheel.
The wheel should have its weight distributed evenly throughout.
The ⚾️ wheel and ball must be constructed of non-magnetic substances to prevent interference from magnetic sources.
The cylinder should rotate and move ⚾️ freely of its own accord but all affixed parts of the roulette wheel must be secure and free from movement.
The ⚾️ ball pockets or compartments on the wheel track (wheel ring) must follow these rules: a. Each compartment (pocket) has precisely ⚾️ the same dimensions with every other compartment. b. They are evenly spaced. c. They allow the roulette ball to land ⚾️ and rest easily and smoothly within the compartment.
When one of these conditions is not met 100%, then we have either ⚾️ an intentionally rigged wheel, controlled by the casino or a biased, defective wheel, that has slipped the attention of the ⚾️ casino and can be taken advantage of by some expert players.
Below the ball track and above the number pockets there ⚾️ are usually 8 or 16 ball deflectors, also called canoe stops or diamonds, because of their shape. The ball hits ⚾️ them when it leaves the ball track. They change the speed and direction of the ball before it lands to ⚾️ a number. Their purpose is to make outcomes even more unpredictable.
Gammegh has recently developed a patented technology called Random Rotor ⚾️ Speed or RRS. RSS is an optional security upgrade for the Mercury 360 roulette wheel. It uses a contactless technique ⚾️ to randomly and imperceptibly change the speed of the rotor after a game has started. Theoretically, the point of RSS ⚾️ is to deter expert players from gaining an advantage by using roulette computers or dealer’s signature (metronomic dealers) techniques. Although ⚾️ it is described as a security feature, somehow affecting the rotor speed is viewed by many roulette players with suspicion. ⚾️ If the casino can change the speed of the rotor, what else could it do? We did a little research ⚾️ on the trustworthiness of Electronic Airball roulette wheels (automated rapid roulette).
It is interesting to note that it is possible to ⚾️ mix and match roulette parts from different manufacturers. For example, it has been reported, that casinos using the “suspicious” Gammegh ⚾️ RRS roulette wheel mechanism, have replaced the original roulette turret with one bearing the more reputable John Huxley name. The ⚾️ branded turret gives the impression that the wheel is made by John Huxley and hides the fact that it uses ⚾️ the RSS technology.
TYPES OF POCKETS
Those who know the game of roulette inside-out go to great lengths to increase their profit ⚾️ margin and one way to do it is by finding the best roulette wheels. There are many theories regarding the ⚾️ methods to use to gain an (unfair) advantage over the house, but some conclusions are worth considering.
The big number of ⚾️ manufacturers explains why there is such a huge diversity of roulette wheels and why even the pockets are so different. ⚾️ A trend has emerged, with most casinos using roulette wheels that have shallow pocket pads, which leads to wide ball ⚾️ scatter. The pockets themselves can be either forged into a metal block or divided through the smart use of metal ⚾️ frets (separators).
Most roulette wheels feature even frets that have the same height at both ends, but there are also wheels ⚾️ where the frets drop towards the center. It is harder to anticipate where the ball will eventually land, as it ⚾️ can easily jump the narrow gap to the next number.
Notice the fret decline towards the center of the wheel. One ⚾️ of the 1st wheels created in the roulette wheel history.
Small yet even frets are even more common and this is ⚾️ a type of wheel that land based casino prefer because it make the game more intense. Balls jump easily and ⚾️ even if they initially hit a pocket, players would be wrong to assume that they will stay in place. The ⚾️ higher the frets, the more unlikely it is to have jumping balls, but casinos tend to cater more for adrenaline ⚾️ junkies.
The walls on the frets I would consider small allowing the ball to jump, sometimes skipping numbers next to where ⚾️ the ball tried to land. I have also seen this same wheel but the tallness of the frets are twice ⚾️ as large, giving the wheel an almost “sticky” feeling. When the ball initially hits the pocket it will most likely ⚾️ not bounce out, if it does the ball can go flying out of the wheel.
Another type of roulette wheel that ⚾️ doesn’t favor ball jumping is the one featuring curved frets. This is a compromise, because the balls easily move from ⚾️ one number to the other in a seamless manner, without sinking into the pocket where they first land on.
This is ⚾️ the TCS Huxley Starburst wheel. The ball doesn’t “jump” as high as with other wheels, though it bounces a great ⚾️ deal and does not stick where it initially hit the wheel pocket.
A couple of roulette wheels don’t have curve frets, ⚾️ but instead feature curved pockets which have virtually the same impact. The main difference resides in the fact that players ⚾️ don’t see any sort of bouncing, while being just as powerless when it comes to predicting the ball’s final resting ⚾️ place. These sort of wheels are less numerous but are gaining traction quickly and we can expect more of them ⚾️ to mushroom in brick-and-mortar casinos.
This is a Cammegh Wheel with scalloped pockets. The ball “jumps” are minimal though the scatter ⚾️ is actually quite large. The wheel is in use at the Venetian and MGM.
Manufacturers are encouraged to find new ways ⚾️ of altering the roulette wheel without changing the game itself. Keeping it fair is mandatory, but they enjoy a lot ⚾️ of freedom when tinkering with the pockets size and shape as well as the frets. The visual effect is interesting ⚾️ but it represents only the tip of the iceberg, as each type of roulette wheel and each variation slightly changes ⚾️ the outcome. Roulette remains just as unpredictable as ever, but this won’t stop pundits from trying to find patterns.
DECELERATION RATES ⚾️ AND THE EFFECT ON GAMEPLAY
Roulette has been around for centuries and it is here to stay, which makes it only ⚾️ fair to assume that players will keep trying to beat the game. Over the course of time, there have been ⚾️ many attempts at finding patterns or at least exploit the game’s flaws.
Nowadays when manufacturers have high-tech instruments at their disposal, ⚾️ roulette wheels are equally precise tools that don’t age easily and don’t malfunction. Technology solved most of the inconveniences that ⚾️ kept casinos awake at night, but brought up new challenges such as dealing with roulette deceleration.
The name is self-explanatory and ⚾️ has to do with the ever decreasing speed at which the ball travels across the wheel, until it stops in ⚾️ its temporary resting place. Manufacturers are doing their best to come up with roulette wheels that have no slow down ⚾️ and their efforts are much appreciated by the dealers. Huge progress has been made in this direction and the latest ⚾️ wheels are virtually unaffected by deceleration.
Over the internet, this is not a concern for anyone as the wheels are in ⚾️ fact computer software at work, but land based casino owners have other ideas. Slow down makes it difficult for professional ⚾️ roulette players to extract the most from their roulette betting systems, therefore casinos love it. Deceleration is inevitable as roulette ⚾️ wheels age, so as far as casinos are concerned, time is always on their side and against system players.
THE ROULETTE ⚾️ BALL
Roulette balls are proportional to the dimensions of the wheel and its number pockets. Serious casinos use large wheels with ⚾️ a diameter equal to 27, 30 or 32 inches. Accordingly, the balls used are 18mm and 21mm. Traditionally, in order ⚾️ to make the outcomes even more unpredictable, they alternate between one “small” (18mm) and one “big” (21mm) ball once a ⚾️ day, with the non-playing ball resting on top of the center of the roulette, patiently waiting for its turn. Casino ⚾️ quality balls are made of ivory, though Teflon is also considered appropriate material.
The material of the old roulette balls used ⚾️ to be ivory. Today’s balls are called “ivorine” and are not made by real ivory; they are actually synthetic and ⚾️ resemble the ivory look and feel. In recent years professional roulette balls are made also by other materials like resin, ⚾️ Teflon and even ceramic. The differences in dimensions, weight and material of the ball have a noticeable impact on the ⚾️ game. A small, light ceramic ball makes more revolution on the wheel track and when it falls, jumps more unpredictably ⚾️ before it lands on a number, than say a big ivorine ball.
It is in the best interest of the casinos ⚾️ to use anti-magnetic and unpredictable balls in order to deter advantage players and casino cheaters. There have been some recent ⚾️ anecdotal reports about piezoelectric roulette balls used in rigged roulette games.
