The word "roulette" is derived from the French word which means, "small wheel".
I am sure that you are familiar with the premise of roulette. A live or electronic croupier (which means dealer) will spin the roulette wheel in one direction, and then spin a ball in the opposite direction. The ball will circle around the roulette wheel many times, before eventually slowing and dropping into one of the slots on the
 There are two different types of roulette wheels - the European wheel and the American wheel.
The European roulette wheel contains 37 numbered pockets, while the American wheel contains 38. The difference between the two is that the American wheel will contain an additional "00" green pocket.
This additional pocket makes American wheels less profitable for players and more profitable for the casinos. For this reason, European roulette wheels should be played at all times (if you can help it).
The "pockets" on a roulette wheel alternate between red and black.
As mentioned, on an European roulette wheel, there is a single green pocket "0".
On an American roulette wheel, there is an extra green pocket, "00".
Roulette wheels uniformly have the same numbering sequence.
Single-zero wheels start at 0 (working clockwise) and end at 26.
Double-zero wheels start at 0 and end with the number 2. The double-zero wheel contains the "00", which sits between the number 1 and the number 27.
To give you an example of the difference between a European and American roulette wheel - a European wheel gives the house an edge of 2.70%, while the American wheel gives the house an edge of 5.26%. This is a HUGE difference, and one that should be remembered the next time you step into a casino. If you ever have a choice, be sure to play on the European wheel.
There are three different "sectors" of a roulette table:
1. "Neighbors of Zero". Moving clockwise on a European roulette wheel, these are the numbers between Black 22 and Red 25.
2. "The Third". These are the numbers on the "opposite" side of the Green Zero. Moving clockwise, this sector begins at Red 27 and moves down and across to Black 33.
3. "Orphans". This includes the remaining numbers on the wheel: 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 17, 34 and 6.
If you take anything away from this article - always play on an European roulette wheel. The odds of you making money are much greater.
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