Probability in Roulette

Published on March 31st, 2009 - 8:11am PST


Roulette has long since been a game that most people are familiar with from pop culture. When a character needed to be presented as sophisticated, he or she could be found playing roulette in a scene set in a casino. Of course, roulette is not only found in the cinema. Those interested in games of chance enjoy pressing their luck at the roulette tables of many casinos. But, how much luck do they press? That is to say, what are the chances of winning when playing roulette? Well, it all depends on how you play.

hot babes around the roulette table - talking probabilityThere are many different possible outcomes one could achieve in a single role of the roulette wheel depending upon the type of roulette came you are playing All roulette wheels contain numbers from 0 - 36. 1 - 36 come in black or red. 0 is green. Some roulette wheels come with a green 00 adding another number to the eventual outcome of the game. Each individual outcome is independent of any result that occurred prior. (That means you cannot effectively predict any numbers based on previous winning numbers)

If you play a single number, then the odds of winning are slim. Specifically, you will have a less than 3% chance of winning on a 0 or 00 roulette table when only wagering on one possible outcome. As such, the more numbers you place a wager on, the greater the odds of winning become. 18 numbers can yield upwards of a 50% chance of winning. Of course, placing 18 wagers risks a significant amount of money for only a 1 - 1 payoff. (Betting one number yields a 36 - 1 payoff.) However, most players will opt to play as many numbers as they can since this will swing the odds slightly in their favor. While this will not guarantee a positive outcome, it does much more for making such an outcome more likely.