Roulette wheel numbers order

European roulette wheel numbers order

Reading clockwise from the green zero, the single-zero wheel runs: 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25, 17, 34, 6, 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33, 1, 20, 14, 31, 9, 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, and then back to zero. This is the wheel used for European roulette and French roulette, live or RNG. The sequence is the one given in Wikipedia's roulette article (opens in a new tab).

Zero sits between 26 and 32. That matters for the section bets around zero: jeu zéro covers the seven numbers from 12 round to 15, and a neighbours bet on zero covers 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15.

American roulette wheel numbers order

The double-zero wheel has a completely different sequence. Clockwise from zero: 0, 28, 9, 26, 30, 11, 7, 20, 32, 17, 5, 22, 34, 15, 3, 24, 36, 13, 1, 00, 27, 10, 25, 29, 12, 8, 19, 31, 18, 6, 21, 33, 16, 4, 23, 35, 14, 2, and back to zero. Evolution's American Roulette (opens in a new tab) uses this kind of wheel, with 00 on both the wheel and the layout.

Because the order differs, the European call bets don't map onto an American wheel, and American tables rarely offer them. The extra pocket also raises the house edge from 2.70% to 5.26%, as explained on our American roulette page.

Which roulette numbers are red and which are black?

The colours are the same on both wheel types; only the zeros differ. Eighteen numbers are red, eighteen are black, and zero (plus 00 on American wheels) is green.

There is a pattern on the layout, if not an obvious one. From 1 to 10 and from 19 to 28, odd numbers are red and even numbers black. From 11 to 18 and from 29 to 36 it flips: odd numbers are black and even ones red. Around the European wheel, red and black alternate in every single pocket, which is why a red or black bet always covers every other slot. On the American wheel they alternate too, except at each zero, where two reds sit either side of 00 (1 and 27) and two blacks either side of 0 (2 and 28).

Why the roulette wheel numbers are in this order

The order isn't random. Wizard of Odds explains in its roulette basics (opens in a new tab) that the numbers were arranged so equal-sized sections of the wheel have roughly equal totals, and that consecutive sections should average close to 18.5. In plain terms, the designers spread high, low, odd and even numbers so no stretch of the wheel is packed with one kind.

Patterns on the European wheel

• Red and black alternate in every pocket all the way round.
• Low (1–18) and high (19–36) numbers alternate almost all the way too. The only break is where 10 and 5 sit side by side.
• Split the wheel just after zero and the two halves balance exactly: 32 round to 10 adds up to 333, and 5 round to 26 adds up to 333.

Patterns on the American wheel

• Zero and double zero sit directly opposite each other.
• Directly opposite each number is its neighbour in counting order: 1 faces 2, 3 faces 4, 27 faces 28, and so on round the wheel.
• Two odd numbers alternate with two even numbers in a repeating rhythm.
• Most pairs of numbers with one pocket between them add up to 37 or 39, such as 30 and 7, or 9 and 30.
• Low odd numbers (1 to 17) sit on one side of the wheel and high odd numbers (19 to 35) on the other.

These patterns are design choices to make the wheel look balanced and to stop any obvious cluster of numbers. They do not alter the chance of any pocket, which stays 1 in 37 or 1 in 38. Our page on how many numbers are on a roulette wheel covers the pocket counts for every variant.

Wheel sectors: how the order shapes call bets

On single-zero tables you can bet on sections of the wheel rather than of the layout. These call bets carve the European order into four named sectors that between them cover all 37 numbers.

Voisins (17), tiers (12) and orphelins (8) add up to 37, the full wheel. Tiers sits opposite zero, while orphelins ("orphans") are the two leftover arcs on either side. Every one of these bets carries the standard single-zero house edge of 2.70%, according to Wizard of Odds. Covering a section of the wheel feels different from covering a column, but the price is the same.

How to find a number's neighbours on the wheel

A neighbours bet covers a chosen number plus the two pockets either side on the wheel, usually five chips. Some online and electronic games let you choose one or three neighbours each side instead. To work one out yourself:

1. Find your number in the wheel sequence above, for example 17.
2. Count two pockets anticlockwise: 25, then 2.
3. Count two pockets clockwise: 34, then 6.
4. Your five numbers are 2, 25, 17, 34 and 6.
5. Place one straight-up chip on each, or use the racetrack to place all five at once.

The 666 legend on the roulette wheel

Add every number on a European wheel, 0 to 36, and you get 666: 36 × 37 ÷ 2 = 666. That neat total gave rise to a story that François Blanc, who ran the casino at Monte Carlo from 1863, bargained with the devil for the secrets of roulette. Blanc and his brother Louis are credited with bringing the single-zero wheel to Bad Homburg in 1843, though even that claim is weakly sourced. The legend is folklore; the total is just arithmetic. Our history of roulette covers the real story.

Other wheels: triple zero and mini roulette

Two less common wheels also turn up. A triple-zero wheel has 39 pockets, adding a green 000, and every bet on it carries a 7.69% edge, nearly three times the single-zero figure. Mini roulette, such as Playtech's version, uses just 13 pockets numbered 0 to 12, with smaller payouts to match: 11 to 1 on a single number. See mini roulette for its rules and edges.

Does the wheel numbers order change your odds?

No. On a fair wheel, the ball is equally likely to land in any pocket, so where a number sits makes no difference to its chance. Number 17 next to 34 has exactly the same 1 in 37 chance as 17 anywhere else. The order matters for which numbers a sector bet groups together, not for how likely they are.

The famous exceptions come from faulty physical wheels. In 1873 Joseph Jagger exploited a biased wheel at Monte Carlo. Wizard of Odds has analysed reader data from physical wheels, including one number that hit 278 times in 8,672 spins against 234.38 expected, and still found a 1 in 466 chance that the result was luck. Spotting a real bias needs vast samples and a defective wheel. Gambling Commission standards say the physical items used to decide a result should not be altered or touched by players. See do roulette wheels have bias and wheel bias for more, and can you predict roulette numbers for why dealer "signatures" don't work either.

Where to play single-zero roulette online

If you want to use the European wheel order for call bets and the lower 2.70% edge, look for single-zero tables in a casino's game lobby. Our partners' welcome offers are slot offers, not roulette offers, and table and live games are often excluded or count for less towards wagering, so check the terms. 18+ and terms apply.

Casumo gives new customers a 50% bonus up to £100 on a first deposit of at least £20, with opt-in, 10x wagering within 7 days, a £5 maximum bet and game restrictions. 10bet gives new UK customers a 100% match up to £25 when they choose the casino bonus and deposit within 7 days, wagered 10x on slots within 3 days, with a £1,000 cap on bonus winnings and Skrill and Neteller excluded. Coral gives new players 100 free spins at 10p on selected slots after betting £10 on slots, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings and certain deposit methods excluded. For the bigger picture, see our roulette hub.

18+. Every casino game has a built-in house edge, so over time you should expect to lose what you stake. Set a budget before you play and stop when it’s gone: safer gambling tools and support. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.