If we are to talk about iconic games, it will be difficult to move past and not consider roulette. Roulette, with its huge red and black wheel, has played a major role in spreading the influence of gambling all over the world. For most people, whenever they see the roulette wheel (even those that don’t know it by name), the first thing that comes to mind is gambling and casinos.
The popularity of the roulette wheel (standard table) is something that most people know. However, what most people don’t know is that the roulette wheel is not just a random innovation. Rather, it’s an innovation which was thoroughly planned for both technical reasons and player convenience. In this comprehensive roulette tables guide, we are going to expose and explore everything there is to know about the roulette wheel and the game at large. First, however, here is a brief history of roulette tables.
Brief Background of Roulette Tables
There isn’t any consensus as to the origins of roulette tables. Two of the competing theories suggest that the first roulette tables originated in Italy in 1720, while the other credits France for ushering in the roulette table in the 18th Century. As roulette translates to ‘small wheel’ in French, some suggest that the France theory is more believable.
Despite these differences, historians agree as a consensus is that the roulette table emerged following the failure of a scientific design based on perpetual motion. The design was meant to create “an indefinite source of energy”, but its failure inadvertently led to the emergence of a roulette table.
It’s important to note that when the roulette table first emerged, it had two zeros (one green and one black). However, the ‘black’ zero was replaced with a second green zero for simplicity. After some time, most European gaming operators agreed to completely do away with the second green zero opting to just use one green zero. This, therefore, led to the emergence of the one green zero European Roulette version. The roulette table with double zeros, which had been exported to the U.S., remained as is hence the emergence of the double zeros American Roulette version.
Roulette Table Design
There isn’t any authority or regulator that stipulates how a roulette table should be designed. However, despite this, gaming operators do follow the same ‘unwritten’ rule of designing a table that comes with a circumference of 80 centimetres or 32 inches. Thirty-two inches is quite large – the reason why operators go for this large circumference is to ensure that one table is sufficient to accommodate several players at once.
Often, the bottom part (foundation) of the roulette table is designed using hardwood. The inner base, however, is designed using aluminium for durability. From just looking at the roulette table, can you imagine how much it weighs? Well, odds are, many will get this wrong. A roulette table is very heavy as it weighs, on average, 45 kgs!
As part of the design process, the roulette table, once everything is complete, is put under a highly stringent and thorough testing cycle. This, of course done to ensure that once placed inside a casino, all its results remain true to the spin of the wheel.
Roulette Table Layout
The first thing that we want to state when it comes to the layout of a roulette table is that roulette is a game which comes with different variants. This, on its own, affects the layout of the roulette table. Essentially, this means the layout of a table can differ from one table to the other. However, these differences are all minor. When it comes to the basics, that is, the number of wheel pockets, betting numbers and the basic betting layout, roulette tables are all the same.
When it comes to the roulette table basics, players ought to note that all tables have number pockets which start from 1 to 36. Of these, 16 numbers appear on red pockets, and the remaining 16 appear on black pockets. In addition to these, a European Roulette table will have an additional pocket which comes in green colour and shows ‘0’. The American Roulette version will come with two green pockets – one shows a single ‘0’ while the second pocket shows a double zero ‘00’.
European Roulette number sequence (also similar to French Roulette):
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
American Roulette number sequence:
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
Understanding the Logic Behind Roulette Table Layout
The above section illustrates the number sequence for both the European Roulette table and the American Roulette table. From both the sequences, one thing is clear; the numbers are just ‘haphazardly’ placed, if we can say. You probably may be wondering why this is the case. Why not just put them in order from 1 to 18 and 19 to 36? Well, there are reasons why this is the case.
All these reasons are guided by the same line of thought that is, often, croupiers can take bets even after the wheel is already in motion. To guard against players placing probable bets, especially for even money bets such as 1 to 18 or 19 to 36, the roulette table number sequence is completely jammed up.
Here are the reasons behind the haphazard number sequences:
- Evenly distribute odd and even numbers
- Alternate low and high numbers
- Alternate the red and black colours throughout the wheel
- Add to the complexity of the game
Placing Your Bets on the Roulette Table
If you have checked any roulette etiquette guide or even walked inside a brick-and-mortar casino, one thing that you quickly learn is that asking other others or the croupier how to place your bet after you have already grabbed your seat is a big no. To avoid embarrassing yourself (if playing at a land-based casino), check the guide below to know how you should place your bet.
- Outside Bets: If you intend to place outside bets, you should check the betting column beneath or adjacent to the roulette table and proceed to place your chips on top of the bet you want. Options range from Even, Odd, Black, Red, 1-18 and 19-36.
- Inside Bets: Inside bets entail betting for a specific number or specific numbers. To place a bet for a specific number, simply place your chips on the number you want on the betting layout. If you want to bet for a group of numbers, place your chips on the corner, which links all the numbers you want.
Round Up
After going through the above roulette tables guide, you now know the basics that you need to know about the famous black and red casino wheel. You also know how to place your bets. As such, you can now proceed to try your luck with HYPERLINK “https://casinomcwmalaysia.com/how-to-win-online-gambling-in-malaysia/” \o “https://casinomcwmalaysia.com/how-to-win-online-gambling-in-malaysia/”enhanced chances of winning when you spin any roulette wheel of your choice.
