The roulette wheel has proved an irresistable challenge to engineers and mathematicians since Blaise Pascal created the first one in the 1700's. Many have tried to find its secrets by mathematical formulas, strategies, and simple observance. The wheel itself is a fascinating object. Its diameter is over three feet and normally weighs over one hundred pounds.
There are two main versions of the roulette wheel; the American and the European. The American version of the wheel contains two zeros - a 0 slot and a 00 slot. The European only has one zero slot, making the odds better in this version. Interesting, many people believe that the roulette wheel was created after making a deal with the devil since all of the numbers added together on the wheel equal 666, the number of the beast and the sign of the devil to Christians.
On the wheel, there are seperate "slots" which are referred to as pockets. The pockets are alternating colors of red and black, except for the zero pocket(s) which are green. The red and black slots are numbered from 1 - 36. With the American version there are 38 possible slots for the ball to land, the European wheel has 37.
The ball can spin in the wheel over 40 times which makes roulette a slow, although highly entertaining, casino game.
More facts about the roulette wheel
Something about betting on the ultimate
wheel of chance has attracted players from all across the globe. Roulette is the third most
popular casino game in the world after blackjack and craps. The randomness of the wheel and
the ball are a draw to gamblers just waiting to gamble on their luck. Interestingly, though
the results are highly random and variable, the wheel's layout and design are very precise.
On the wheel, directly across from the odd numbers are the next highest even number.
