Are Some Roulette Numbers More Likely to Be Winners?
Roulette is a simple game of chance where you’re betting on which numbered pocket a ball lands in. It’s one of the most popular table games and is widely available both online and offline. In this post, we look at whether some numbers are more likely to win or not.
An Overview of Roulette and Its Numbers
Roulette is available at most land-based casinos. It’s also playable at nearly all online casinos, with the best roulette sites offering both animated and live dealer versions, not to mention multiple variants of the game.
When it comes to choosing numbers, some people pick them at random, while others put some thought into it. As we’ll discuss below, some numbers are more common than others, despite them all having the same theoretical win rates.
Chances of Certain Numbers Winning
The odds of winning roulette are the same whether you play online or in a real-life venue. Each number has a 1/37 chance of winning European roulette games or a 1/38 chance of winning American roulette.
There’s nothing you can do to affect your chances of winning. This is because there’s no decision-making involved. All you do is place your bet and hope for a win.
Some people think that numbers can be ‘hot’ or ‘cold’. If a number’s ‘hot’, it’s won recently; on the other hand, a ‘cold’ number has not won in a while.
If you analyse lists of winning numbers from a particular roulette game, you might well notice that some numbers have won more often than others. However, this is just a coincidence.
Each individual spin of the wheel produces an outcome that’s completely independent of all others. In other words, each number has the same chance of winning no matter how many times it’s won before.
What Are the Most Common Numbers in Roulette?
The truth is that there aren’t any numbers that are more common than others. Every time you play, the chances of each number winning are the same; no number has an advantage over the others.
This is true for both roulette in general and individual games. If you play a game over many turns and notice some numbers have been winning more than others, it’s just a coincidence.
Should you keep playing this particular game, over time things will average out, and the numbers should end up with more or less the same win rates.
Any patterns or trends that you might hear about or notice aren’t worth paying attention to. Choosing a particular number just because it’s won a lot recently doesn’t give you an advantage.
Are Certain Numbers Popular?
Even though each number has the same chance of winning, certain numbers tend to be picked more often or less frequently than others. This is because of the things they’re associated with.
In many cultures around the world, the number 13 is linked to bad luck. People who are superstitious might avoid covering this number with their bets because they think it won’t win.
On the other hand, there are several numbers that are seen as being lucky or fortunate. 7 is considered lucky in various Western countries, while 8 is linked to good fortune in China and other Asian countries.
Then there’s the number 3. Like 7, it’s considered lucky and is associated with things such as the three stages of life and, of course, the saying ‘Good things come in threes’.
Some numbers that aren’t as common include 32-36. The reason for this is simple: many players choose numbers based on their birthday and there are no more than 31 days in any calendar month.
The Roulette Betting Table and Betting Options
The standard roulette betting table has an effect on what numbers people choose. As you know, the table arranges the numbers 1-36 into a dozen rows of three.
It presents players with a range of different options for betting. You can place a wager on a single number, a pre-determined group of numbers or any combination of numbers you like.
There are certain numbers or groups of numbers that players pick more or less often because of their position or arrangement on the wheel. The 0 and 00 numbers tend not to be picked often.
They’re the only green numbers on the wheel and the betting table, plus they’re not part of any of the main groups of bets (dozens, blacks/reds, odds/evens etc.).
The fact that 0 and 00 are visually separate from the other numbers puts people off picking them. There’s also the number 6, which some don’t choose because of the number 666 (the devil’s number).
The number 17 is one that many people pick. The reason for this is that it’s very centrally located on the roulette betting table. The number 20 is also just as centrally located.
What About Roulette Strategies?
One of the most popular roulette strategies is the Martingale system. With this, you double your bet after every loss. When you win, you’ll recoup your bets and will have a profit equal to your first bet.
There’s also the d’Alembert strategy, where you increase your bet after a loss and decrease it by the same amount following a win. Another strategy that’s less risky is the parlay.
With this, you double your bet after each win and reset it to its initial value when you lose. This is a somewhat safer strategy and shouldn’t give you big losses, unlike some of the other strategies.
If you’re going to play roulette for real money, remember to be sensible with your gambling. Stick to your budget, limit the time you spend playing and don’t chase your losses.
Having said all that, strategies can help minimise your losses over long-term play. They can help you spend your money more wisely and think more carefully about your betting decisions.
Leave it to Chance
When playing roulette, no matter what type of game you’re playing or what variant it is, luck alone determines the winning number. Each one has the same chance of winning in each round.
There’s no point analysing past results because they don’t affect future results in any way. Pick a number (or more than one if you want), place your bets and hope for the best!
