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Roulette wheel layout: the order of the numbers and what it is for
The numbers on a roulette wheel look scattered. They are not; they follow a fixed sequence that has been the same on European wheels for well over a century, and it is designed with some care. Knowing the layout is optional for most bets and essential for the ones that follow the wheel rather than the table.
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The European sequence
Clockwise from the zero:
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
Red and black alternate all the way round. Consecutive numbers are generally placed across the wheel from each other. High and low numbers alternate in pairs where the colour pattern allows. The result is that any short arc of the wheel contains a mix of colours, parities and ranges, which is the point: no physical section of the wheel favours any outside bet.
The American sequence
Clockwise from the single 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
The two zeros sit opposite each other, and consecutive numbers are placed directly across the wheel. A different design philosophy, same purpose.
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The sections
European wheels are traditionally divided into three arcs, each with a French name and its own announced bet.
Voisins du Zéro (neighbours of zero): the 17 numbers from 22 round through zero to 25. In wheel order: 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25. Covered with nine chips: two on the 0-2-3 street, two on the 25-26-28-29 corner, and one each on the splits 4/7, 12/15, 18/21, 19/22 and 32/35.
Tiers du Cylindre (third of the wheel): the 12 numbers opposite zero, from 27 to 33. In order: 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16, 33. Six chips on the splits 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30 and 33/36.
Orphelins (orphans): the eight numbers left over, in two small arcs: 17, 34, 6 on one side and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9 on the other. Five chips: one straight-up on 1 and splits on 6/9, 14/17, 17/20 and 31/34.
Together the three sections cover all 37 pockets.
Neighbours bets
A neighbours bet picks a number and covers it plus the numbers either side on the wheel, usually two each way for five numbers in total. Neighbours of 5 are 10, 23 on one side and 24, 16 on the other. Neighbours of zero are 15, 32 and 26, 3. Online tables place these from the racetrack in one tap; the chips land as straight-ups on each of the five.
What the layout is not
It is not a map of where the ball likes to land. A properly maintained wheel has no favoured arc, and online wheels are tested for exactly that. The sections are a betting convention, a way of covering a physical slice of the wheel with a fixed number of chips at the standard 2.70% edge. They are enjoyable to play and they smooth the ride compared with single numbers. They do not change the odds.
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Asked and answered
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Is the roulette wheel order random?
No. It is a fixed sequence designed so that colours alternate and high, low, odd and even numbers are spread around the rim. Every European wheel uses the same order; every American wheel uses a different fixed order.
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What is opposite zero on a European wheel?
Number 5, with 10 and 24 either side of it. The arc opposite zero is the Tiers du Cylindre section.