It’s no secret that people are a superstitious bunch. Detectives act on their “hunches”, students taking exams cross their fingers and knock on wood, and hotel owners skip from 12 straight to 14 in their floor plan. And in roulette, players favour some numbers over others. Is there any rhyme or reason to this, or is it simply what it sounds like: an old wives tale? Can humans really tap into something deeper when it comes to luck and probability, or are we really all stuck in a gradually overheating RNG machine?

In some variations of roulette, you can rely on Announce bets, covering several numbers, so you have even greater chances of winning. Also, you can try an exotic bet, such as Voisins du Zero, which covers the 17 adjacent numbers on the wheel, with the zero right in the middle. With 38 numbers (1 to 36, plus 0 and 00), the true odds of hitting a single number on a straight-up bet are 37 to 1, but the house pays only 35 to 1 if you win! Ditto the payouts on the combination bets. This discrepancy is where the house gets its huge edge in roulette. Starting with the basics. One of the quirks of roulette games that have both 0 and 00 – the common arrangement in the United States – is that the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3 has a higher house edge than other wagers. If you make that five-number bet, the house edge is 7.89 percent. On everything else, it’s 5.26 percent. That prompted a reader to email, asking if there was something special about those.

A Brief History

The link between betting and probability has a long and intermingled history. In fact, gambling is the mother of probability. Blaise Pascal, who accidentally invented the roulette wheel in his attempt to construct a perpetual motion machine, struggled with the idea of probability from a mathematical standpoint. Through the contemplation of a notoriously difficult hypothetical gambling problem, he and Pierre de Fermat formulated the theory of probability. Before this time, there was no other “scientific” way for people to rationally predict outcomes to situations. They had to guess and trust their gut instinct. Since roulette and the theory of probability have grown together side by side, why is it that many people still adamantly hold onto their superstitious ways? Perhaps, sometimes there really is something that guides people to choose the way they do.

The Legend of 17

The number 17 is the number in the centre of the roulette board and is also famous for delivering some staggering wins.

• “Newcastle boss wins £1.3 million on lucky number 17”
• Sean Connery wins on 17 3 times in a row

If you ask croupiers what the most common number people bet on, the answer will always be 17. Not only does it lie in the centre of the board, making it the most obvious place to bet, MIT have described the number 17 as the “most random number”, meaning that when people choose a random number they go straight for 17. In several studies when correspondents were asked to choose a random number from 1 to 20, 17 was the most frequently chosen, making it the least random number by human standards. 7 followed closely behind. Computerised RNG made no such biases.

So, perhaps the phenomenal wins commonly associated with the number are simply because more people bet on 17. Ashley, a long time roulette player, most likely bet on the number 17 a lot of times before he hit his big break.

Sean Connery’s Staggering Win

But, this doesn’t explain Sean Connery’s unbelievable achievement on the roulette wheel. Reportedly, while playing in Casino de la Vallee in Saint-Vincent, Italy, he placed 5 bets on the number 17. The first two he lost, but he persisted. The third time lucky, his number came up winning him 31:1 odds. Not content to settle with that, he placed all his winnings back on the number 17. Literally against all odds, the movie star wins again. Instead of walking away, Connery tempts fate and puts all his money on the 17 for a fifth and final time. The number comes up. Apparently the probability of hitting three single number bets in a row is 0.0000197% or 50,000:1. While it is weird that it would be the same number three times in a row, mathematically it’s like as likely as Connery guessing any other number correctly. Of course, that doesn’t make it any less bizarre.

What on earth is going on here? Perhaps the number 17 truly is a mythical number for roulette.

Perhaps the reason is simply that Connery spotted a bias with the roulette wheel, and went with it. However, since the roulette wheel missed the mark the first two times, it still seems extremely risky. Maybe Connery was simply in the mood for a thrill! Or, perhaps he slipped the croupier a little something under the table… Sadly, we will never really know the answer to the mystery of the number 17. We can see why people love betting on it though!

Other Common Lucky Numbers

The number 7 is perhaps the most common number that people like to bet on, after 17, because it is generally considered to be lucky. People also love the number 3, as everyone knows all good things come in threes. However, these numbers are all lucky in the Western culture. Eastern casinos would tell an entirely different story of what the most common numbers bet on are. For instance, the number two has extremely positive associations in Asian casinos: double your luck and double your chances!

Least Favourite Numbers To Bet On

As we already mentioned, people tend to avoid the number 13. Its unluckiness is well established throughout most of Western culture. However, in Italy the number 13 is lucky and the number 17 unlucky. So, if you are betting with an Italian you can expect them to do the reverse of what you might expect. Players universally tend to dislike betting on the zeros, perhaps because of the placement on the board, and perhaps because of their unlucky associations with the house edge.

Conclusion

17 is a very common number to bet on, which is most likely why you hear so many great success stories surrounding it. 7 is also very common and has enjoyed fame because of a number of big wins associated with it. The more fame these number have, the more likely people are to bet in them – thus increasing their fame and luck further.

Whatever number you bet on mathematically has the same chance of coming up. So if you do have a favourite number spread that means a lot to you, like a birthday or anniversary date, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it. They are just as likely, or rather unlikely, to come up as any other. Then, when your numbers do come up you’ll have all the more reason to favour them! Keep this in mind when playing online for real money.

You've probably seen a roulette table before even if you've never played. They're an iconic image from any casino. While the wheel may look intimidating the game is actually very simple to learn. The object of Roulette is to pick the number where the spinning ball will land on the wheel. You can also bet combinations of numbers or choose the color or whether the number will be odd or even.

The Roulette Wheel

There are two different roulette wheels. The European wheel has 37 slots numbered 0-36. The house edge is 2.63. The American wheel has 38 slots with 0-36 plus a 00. The extra slot increases the house edge to 5.26 percent.

The Layout

The inside betting area contains the individual numbers on the layout. The outside betting area has boxes for the columns, red/black and odd/even and different groups of numbers.

The numbers on the inside are arranged in 12 rows of three numbers forming three vertical columns. The 0 and 00 are at the top of the columns.

Buying Chips

To avoid disputes, each player receives a different color chip at roulette. These chips are good for that table only and you must cash them in for regular casino chips when you are done. You cannot cash in the roulette table chips at the cage.

Each roulette table has a minimum and maximum bet. You can’t combine your inside and outside bets to meet the table minimum. If the minimum bet is five dollars, you have to bet $5 on the inside and/or $5 on the outside. You can’t bet $3 inside and $2 outside.

Inside Bets

Good Numbers To Bet On Roulette Games

There are several inside bets that you can make. You can bet a number straight up or straddle the line between numbers to select a combination of numbers. The payouts are as follows.

• Straight Up bet is a wager on a single number. It pays 35 to 1.
• Split Bet is a wager on two numbers and it pays 17 to 1. You make this bet by placing your chip so it straddles the line between any two numbers.
• Street bets or line bet pays 11 to 1. You make this bet by placing your chip on the vertical line separating the outside and inside betting areas. The chip straddles the first number in the row.
• Corner bet or Quad bet pays 8 to 1. You make this bet by placing a chip so it is touching the four corners of the numbers you are betting.
• Basket bet is a five number bet on zero – double zero and numbers-1-2-3 which pays 6 to 1. On the double zero wheel, it has a house edge of 7.89 percent making it the worst bet in Roulette.
• Double Street bet is a wager on six numbers and pays 5 to 1. You place your chip on the line separating the outside and inside area as you do for the street bet but let it also straddles the row above or below.

Outside Bets

The outside bets are any of the bets made in the boxes surrounding the numbers.

• Red Black Odd and Even are all even-money bets. Place your chips in the boxes on the layout.
• Dozens bet are made on the 12 consecutive numbers. Place your wager in the boxes marked 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36. These bets pay 2 to 1. If the zero or double zero comes up you lose.
• Column bets are also 12 number bets. These are the numbers in one of the three vertical columns. Place your wager in the boxes at the bottom of the layout. These bets pay 2 to 1.

The Dealer

Dealers are required to keep the wheel moving at all times, even between spins. They spin the ball in the opposite direction the wheel-head is traveling. This causes the ball to jump and spin before landing on a number.

The dealer will note the winning number with a marker. Always wait until the dealer removes the marker before making new bets!

Best Numbers To Bet On Roulette

Playing Tips

If the number you want to bet is already covered with chips, don’t worry. It is permissible to stack your chips on top of the other chips. That's why you have your own color chips.

Best Bet In Roulette

You are allowed to place bets until the dealer calls out, “No more bets.”

Good Numbers To Bet On Roulette Game

Keep in mind that while roulette systems like the Six-Pack Plus are fun, the house will always have the advantage.