This post on the most popular roulette numbers played was updated and republished on Sunday, December 18, 2022.
What are the most popular and most common roulette numbers played?
- People often bet on familiar numbers such as their birthday (day or month) which makes numbers 31 (also 12) or less very popular. The most common birth month is September which makes 9 a very popular number to bet on in roulette.
- 17 is a common roulette number played because of its location on the wheel — right center. Most gamblers are attracted to the position of the 17 on the wheel because of their familiarity with viewing wheels in a clockwise manner.
- The number 7 may be the most frequently played number on the roulette wheel because our society associated “7” with luck.
Understanding roulette numbers, particularly roulette wheel numbers, is the basis for learning how to win at roulette and it often comes down to which numbers on the roulette wheel you prefer. When deciding on what roulette number to bet, it helps to know which roulette numbers are the most popular — most played. This article will cover roulette wheel numbers and the most common roulette numbers.
Even though roulette is a totally random casino game, gamblers still tend to be superstitious or even drawn to certain numbers on the roulette wheel. That holds true whether they’re in a casino or playing online roulette.
While betting on a more popular roulette number doesn’t increase your odds of winning or hurt your payout, it is an interesting tendency of bettors and one that can help you understand your own biases.
So, what are the most common roulette numbers played and why? What are the available numbers on a roulette wheel and how does that impact you when betting on roulette?
Roulette Wheel Numbers Explained
Before we can dive into the most popular roulette numbers, it helps to have an understanding of what numbers are on the roulette wheel and how players bet on each.
European Roulette Wheel Numbers
The European Roulette wheel has 37 available slots for the roulette ball to land in ranging from 0 to 36. These numbers are colored red, black, or green (only the 0 is green). There are many ways to bet on roulette, but if you’re concerned with betting on roulette numbers specifically — the payouts for roulette numbers are different based on how many you select.
- Single Number Bet (#0-36): Payout is 35:1 and your odds are 2.7% to hit.
- Split Bet Between 2 Numbers (#0-36): Payout is 17:1 and your odds of hitting are 5.4%.
- Triple Bet Across 3 Numbers (#0-36): Payout is 11:1 and odds are 8.1% of hitting.
If you decide not to bet on specific numbers but would prefer to bet on a group of numbers, you have options with that as well including betting that a single number within a column (12 numbers) will hit. The odds of betting a column of numbers to include the winning slot is 2:1 with a 32.4% chance of hitting.
In other words, you have several options when wagering on a European Roulette wheel.
American Roulette Wheel Numbers
The American Roulette wheel can mimic the structure of the European Roulette wheel with 37 slots (0-36), or you may come across some casinos that have double-zero American Roulette wheels. The zero(s) on a roulette wheel is what gives the house an edge, and American Roulette wheels with double 0’s offer the casino more value than the players.
If you’re wondering if the numbers on a double-zero American Roulette wheel have different values or odds, the answer is yes. Because of the second zero, your chances of winning and winning as much as you would in European Roulette are worse.
- Single Number Bet (#00-36): Payout is 35:1 and your odds of hitting are 2.6%.
- Split Bet Between 2 Numbers (#00-36): Payout is 17:1 and you have a 5.3% chance of hitting.
- Triple Bet ACross 3 Numbers (#00-36): Payout is 11:1 and your odds of hitting are 7.9%.
Just like with European Roulette, you can wager several other ways beyond betting on just 1-3 numbers — including betting on colors, columns, odd/even, etc. Every roulette bet type has its own odds and payouts based on the table.
How People Pick Roulette Numbers
If you’re looking to get an edge when playing roulette on the casino floor or at an online casino, it can help to know the tendencies of gamblers when choosing roulette numbers — including yourself.
People are superstitious, no matter how rational we all normally act. We might not believe that if we step on a crack we’ll break our mother’s back, but we probably have some smaller superstitions that we hold on to — like knocking on wood or having a “lucky number.”
Gambling definitely brings out the superstition in us all, and it’s easy to see why. For a long while, if people wanted to gamble, they’d often guess a random number or go with a gut instinct when hitting in Blackjack. But people wanted to better their chances of winning, and so gambling led to the development of probability theory.
The idea of probability wasn’t codified until mathematicians Blaise Pascal (who is most often credited with inventing roulette) and Pierre de Fermat formulated their theory of probability, which posited a mathematical framework we can use to analyze chance events in a logical way. The probability of an event becomes a number indicating how likely it is for that event to occur.
And yet, even with this mathematical breakdown of how likely it is for an event to happen — like your favorite number coming up on the roulette wheel — people still insist on clinging to their gut feelings or superstitions to guide their choices when it comes to gambling. That’s why we see the same numbers being played again and again by so many different people.
Here are some of the most common numbers you’ll see played in roulette and why.
Roulette Number: 17
If you ask any croupier which number is the most popular one played in roulette, they will definitely answer that it’s 17. The 17 pocket has also been at the center of some staggering historical roulette wins, so that might be part of the allure of choosing this popular roulette number.
Mike Ashley’s Big Win on 17
Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United Football Club, was playing at a private casino in Mayfair in 2008. He made a “complete bet,” which included all splits, corners, streets, and six-line bets that include 17, and of course he put a straight bet on 17 itself, for good measure. He ended up winning £1.3 million on that one spin when the roulette wheel stopped on 17.
Sean Connery Defies the Odds
Ashley might have thought that 17 was a lucky number for him because it had proved to be so for Sean Connery. The actor had just rocketed to stardom playing James Bond in Dr. No in 1962, the year before he had his history-making roulette win. The story ties in well with his good fortune of landing such a role.
The story goes that Connery was playing at the Casino de la Vallee in Saint-Vincent, Italy, where he placed five bets on the number 17. He lost on the first two spins, but he kept on. The third spin was lucky for him, and he won. Somehow, the gods smiled upon him as he placed all his new winnings on 17 and won again. Then, instead of simply walking away, Connery tempted fate one more time and put all of his winnings back on 17 for one final round — which he also won.
The probability of a roulette wheel landing on the same number three consecutive times you ask? Well, the odds of that happening is 50,653:1. He left the table with over $27,000 (which would equal more than $228,000 today).
Why do so many people choose the number 17 when playing roulette?
The number 17 most likely started its popularity because of its position pretty much right in the middle of the roulette table (not wheel), on both French and American tables.
Because of its central location on the roulette table — which is where bets are placed at a casino — your eyes are drawn to it. Additionally, 17 is a prime number. Prime numbers have fascinated the human psyche for centuries and some even postulate that they have mystical properties. In other words, many people are drawn to and curious about prime numbers which helps with the allure.
Roulette Number: 7
The number 7 is also a hugely common choice when playing roulette, most likely because it’s considered lucky or at least quite prominent in major world cultures. Remember the Seven Wonders of the World? Heck, we also organize our weeks around having seven days. There are also seven continents on the planet.
In addition, it’s a significant number in most major religions:
- In Hinduism, there are seven heavens and seven lower worlds. The Vedas also talk of seven chakras.
- In Buddhism, the newborn baby Buddha rose and took seven steps, and there are seven factors of enlightenment.
- In the Book of Genesis, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. Also, Judaism has seven high holy days in the calendar.
- In the New Testament, the number seven represents the four corners of the Earth combined with the Holy Trinity.
- The New Testament also leans heavily on the number seven in the Book of Revelation (seven seals, seven angels, seven trumpets, and so on).
- The Quran mentions seven heavens, and Muslim pilgrims undertaking the Hajj walk around the Kaaba in Mecca seven times.
Another reason why it might be popular is because 7 is also a prime number, and primes are often considered special. We can’t divide them cleanly, and so they seem more distinctive or unique.
Roulette Number: 3
The number 3 is another common choice in roulette. “Good things come in threes,” after all. It’s also lucky in Chinese numerology because the word san sounds similar to the word that means “birth” or “life.” It also represents the three stages of human life: birth, marriage, and death. Oh, and much like the choice above — 3 is another prime number.
Roulette Players’ Least Favorite Roulette Numbers
Popular roulette numbers are one thing, but what are the least popular roulette numbers? While plenty of gamblers have their favorite numbers, there are also numbers that veteran gamblers stay away from — that pesky superstition rearing its head again. Here are some of the numbers you’ll find on a roulette wheel that are often unplayed.
Roulette Number 13
Before we start, it’s important to realize that your odds of hitting and your payout are completely the same regardless of whether you pick a popular roulette number or an unpopular roulette number.
Many Western cultures have viewed 13 as an unlucky number for centuries. From Judas to Loki, many popular theologies and parables mention 13 in an unsavory light. As such, most roulette players will avoid betting on the “unlucky” 13.
Roulette Number: 0
Not necessarily rooted in any historical context, the number 0 or 00 for American Roulette, tends to be some of the least plaid numbers. Possibly because of its location at the very end of the roulette table, 0 is another unpopular roulette number. It may also carry negative connotations for roulette players because that’s the house’s number.
Roulette Number: 6
Six is another roulette number that appears to carry bad luck to roulette players. Maybe it’s the belief that it’s part of the number 666, an inauspicious number in the New Testament’s Book of Revelation. Whatever the reasoning, players typically avoid betting on the number 6 in roulette.
Roulette Numbers: 32-36
Many people find their birthday lucky and tend to feel comfortable betting on it when gambling. Therefore, any number outside the available days. on the calendar (32-36) suddenly become “unlucky” to roulette players.
What’s Your Lucky Roulette Number?
No matter what your reasons are, you probably have a favorite roulette number. Maybe it’s your birthday or anniversary, or maybe it’s simply a number that keeps randomly appearing in your life. Whichever number you favor, it’s important to you — give it a try when you’re playing your next game of online roulette. If your number comes up, you’ll have all the more reason to keep it as your favorite.
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