The Roulette Wheel Layout
There are two variations of the roulette wheel one American and the other European. Both versions of the roulette wheel are made up of two parts: the bowl which is not moveable (the outside part) and the inner wheel with the numbers that spin. Both are controlled by the croupier (roulette dealer), he sets the roulette wheel in motion, then sends a small ball, which is traditionally made of ivory and 12 mm in diameter in the opposite direction from the wheel. This ball spins around the fixed part of the wheel under a lip that overhangs the edge. As the ball slows it falls towards the middle spinning wheel hitting metal buffers which are set in bowl lower than the lip of the wheel to ensue the ball falls in a random way. When the ball reaches the roulette wheel it may or may not with a metal fret between the numbers and bounce, this again is to ensure that the ball falls in a random way. Eventually the ball will land in one of the numbers.
The roulette wheel has been designed very carefully. If you look at the roulette wheel you will find that the number compartments are alternately colored black and red and the numbers 1 to 36 are not sequential. The European roulette wheel has a single "0" while the American roulette wheel has both a "0" and a "00". The American version increases the odds for the house. Also both the "0" and "00" are opposite each other.
European Roulette Wheel
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American Roulette Wheel
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