Though statistically, any number is equally likely to come up on any spin, it often doesn’t feel like that.
For one thing, players’ eyes tend to get naturally drawn to the zero (and the double zero on an American table).
Because the rest of the slots are red or black, it is always more obvious when a nearby number comes up. Although zero itself might not come up too often, most people tend to be conscious of its presence when the ball falls just one or two spaces either side.
Many people won’t let a single spin go by unless they’ve covered zero, so convinced are they that it is statistically more likely than anything else to win.
If you’re a subscriber to the view that the ball most often falls in that general area, there’s something you can do about it.
There are a number of “announced bets” that you can make at an online roulette table.
These bets originated in European casinos, and generally have French names – maybe you have been to a land-based casino and heard someone talk about “voisins” or “tiers”?
The one that is most suitable for the fans of zero is called the “zero spiel” and covers the numbers that are closest – these 12, 35, 3, 26, 32 and 15.
It involves four chips (or multiples) and covers the 0/3 split, 12/15 split, 26 straight up and the 32/35 split.
Of course, there are always people who believe the exact opposite of every theory, and they are also catered for with an announced bet.
This is the tiers bet and it covers the 12 numbers which are on the opposite side of the wheel between 27 and 33.
This is the most popular of the announced bets in British casinos, and consists of six chips or multiples thereof. The chips are placed on the splits of 5/8, 10/11, 13/16, 23/24, 27/30 and 33/36.