Are there lucky roulette numbers?
Every roulette number has the same chance on every spin – here is what that means for lucky, hot and cold numbers.
Every number has the same chance
A fair roulette wheel has pockets of the same size. The ball has no reason to prefer one pocket over another.
- European wheel: 37 pockets, so one number has a 2.70% chance on each spin.
- American wheel: 38 pockets, so one number has a 2.63% chance on each spin.
This is true for every pocket on the wheel, including the zero. Your birthday number has the same chance as any other number.
If a page tells you the 10 best numbers on roulette, it is showing you a list of numbers that are exactly as likely as all the rest.
Want to see how the pockets are placed? Check the wheel layout page.
Hot and cold numbers appear by chance
A hot number is one that came up a lot lately. A cold number is one that has not come up in a while.
The chart below shows 3,700 spins on a fair, simulated European wheel. Every number had the same chance, yet some bars are taller and some are shorter.
That is normal. Random results are uneven in the short run. Run the chart again and different numbers will be hot and cold.
- Hot numbers do not stay hot.
- Cold numbers are not "due" to come up.
- The gaps are luck, not a pattern you can use.
The wheel has no memory
The wheel does not know what came up before. Each spin starts fresh, with the same chance for every number.
If the 23 hit three times in a row, its chance on the next spin is still 2.70% on a European wheel. Not higher, not lower.
Believing that past spins change the next one has a name – the gambler's fallacy. It feels true, but the math says no.
Read more on the gambler's fallacy page, and see why a fair wheel is not secretly tracking results on Is roulette rigged?
So what are the best numbers to play?
There are none. Every number has the same chance and pays the same 35 to 1 on a straight bet.
The house edge is also the same for every number:
- European wheel: 2.70% on any number.
- American wheel: 5.26% on any number.
So the question "what numbers hit the most in roulette" has a simple answer: over a very long time, all of them hit about equally. No number gives you an edge over the house.
The one choice that does change your cost is the wheel. A single-zero wheel has a lower edge than a double-zero wheel. Compare them on European roulette and American roulette.
Picking favorite numbers for fun
Betting on your favorite numbers is fine. It can make the game more personal and more fun.
Just keep in mind:
- Your favorite number is not more likely to win.
- Switching numbers does not help either.
- No betting system beats the house edge – see Can you beat roulette?
Try your lucky numbers in our free roulette simulator and watch how they do over many spins. It is a great way to see chance at work.
Questions
What are the 10 best numbers on roulette?
There are no best numbers. On a European wheel every number has a 2.70% chance on each spin, and on an American wheel every number has a 2.63% chance.
What numbers hit the most in roulette?
On a fair wheel, no number hits more than others over the long run. Short runs, like the 3,700 spins in our chart, show uneven results only because of chance.
Should I bet on hot numbers?
A hot number is not more likely to come up again. The wheel has no memory, so the chance for every number stays the same on every spin.
Is a cold number due to hit soon?
No. A number that has not come up for a while has the same chance on the next spin as any other number – thinking otherwise is the gambler's fallacy.
Does betting the same number every time improve my odds?
No. The chance and the house edge of 2.70% on a European wheel stay the same whether you keep one number or switch every spin.