Odds on winning

[Zacs-Master]

On a 38 number roulette wheel, what are the odds on throwing the same number 3 times?

[gen2]

In the UK 1/(39*39*39)
In the US 1/(40*40*40)

[sandyRoe]

37-1 x 37-1 x 37-1 = 50 653

[Zacs-Master]

Mmm. Thanks. (?)

[gen2]

I have of course assumed that you mean a particular number on 3 successive shots. (To play the game, you have to select your number first.)

If it can be ANY number then the chances are
In the UK 1/(39*39)
In the US 1/(40*40)

[Zacs-Master]

Yes, three Consecutively. Have you corrected yourself in your second answer Gen2?

[ojread2]

No s/he hasn't
First answer is a longer answer of the 2nd
instead of typing 1/39, 1/39 and then 1/39 for each throw s/he wrote it as 1/39/39/39 - they used a star I uses a slash

[ABerrant]

gen2 - you have confused me with your different odds based on geography!

The question has removed the variations of roulette wheel configuration, i.e. "38 number roulette wheel" must be the US format wheel comprised of numbers 1-36, 0 and 00.

[sandyRoe]

Where is the number 39 coming from?

[Jonathan-Joe]

Zacs, does your 38 number roulette wheel have holes for numbers 1 to 36, or for 1 to 37, or for 1 to 38? Does it have 1 zero or 2?

[Jonathan-Joe]

ABerrant - I'm making tthe same point as you, didn't see your post while I was composing mine.

[ABerrant]

Forget all these mythical roulette wheels - they have either 37 or 38 "numbers"

For the 38 number wheel the calculation is 38^3 (38x38x38) for a random first number or 38^2 (38x38) to repeat a number twice more.

[Ellipsis]

The answer to the question exactly as written is 1 in 1444.

It's a 38 number roulette wheel. The first number can be any number you like, let's say it's 22 black.

Then you have to roll 22 black two more times in a row. The chances of doing that are 1/38 x 1/38, or 1 in 38^2, or 1 in 1444.

[gen2]

The confusion arose because I am not a gambler and have never played roulette, but I do know that the American wheel has two green slots and the UK wheel, just one. I just took the OP's word for it having 38 numbers to which I added the 1 or 2 greens. I now realise that the 38 INCLUDED the two greens.

[factor-fiction]

I agree with ellipsis (assuming there are 38 equally likely outcomes) and ABerrant. It depends whether Zacs-Master means that he chooses a number beforehand and then wants to know the odds of that coming up on all three spins

[nescio]

another example of confusion and ambiguity arising from using terms like "odds".
The PROBABILITY of the same number coming up 3 times consecutively is, as several ABers have correctly stated, 1 in 1444, or 1 in 54872, depending on whether or not you specify a particular number first.
The ODDS are therefore 1443 to 1, or 54871 to 1, against.

[Zacs-Master]

I meant picking one number and the ball hitting that numbered slot 3 times in a row. Could someone please just give me a number.

[Graham-W]

38 * 38 * 38 = 54,872-1
That asumes there are only 38 chambers on the wheel. As others have said, British wheel will have 39 chambers and US ones have 39 chambers.

[Zacs-Master]

Well that's nice and clear. Thanks.

[joggerjayne]

We don't have to worry about the first spin.

The first spin could be ANY number!

But the odds of that same number coming up a second time are 1 in 38.

And the odds of it coming up a third time are 1 in 38 x 38.

So I ageee ... the answer is 1 in 1,444

[joggerjayne]

... unless you have to specify a particular number first.

=0/