Twelve (12)
Online Roulette Guide
The number twelve is one of those “friendly” and familiar looking numbers, isn´t it? I guess that´s because we see it all the time on clocks. It´s just one of those numbers that you see a lot of as you are going about your business. There are 12 hours in a day, and 12 months in a year. A bit like the number 24 but even more so.
Twelve is a number that´s well represented in roulette- a bet on 12 numbers covers just under a third of the wheel (remember there´s a zero pocket or two as well). You can quickly cover 12 numbers with a column or dozens bet.
It´s a number that you can divide by many other numbers : 2,3,4, and 6. Plus 1 and 12 of course. In fact- it´s the smallest number with 6 divisors.
In maths circles, the number 12 is known as a Sublime Number. And that´s because, it´s got 6 divisors (6 is a perfect number) and if you add them all up (1+2+3+4+6+12) you get 28 which is also a perfect number. What´s a perfect number I hear you ask? Well 6 is because it´s equal to the sum of its divisors (1+2+3). And 28 is the next one (1+2+4+7+14). They are a pretty rare beast- the next one is 496 and then 8128.
The Greeks believed that the world was created in 6 days and the reason why the moon orbits the earth in 28 days was because 6 and 28 are perfect numbers
Enough of the maths!
How to Bet on the Number 12 in Roulette
Red 12 sits anti-clockwise from the 0 pocket in European Roulette between the black number 28 and black 35. On an American Wheel it sits to the right of the 00 between black 8 and the number 29.
So what´s the best way to cover it other than with an individual straight-up bet?
You can cover it with a red, low or even money bet of course. Or go for a 2:1 payout on the first dozen or top column bets. Other options (in addition to the other inside bets like the corner, street, split and 6 line bet) include the 007 bet, Red Splits, the Voisins du Zero and the Jeu Zero bet, and the Snake Bet that you may see on some tables.
More Facts About the Number 12
number 12 is the atomic number of Mercury, and is the number of the signs that you get in the Western and Chinese Zodiac- so you could say that the number 12 is well represented in the stars. Pisces is the 12th sign in the zodiac.
It´s a very important number in religious circles too. The 12 Olympians were the main gods of the Greek Pantheon (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Hephaistos, Aphrodite, Athena, Apollo, Artimis, Demeter and Hestia) and Hercules carried out twelve labours. The Norse god, Odin, had 12 sons and King Arthur has 12 knights (in some versions of the legend in any case).
Jacob had 12 sons, there were Twelve Tribes of Israel (Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulin, Josef, Benjamin), 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas (from Christmas Day (December 25th) to Epiphany) and so on.
There are 12 inches in a foot, there were 12 pence in a British shilling, and Twelfth Night is one of Shakepeare´s most famous comedies. We could go on!
What Else About the Number 12?
There are 12 stars in the EU flag, and in Spain you have eat twelve grapes, one for each month of the year as the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve for good luck in the coming year. Try it- it´s not that easy! Apollo 12 was the second spacecraft piloted by astronauts that landed on the moon. It landed November 19, 1969). Then things started to go wrong in the Apollo program when we got to the number 13! In total, 12 astronauts have walked on the moon.
July 12, 1690 is an important date to protestants as it was the date when the Protestant William of Orange defeated the catholic King James II at the Battle of Boyne. The Twelfth is celebrated among Northern Irish Protestants. It´s known as Orangemen’s Day.
So is 12 a lucky number in roulette? No luckier than any other number!