The Basics of Roulette
Roulette is a casino game based on chance. It uses a rotating wheel with pockets numbered 1-36 (in European Roulette) and 0-36 (in American Roulette), alternately red and black. There is also a green pocket marked 0 or 00.
Players place chips or cash on the table map until the croupier announces “no more bets.” Then, the croupier throws a ball into the spinning wheel.
Origin
There are a number of fanciful stories about the origin of roulette. Some historians believe that the game was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his quest to develop a perpetual motion machine. He may have failed in his attempts to achieve this goal, but he did come up with a wheel that featured slots marked Os and Es (Odds and Evens). This is generally considered the ancestor of modern roulette.
Other historians believe that the game originated from an Italian board game called biribi, which involved placing chips on a layout of numbered squares. The French brought this game to Europe, and it subsequently developed into the roulette we know today. Other historical games that can be considered ancestors of roulette include portique, hoca and bassette.
Variations
Roulette comes in a variety of variants, each with their own unique rules and payouts. While the core gameplay remains the same, these differences can have a big impact on the game’s dynamics and overall profitability. For example, Key Bet Roulette adds an additional betting option and a higher payout for inside bets. This is a great way to increase your winning potential while maintaining the house edge of 2.7%. Other variations, like Lighting Roulette and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, offer larger payouts for outside and straight bonus bets. These additions help reduce the house advantage and give players a more enjoyable gambling experience.
Bets
If you place a Straight Up bet on a single number on the roulette table layout, the odds of winning are 35 to 1. The Split Bet (or cheval in French) involves placing your chip(s) to straddle two numbers positioned horizontally on the layout. If either of these two numbers wins, the payout is 17 to 1. The Street Bet/Three Number Bet/Side/The Trio is another type of special bet and offers odds of 11 to 1 if you win.