What is Roulette?

Roulette is a game of chance, played with chips or cash on a table marked off into sections. The center of the table features a revolving wheel with compartments numbered 1 to 36 in alternating red and black colors, plus two green ones on American-style wheels.

Players place their bets on the betting mat until the croupier says “No more bets.” Before placing your bet, choose the type of bet you want to make.

Origin

There isn’t any concrete evidence of where roulette originated. However, it’s been speculated that the game may have evolved from a gambling game played by Roman soldiers. The Romans used shields that had symbols on them and would spin the shield around while betting on which symbol would land in front of an arrow. The word ‘roulette’ is thought to come from the Latin rotella, meaning little wheel. It’s also been suggested that the game was introduced to France by Dominican monks who brought it from China.

Other historians believe that the roulette wheel was invented by Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, as part of his quest to create a perpetual motion machine. Others believe that it was derived from the Italian game Biribi or from the older games hoca and portique.

Variations

There are many variations of roulette, each with its own rules and different pockets. The most popular type of roulette is the European version, which features a single zero and offers a friendly house edge. Other variations offer additional bets and special betting rules, allowing players to win even more money. While some roulette game variants are more popular than others, players aren’t exclusively concerned with odds and expected value; they also look for pleasure when playing the game.