What is Roulette?

Roulette is a game of chance. The rules and bet types vary among the various variations, but the basics remain the same. You can place your chips on the table until the croupier announces “no more bets.”

To improve your chances of winning, opt for outside bets. These offer higher payout rates. You can also use a low-risk strategy like the Martingale System to increase your wins.

Origins

Many different theories exist on how roulette came to be. One popular one credits French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal with creating the game in 1655 during his attempt to develop a perpetual motion machine. Other historians think that it is descended from the Italian board game hoca and the English game of Even-Odd.

It is also possible that the game originated from a carnival wheel that was a common feature of traveling shows. Finally, some believe that roulette evolved from the Italian game biribi.

Whatever the truth may be, roulette as we know it today first appeared in Paris in 1796. The game became a fixture in European casinos after 1860, when Francois and Louis Blanc removed the double-zero pocket from the wheel, making it what is now known as European roulette.