What is Roulette?
Roulette is a game of chance. Players place bets on a betting layout that mirrors the numbers on a roulette wheel. The dealer then spins the wheel and a ball rolls around a tilted circular track. A winning number is determined when the ball stops on a numbered slot.
There are two types of roulette bets: inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets involve focusing your predictions on a single number or small group of numbers and have lower odds but higher payouts.
Variations
There are several variations of the roulette game, and each has its own special betting rules. The most popular is European roulette, which features a single zero on the wheel and offers players lower house edge odds. Another variation is American roulette, which has more numbered pockets but does not offer the same low house edge as its European counterpart. Some games also feature additional bets, such as La Partage and En Prison, which allow players who placed even money bets to get half of their wager back if the ball lands on a single-zero pocket. These are great options for those looking to increase their winnings.
Origins
Roulette is a game that has long been popular in casinos and gambling houses across Europe. It consists of a wheel with numbers 0 through 36 (or 38 on modern European/Latin American tables) that spins around a bowl, and a ball that rolls into one of the divisions on the wheel. Players place bets on what number they think the ball will land in by placing chips on a betting mat. The word “roulette” is derived from the French for little wheel, but it’s not clear where the game itself originated. Various fanciful stories claim that 17th Century French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the roulette wheel, or that it was derived from the games hoca and portique by Dominican monks who brought the game to France from China.
What is clear is that roulette was born in 1655 when Pascal’s scientific pursuit and recreational gaming interests collided. He conceived of the game while working on his perpetual motion machine at the Port-Royal-des-Champs monastery near Paris, but it’s difficult to say whether he actually intended to create a gambling device.