Roulette is a game of chance involving a spinning wheel, a ball, and numbered compartments where different bets can be placed. It’s a game that has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. The rules are relatively simple, but serious betters will find that it’s a game with a surprising depth of strategy.
To play Roulette, a player simply places chips on one of the betting segments of a table. Then the dealer spins the wheel and drops the ball that moves through the different numbered sectors of the wheel. If the ball lands on the number that a player has bet on, they win.
A Roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with a series of metal separators known as frets or canoes around its rim and thirty-six pockets (on European-style wheels, there’s an extra compartment painted green that carries the sign 0; on American-style wheels, two additional green compartments carry the signs 0 and 00). The compartments are divided into red and black, and the numbers 1 through 36 are written on them in nonconsecutive rows.
There are many variations on the game of Roulette and many different betting combinations, with each offering a different set of odds and payouts for winning bets. Players can choose to bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, whether the number is odd or even, or if it’s high (19-36) or low (1-18).
All bets are made with “colour” chips that have specific values and are sold by the croupier at each table. When a round is over, the croupier marks the winning number on the table layout with a marker and then removes all losing bets and pays all winners. To avoid dipping into your winnings, always place your bets in sequence and never bet more than your predetermined budget.
While there are many fanciful stories about the history of roulette, most agree that it was invented in the 17th century by French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his experiments to create a perpetual motion machine. The game grew in popularity rapidly after that and spread to casinos and gambling dens throughout Europe.
Roulette games are available at online and land-based casinos in the United States, and also in some live dealer games run in real time by professional croupiers. In a live dealer game, you can place your bets using your keyboard or smartphone, and the table will be managed by a croupier in real time. Some live dealer games allow you to bet through a webcam, while others require you to make your bets in person with the croupier. Either way, the game is fast, fun and exciting to play! This is a great way to enjoy the thrills of a casino without having to leave the comfort of your home.