Roullete is a gambling game in which players bet on which number or grouping of numbers a small ball will land on as it spins around a revolving wheel. The game originated in Europe and made its way to America, where it was banned after a period of rampant cheating. The game evolved into its modern form in the late 18th century and remains popular to this day.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape and painted alternately red and black, with numbered compartments arranged around its rim. Thirty-six of these compartments, called frets or pockets by roulette croupiers, contain alternating numbers from one to 36, while two green compartments carry the symbols 0 and 00 on American wheels. A croupier spins the wheel in one direction, and a small ball is rolled in the opposite direction, spinning and bouncing until it settles into a pocket. Bets are placed on a table that correspond to the compartments where the ball may land. If a player correctly guesses the number or type of bet, they win.
A bettor can bet on any of the 38 individual single numbers in the game, including the zero and double-zero, as well as on a range of other groupsings of numbers. These bets are known as outside bets and have a lower house edge than inside bets, although they pay out significantly less when they hit.
To place a bet, a player places chips on the corresponding area of the roulette table. Each player gets a color of chip to distinguish them from other bettors. It is recommended that partners or spouses sit apart during roulette games to avoid confusion over who is placing what bets. If a player decides to leave the table before the wheel spins, they can tell the dealer they want their chips cashed out and the casino will return them as normal casino chips.
Roulette rules require that bets be placed only after the dealer announces “No more bets!” This prevents a player from betting when the wheel is about to come to a stop, which could allow them to gain an advantage by predicting where the ball will land. It also prevents players from attempting to use complicated and untested systems that are designed to beat the house edge.