Roullete, or roulette, is a casino game where a little ball rolls around a spinning wheel and people bet on what number it will land in. It’s a fun and easy-to-understand game with some surprising depth for serious players who use the right strategy.
The game originated more than 300 years ago at the end of the 17th century. Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician who was studying probabilities at the time, is credited with inventing it. The earliest roulette wheels were made of wood with metal dividers that rotated and separated alternate red and black segments, plus a green 0 compartment. In the early 1800s, a double-zero wheel was introduced to the United States to prevent cheating by both operators and players.
Before the dealer spins the wheel, players place bets by laying down chips on a special betting mat that shows the precise location of each bet. Bets on specific numbers are called “Inside bets”; those on groups of numbers, or even/odd and red/black, are known as “Outside bets.”
Each roulette table carries a placard listing the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Choose a table that’s within your budget, and remember that you can cash out your winnings at any time. It’s also a good idea to set a budget before you start playing, and stick with it.
A single-number bet is the simplest bet to make; just put your chips on your favorite number on the betting grid. The odds are 1 to 36, but the payouts vary depending on whether you’re putting money on an odd or even number. If you win a single-number bet, your winnings will be equal to the amount of chips you wagered.
Other popular bets include a split bet (two numbers); a corner bet (four numbers forming a square on the betting table); and a basket bet (one number and the two rows of numbers 1-3-2). These bets all pay out at 6 to 1, but they have higher house edges than other bets.
Many fanciful stories surround the history of roulette. According to some, it was invented by Blaise Pascal while he was trying to create a perpetual motion machine; others claim that the game was brought to Europe from China by Dominican monks. Whatever its origins, it became a popular game in casinos and gambling houses around the world.