If you’re new to roulette, start by placing your chips on “outside bets” (groupings of numbers instead of individual digits). Outside bets typically pay better and have a lower house edge.
The game involves a wheel with numbered pockets from 0 to 36, plus a 00 on American tables. A croupier spins the wheel and a ball rolls around it until it stops on a number.
Origins
Historians aren’t sure exactly where the game of roullete came from. One popular theory credits French mathematician Blaise Pascal with its conception in the 17th century while he was trying to produce a perpetual motion machine. Others believe that Dominican monks brought the game to Paris from China as part of a cultural exchange. Other theories suggest that roulette developed from games like portique, hoca, bassette, and roly poly.
Whatever the case, the game was definitely around before 1796 when it first appeared in Paris casinos. However, the modern European or French roulette wheel got rid of its double zero pocket, so that only one zero was on the wheel. This version was later brought to America by French migrants. From there, it spread to the rest of the world.
Variations
Roulette games come in a wide range of variations. Double Ball Roulette, for example, follows the European layout but uses two balls instead of one. This game offers the same types of bets but has lower payouts. Lighting Roulette is another variation that relies on multipliers to increase the payout potential. Triple Bonus Spin Roulette, on the other hand, features an additional wheel and higher payouts of up to 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.