Roulette is a game with 37 or 38 numbered pockets (European roulette has one zero and American roulette has two). A croupier spins a wheel and sends a ball spinning. If the ball lands in a pocket you bet on, you win a payout based on your odds.
You can place a bet on either inside or outside bets. Inside bets involve betting on a single number or small groups of numbers and offer lower odds but higher payouts.
Origins
The first true roulette game, closely resembling the modern version we know and love, emerged in France in the early 1700s. Its name, a French word meaning “little wheel,” is a reference to the spinning wheel at the heart of the game.
The game’s origin is a mystery, though some historians believe seventeenth-century mathematician Blaise Pascal invented it as a byproduct of his experiments with a perpetual motion machine. Others claim the game came from other gambling games based on turning wheels, such as those played by Romans on their chariots and ancients on their shields balanced on points of swords.
The modern game of roullete consists of a revolving roulette wheel with numbers 1 through 36, one or two zeros and several other sections affording players a range of betting opportunities. Players place bets on what number they think the ball will land in by laying down chips on a betting mat.
Variations
There are a variety of different Roulette variations, each offering a unique game play experience. European Roulette, for example, uses 38 pockets and one zero, making the game simpler to play. This also lowers the house edge, allowing players to improve their odds of winning. Other variations include Lightning Roulette, which features multipliers up to 500x your bet, and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette, which boasts payouts of 1:12,000 for straight wins. These games differ from traditional roulette, but still offer the same rules.
