The roullete wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with 36 compartments painted alternately red and black (on American roulette wheels two green compartments, marked 0 and 00). The roulette table has many betting areas, each offering different payouts and odds of winning. The bets can be made on individual numbers, groups of numbers, or colors.
Origin
The origin of roulette is a bit of a mystery. Some experts believe that it was invented in 1655 by French scientist Blaise Pascal. He was trying to create a perpetual motion machine at the time and inadvertently created a game that involved numbers 0 through 36 on a revolving wheel. Other scholars claim that roulette was derived from older games like portique, hoca, basseette, and even-odd.
Regardless of the exact origin, it is clear that roulette became popular in Europe in the 18th century. It soon followed European migrants to America, where it was played in crude makeshift gambling dens. It then moved westward, eventually reaching California during the gold rush of the 1800s. It has been a staple ever since. The name “roulette” is derived from the French word for little wheel.
