Roulette is one of the oldest casino games and is still a popular game today. However, it has a smaller following than other games such as video poker and blackjack.
The croupier throws the ball onto the spinning roulette wheel and players make bets on what number or section the ball will land in. Successful bets have higher payouts than outside bets.
Origin
Fanciful stories have been spun about the origin of roulette. The most popular theory is that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as he searched for a way to create a perpetual motion machine. However, the game did not take on its modern form until a century later when it was introduced to France by Dominican monks who had learned the game from the Chinese.
Regardless of its origin, the game was very popular and found an audience wherever it went. Roman soldiers, for instance, played a game that was very similar to roulette using shields with symbols written on them. The game then traveled to other parts of Europe and eventually made its way to America. Several ancient civilizations also played similar games, but it is not possible to say whether any of them were responsible for the development of roulette.
Variations
Many different variations of roullete are available on the market. They differ in terms of rules, payouts and betting options. For instance, some of them feature a limited number of pockets on the wheel. For example, a French roulette has only 37 pockets, with all the numbers except for the zero being represented in black and red colors. This variation also offers a different payout system, with winning straight bets offering a payout of 11:1, while split and street bets pay at the rate of 2:1.
