Roulette is played with a wheel and table. Players place bets on individual numbers, groups of numbers, colors (red and black), or odds (odd or even).
The croupier spins the wheel and then drops the ball into one of the numbered pockets on the table. The player then waits to see if his or her bet won.
Origin
While the origin of roullete isn’t entirely clear, most historians believe that the game was invented in 1655 by French mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal. He inadvertently created the roulette wheel while trying to create a perpetual motion machine.
Pascal’s invention became a popular recreational game among the upper class of France and later spread to other parts of Europe. The modern roulette wheel is based on this original version.
Before that, the game had other ancestors including portique, hoca, bassette and roly poly. These games used a spinning shield with symbols on it and were played by soldiers. These shields had an arrow that pointed in a specific direction and the soldiers placed bets on which symbol would appear next to the arrow.
Variations
Roulette comes in several variations, but the most popular is European roulette. It has 38 pockets and only one zero, making it easier to understand and play. The number distribution on the wheel is also carefully designed so that each pocket has exactly the same size as any other.
Besides the classic European Roulette, there are many other interesting variants like Double Ball roulette. This game uses the same betting options as the standard game but has lower payouts. Other interesting roulette games include Lightning Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which offers large multipliers, and Triple Bonus Spin roulette from IGT that pays up to 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.
