Roulette is a gambling game involving a revolving wheel and numbered compartments. After a small ball is released from the edge of the cylinder it drops into one of these compartments, and the player wins if his or her bet is on the number that the compartment contains. Various betting strategies are employed in this game. Roulette developed in Europe around the late 18th century and is considered a classic casino game. Its popularity has grown in many countries, and casinos often have special rooms for playing the game.
The game’s origin is obscure, but fanciful theories include that it was invented in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal as part of his quest to develop a perpetual motion machine. A more likely explanation is that the game evolved from the earlier games hoca and portique into its present form about 1790 in France. The game became a favorite in casino and gambling dens across Europe.
To play Roulette, a player places chips or other wagering items on the table, which is marked to correspond with the numbered compartments of the roulette wheel. The Roulette wheel is a solid, slightly convex disk with metal separators (called frets) around its rim that divide it into thirty-six nonconsecutive red and black compartments, plus two green ones, both bearing the sign 0. A croupier spins the wheel and then releases a small white ball that falls into one of the slots. A winning bet pays off at odds of 1 to 1.
Inside Bets
The simplest way to make money in roulette is by placing your chips directly on a single number. This is called a Straight Up bet, and it has the highest payout of all bets at 35 to 1. Outside bets are less risky but also have lower odds of winning. They consist of bets placed on groups of numbers or on specific numbers with a particular pattern.
Among the most popular outside bets are the Dozens Bet, or a Douzaine in French. This bet consists of betting on the winning number being in either the first, second, or third dozen on the layout. The payout is 2-1. The Odd or Even Bet, known as impair et pair in French, is another bet that offers a low house advantage and pays out at 1:1.
Players can also place bets on a row of three consecutive numbers, which is called a Street Bet or Triple Bet in English. This bet is similar to the Split Bet, but rather than straddling the line between two numbers, your chips will straddle the row between the outer and inner borders of the table. A winning Street Bet pays out 17-1. Other bets are the Line Bet or Sixline Bet, which works in a very similar manner but with six consecutive numbers instead of three. A winning Line Bet or Sixline Bet pays out 11-1.