Roulette is a game of chance played on a table with a rotating wheel in the center. Bets are placed on a betting layout and winners get paid when the dealer announces “no more bets”.
Outside bets typically have smaller payouts and lower odds at winning. However, they do offer good value for players who understand the game’s rules and probabilities.
Origins
The origins of roulette are a bit murky. However, most scholars agree that the game first appeared in France in the 18th century. The word roullete is French for “little wheel,” which speaks to the fact that the game has a revolving wheel as its central feature.
The modern game of roullete is believed to have evolved from older games such as portique, hoca, basseette and even-odd. These early games were similar to roulette in that they both involved betting on a spinning wheel.
Some historians claim that the game was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. He came up with the idea during an experiment he was conducting to create a perpetual motion machine. However, there is no evidence that he was actually trying to create a gambling device.