Roulette is a fast-paced casino game. The dealer clears losing bets and pays the winners before starting a new round.
A roulette wheel has thirty-six red and black compartments, numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. There are also two green pockets on American wheels that carry the numbers 0 and 00.
Origins
The exact origins of roulette are a bit of a mystery. But the general consensus is that it was invented by 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. He conceived the game while working on his quest to produce a perpetual motion machine.
During this time, several games existed that were similar to roulette. These included portique, hoca, bassette and even-odd.
Some of these were based on the numbers 0, 1 and 36, while others were based on red and black. It is also thought that roulette may have evolved from the Italian game Biribi. Regardless, it is certain that the game of roulette came to prominence in 1796 in Paris, where it was played regularly at various gambling houses. It has since remained a popular casino game around the world.