Roulette is a game in which players place bets on a number or various groups of numbers. Each bet type offers different payouts and house edges. Before laying down your chips, it’s best to familiarize yourself with the game.
The roulette wheel has thirty-six red and black compartments numbered consecutively from 1 to 36, plus a green 0 (on American wheels there is an extra green division marked 00). The game also has special rules such as la partage that lower the house edge on certain even-money propositions.
Origin
There are many theories about the origin of roulette. The most popular is that it was invented by 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his attempts to create a wheel that would demonstrate perpetual motion. Other theories claim that it was based on Chinese board games or that it was brought to France by Dominican monks. In reality, roulette evolved in the early 18th century in France from earlier games like Roly Poly and Even-Odd. The first written reference to the game came in a set of gambling regulations for New France (now Quebec, Canada) in 1758.
The modern version of the game has a 38-number wheel and bets are placed on red, black or other numbers. There are also 0 and double-zero pockets.
Bets
There are many types of roulette bets, and the odds that you will win depend on how you place your chips. There are inside and outside bets, and each one has different odds. Inside bets are those that focus on specific numbers, while outside bets are those that place your chips on categories of numbers. Inside bets tend to have lower winning odds, but their payouts are much higher. Outside bets include the Split Bet, which pays 17-1 if you make a correct roulette prediction. The Street Bet or Three Number Bet, which pays 11 to 1, is another type of outside bet.