Roulette is a game played on a roulette table with a spinning wheel and numbered slots. A betting layout is displayed on the table and players place their bets.
Inside bets involve placing bets on individual numbers or small groups of numbers. They have lower winning odds but pay out relatively more often.
Origins
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of roulette. There are a few theories, however. Some say that 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the game while trying to create a perpetual motion machine. Others say it was developed by Dominican monks. It is also possible that it was influenced by other games, such as the Italian lottery-style game of Biribi or the English games of portique and even-odd.
Whichever way it came about, the game eventually found its way to America. By the 1940s, casinos were starting to open in California, and roulette began to develop its modern form. When Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the single-zero version of the game in a spa casino town, they were able to compete with the traditional French casinos that only offered double-zero wheels.
Variations
There are many different roulette variations, each offering a unique set of rules and payouts. The most common variation is European Roulette, which has 38 pockets and a single zero. It is the most popular version of the game worldwide because it offers a friendly house edge and allows players to use La Partage. Other variations feature more 0s, additional betting options, and special betting rules. However, these games should be avoided by newcomers because they typically have higher house edges than standard roulette.