Roulette is played on a green felt table with betting areas for different types of bets. You have until the dealer announces “no more bets” to place your chips where you want them.
Dozens: You can bet on groups of 12 numbers that run vertically down the table, paying 2:1 if the ball lands in your chosen dozen.
Origin
The history of roulette is a fascinating one. The modern version of the game was developed in the 17th century, but there are some theories that suggest the game originated much earlier than this. Some scholars believe that a Chinese game called baige piao, which involved betting on numbered symbols, was an early forerunner of roulette. Others claim that Dominican monks brought a game to France that had striking similarities with roulette.
However, the first true precursor to the game that we recognize today emerged in France in the 18th century. It incorporated elements from roly poly, even-odd and portique, as well as an Italian game called Biribi. It was first mentioned in writing as “roulette” in a document on gambling regulations issued in New France (Quebec) in 1758.
Variations
There are many variations of roulette, but the most popular is European roulette with 37 pockets. This version eliminates the double zero and improves the odds for players. Other variations include French roulette, which contains an additional 0 and offers special rules like “La Partage” and “En Prison,” which can help players recover some of their lost bets when the ball lands on the single zero pocket. These rules, however, reduce the overall RTP.
The distribution of numbers on the roulette wheel was carefully arranged so that each compartment (pocket) has the same dimensions as all others.