A venerable casino game for centuries, Roullete (roh-luh-TEE) offers glamour and mystery with a surprising level of depth for serious bettors. It’s easy to learn, but requires a solid strategy to win. Whether you’re new to this game or a seasoned pro, this guide will help you understand the basics and maximize your chances of winning.
When you join a coffee or lunch roulette session on Zavvy, each participant gets their own set of special roulette chips that are used to distinguish bettors from one another. When the roulette wheel is between decisions, you place your bets by telling the dealer how much each roulette chip is worth. Once the wheel is finished spinning and you’ve won, you cash in your winnings with the dealer. The losing bets go into the casino’s income, and the winners are given normal casino chips in return.
While fanciful stories have suggested that the game was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, the reality is far more complex. Its roots are in the ancient games of hoca and portique, which were likely developed from the Italian game Biribi. Roulette became popular amongst Paris’ illegal gambling dens and grew to become the dominant form of legal casino gambling in Europe by 1843, when the first single zero pocket was introduced on a roulette wheel by French siblings Louis and Francois Blanc.
There are 10 different bets in a roulette game, and their payouts vary based on how unlikely they are to win. The highest payout is for a bet on a single number, which can pay up to 35 times the amount wagered. Other popular bets include the column and dozens. To make a column bet, place your chips on any of the three ’12’ sections of the table map. To bet on a dozens bet, place your chips on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd dozen section of the table map.
To ensure you don’t lose your entire bankroll, there are a few roulette betting systems that can help you stay in the game for longer. The most popular is the Martingale System, which advises you to double your stake after every loss. A less aggressive option is the Labouchere System, which involves changing your stake size based on your wins and losses.