Roulette is a game of chance that has long offered glamour and mystery to casino-goers. The game’s rules are fairly simple and straightforward, but it offers a surprising depth for serious betters. In addition to placing bets on individual numbers or various groupings of numbers, players can also place bets on the color red or black, odd or even, or high (19-36) or low (1-18).
While there are many theories about roulette’s origin, most agree that it was developed in France in the 17th century. It is believed to have been derived from the older games hoca and portique. The modern roulette wheel consists of a solid, slightly convex wooden disk with a rim and a number of metal compartments or pockets (called separators or frets by roulette croupiers) containing numbers from 1 to 36. The numbered slots are painted alternately red and black, while a green compartment on American wheels carries the sign 0 and two green compartments on European-style wheels containing the signs 00.
When a player places a bet, the dealer gives each player special roulette chips with a different color to help distinguish players’ bets. These chips are not to be exchanged for regular casino chips, but remain on the table until the winning bets have been settled and the losing bets cleared away. When a winner is determined, the dealer places a marker on the winning number or winning chips. The dealer then pays the winners and clears the table for the next round of betting.
The game spread rapidly across France’s gambling dens and then to the new United States territories, where the double-zero wheel became known as American roulette. In 1843, French siblings Louis and Francois Blanc introduced a single-zero roulette wheel that dramatically reduced the house edge and massively increased the game’s popularity. This version, still widely played today, is known as European roulette. It’s also the basis of the James Bond roulette strategy, which combines multiple bets to increase the odds of winning but requires a large bankroll to be effective. There are also many other roulette variations, including Double Ball, Mini, Multi-Wheel and German roulette.
