The Basics of Roullete
Roullete, which is French for the game of roulette, has offered glamour and mystery to casino-goers worldwide since the 17th century. Although some fanciful stories attribute its invention to Blaise Pascal, the famous French physicist, philosopher and inventor, roulette was actually derived from older games like hoca and portique. The modern roulette wheel and table layout first emerged in France around 1790, although the game had already spread to other European countries by the late 1800s.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid disk slightly convex in shape with a metal perimeter on which are set variously colored and numbered compartments. Thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black and referred to as canoes by croupiers, are numbered nonconsecutively from 1 through 36. An extra green compartment carries the number 0 on European-style wheels, while American ones have two additional green zeros on opposite sides of the wheel.
Before the wheel spins, players place their bets by laying down chips on the betting mat in front of them. These chips, which are called “stakes,” indicate the amount of money a player is wagering on a particular outcome of the spin. Bets on six numbers or less are called “Inside bets,” while those on 12 numbers or more are known as “Outside bets.” A winning bet pays its winner a specified amount, with the payout determined by the precise location of the chips on the betting mat.
A croupier then spins the wheel and, when it comes to rest, the ball will drop into one of the pockets marked on the roulette table. The game is based on probability, and the outcome of each spin is independent of any previous outcomes. The house’s edge, which is the difference between the odds of a bet and its payoff, is calculated by dividing the total number of bets placed on the table by the total number of spins.
Roulette is a popular casino game that offers many different types of bets, from simple to complex. The rules of the game are fairly easy to understand, but serious gamblers should study the mathematics behind it to maximize their chances of beating the house. Before you play, decide how much money you want to win and choose a table that will allow you to make the most profitable bets within your budget. Each table carries a placard that describes the minimum and maximum bets allowed.