Roulette is a casino game where players bet on a number or a group of numbers. The dealer spins a wheel and throws a ball into one of the numbered divisions on the wheel.
When the ball drops into a slot, the dealer clears off losing bets and pays winners. Bets are placed by laying chips on a betting mat with the precise placement of the chips indicating the bet being made.
Origin
The origin of roulette is a mystery, with several stories competing for the truth. The most widely accepted story is that the game was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, who combined elements of Roly Poly and Even Odds with Biribi, an Italian game in which players guessed the number of a numbered ticket drawn from a bag. However, primitive versions of the game existed long before Pascal’s work. It is also possible that the game was derived from ancient China and transmitted to France by Dominican monks. It finally achieved its current form in the 18th century and quickly became a popular casino and gambling game. It later spread to other parts of Europe and America. It is played on a wheel like the one pictured below, and people place bets on what number the ball will land in.
Variations
The number of roulette variations is incredibly vast, so every player can find a game to their liking. Most of them follow the same main rules, but there are also some differences in the payouts and betting options. For example, some variants of roullete feature a different number of pockets on the wheel, while others use a specialized color for the zero pocket. The variation of the game that you choose will affect your chances to win, so it’s important to be aware of this before playing.