Roulette is an age-old casino game, ubiquitous across gambling establishments worldwide and incredibly easy to learn how to play. Fast-paced and with many betting options for players to select from, roulette makes for an entertaining game perfect for people of all ages and experience levels alike.
Although many stories exist regarding the origins of roulette, it is generally accepted that it was created by 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal in France during this era based on earlier French games such as hoca and portique at that time. Once introduced, roulette quickly gained popularity within Paris casinos.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk with slightly convex edges and multiple metal compartments called frets or pockets by roulette croupiers, painted alternately red and black around its edge. Thirty-six of these pockets are numbered 1-36 while an extra green pocket bearing the number 0 can also be found on American wheels.
Before the dealer spins the wheel, players place their bets by placing them on a betting mat. Players should aim to place bets on six numbers or more with odds of just under 33% of winning; bets placed on less than 6 numbers are known as Inside bets while those made on more than 12 are known as Outside bets.
Once all bets have been placed, the dealer will spin the wheel and throw a ball into one of the numbered slots. When this happens, he or she will announce: ‘no more bets!” to prevent players from placing chips just before it comes to rest which could allow them to predict its outcome more accurately.
A dealer will then clear the table, paying out winners and beginning betting for another round. As with other gambling games, tipping your croupier 5% of winnings is customary but not required by any laws or regulations. Although cheating at roulette may occur occasionally, casinos do discourage this practice as cheating could compromise future business operations.