Roullete is one of the most popular casino games around and with the right strategy can give you a high reward. It has offered glamour and mystery to players since the 17th century and is now available in online and land-based casinos all over the world.
The game of roulette is played on a circular table with a revolving wheel in the middle. Players make bets by placing chips on the table. The bets can be on single numbers, various groupings of numbers, colors (red or black), whether the number is odd or even, or if it is high or low. The ball is then spun on the wheel and the winning bets are paid out. The game is a combination of luck and strategy, with some bets having more risk than others.
Roulette has many fanciful stories about its origin. It is said to have been invented by the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, or by Dominican monks, although it was likely derived from older games such as Biribi. The modern version of the game was first introduced in France in the early 18th century and migrated to other parts of Europe, where it became one of the most popular casino games. The wheel itself is a solid, slightly convex disk with metal separators (called frets by roulette croupiers) and a series of compartments (called pockets) that are painted alternately red and black and numbered from 1 to 36. On European roulette wheels there is also a green division that carries the number 0.
A player wins by correctly guessing which of the 37 or 38 compartments the ball will come to rest in. Bets are placed by laying chips on the table, which is marked with the French terms for the various bets, although on US tables English terminology and a different layout are used. The chips are arranged on a betting mat, with the precise location of the chip indicating the bet it represents. Bets are made before the wheel is spun, and winning bets are collected by the dealer between spins.
In addition to the traditional game of roulette, some online casinos offer live versions that feature real dealers and a real table. Players can place bets through a web browser or mobile app, while the physical casino is handled in real time by a trained croupier.