Roulette is a casino game where a small ball spins around a wheel with numbered pockets. The player places bets on which number pocket the ball will land in after the wheel is spun. There are a variety of betting options and strategies, but the game is ultimately based on chance.
The modern roulette wheel evolved in the 18th century and was popularized in the casinos of Paris. It is a solid, convex disk with a slightly curved edge. A metal partition or fret divides the wheel into thirty-six compartments that are numbered nonconsecutively from one to 36 and alternately red and black. A 37th compartment, painted green, carries the numbers 0 and 00. The house edge for the American version of the game is higher than that of the European version because of the extra green pockets.
Before the wheel is spun, players place bets by placing chips on a special betting mat. The exact placement of the chip is important because each bet pays out a different amount depending on its position on the layout. Bets on individual numbers are called “Inside bets” while those on groups of numbers, such as a column or a dozen, are called “Outside bets”. If a player chooses the number 0, the payout is 35:1.
Once all bets have been placed, the croupier spins the wheel and a ball is dropped onto it. The wheel will then come to rest in one of the numbered pockets. The winning bets are paid out and the losing bets removed from the table. The croupier then resets the table and begins a new round of betting.
Roulette can be found in most casinos and is also available for play online. Several variations of the game have emerged, including multiball games played with up to three balls and mini-roulette versions with a smaller wheel and the ability to bet on just 12 numbers.
Mathematical background
The mathematical foundations of the game are straightforward, although there is considerable debate about how much of an advantage a player can gain from understanding them. Like other gambling games, the mathematics of roulette is based on probability, which is the ratio of the number of ways an outcome can occur to the total number of possible outcomes.
The game is a popular choice at the casino because it is easy to learn and can be played by novices as well as experienced gamblers. However, it is important to understand that the game of roulette is a game of chance and winning depends on luck. There are many myths and legends about the origins of roulette. Fanciful stories include that it was invented by the 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal or by a Dominican monk. The truth is that it likely developed from the Italian game of Biribi.