Roullete is one of the most popular casino games in the world. It’s an amazingly simple game based entirely on luck, and it’s played in both land-based and online casinos worldwide. In the game, players place chips on a roulette felt to predict which slot a ball will fall into when the wheel is spun. You can bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, red or black, even or odd, and high (19-36) or low (1-18).
The first roulette wheel was invented in the 17th century by mathematician Blaise Pascal. The game quickly gained popularity in France’s illegal gambling dens and was later introduced to the United States by French immigrants. The American version features a double-zero pocket, which greatly increases the house edge and has since become the most popular variant of the game.
A roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk, slightly convex in shape, with a metal rim that’s divided into 37 compartments — called frets by roulette croupiers — alternately painted red and black. There’s also a green compartment, referred to as a ‘zero’ in Europe, and two additional green pockets on the American wheel.
The European and the American versions of roulette differ not only in the wheel, but also in the rules and table layouts. The most significant difference is that when the zero lands, all outside bets are lost in European roulette, while this doesn’t occur with American roulette. In addition, there are two additional rules in European roulette that help to lower the game’s house edge: en prison and la partage. Both of these rules are beneficial to the player, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that they will increase your chances of winning.
