Roulette is a casino game that involves betting on which number a ball will land in after it’s spun. It’s a game of chance, and there is no skill involved in predicting which numbers will appear.
Players bet by placing money on the table and asking the dealer for ‘colour’ chips. They then place these on the roulette layout.
Origin
There are many theories about the origins of roulette. The most common is that it was invented in the 17th century by a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal. He was actually searching for a perpetual motion machine at the time, but the wheel he used for his experiment ended up being the basis of modern roulette. Another theory is that the game was brought to France from China by Dominican monks. There is also evidence that Roman soldiers played games similar to roulette. These games involved spinning shields with symbols written on them and betting on which one would stop in front of an arrow.
Roulette as we know it today emerged in 17th century France from a combination of Roly Poly and Even Odd, both gambling games that involved placing bets on the outcome of a spinning wheel, and Biribi, an Italian game involving a bag of numbered tickets.
Variations
There are a number of roulette game variations to choose from. Some offer different rules and payouts, while others use a unique table layout or additional bet options. The best choice depends on your experience level and skill set. Beginners should stick to European roulette games that follow the standard 37-partition wheel with a single zero and a friendly house edge. Other popular variants include Lightning Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which offers high-paying multipliers, and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, which has a payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win. Then there’s French Roulette, which has a similar layout to the European variation but uses French wording for bets on the first, second, and third dozens. It also has a lower house edge of 2.7%.