Roulette is a gambling game that involves spinning a numbered wheel and betting on what number – or even or odd value range – the ball will land on. Players place their bets before the wheel begins to spin and, as it does, a small ball will bounce around until it settles into one of the thirty-six red or black numbered compartments on the wheel. The player whose bet correctly matches that number wins. There are also bets that cover groups of numbers or the color of those numbers (red or black) or whether they are high or low.
A game of chance, the earliest records of roulette date back more than 300 years to Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and scientist who invented it as he was trying to create a perpetual motion machine. His invention, however, took a different turn and ended up being used to win casino games.
In the early 19th century, the roulette wheel and table made their way up the Mississippi to New Orleans and then westward into the western territories of the United States. There, the game developed rapidly. It was played with makeshift tables and a makeshift wheel, and cheating by both players and dealers became rampant. To combat this, casinos began placing the wheel on top of the table and adding the “La Partage” or half-back rule.
The Roulette wheel consists of a static bowl and a metal plate, or wheelhead, that is attached to it. A groove surrounds the edge of the wheelhead, and inside this groove are the numbered slots. Thirty-six of these slots are arranged in two rows of twelve numbers each, and on European-style wheels there is an additional compartment that is painted green and carries the sign 0 or 00.
Outside bets are placed on a group of numbers or a category rather than specific individual numbers, and they offer higher payout rates than those placed inside the roulette layout. They are also better for beginners who want to increase their winning chances without risking too much money.
Street Bet/Three-Number Bet/Side Bet: You place your chip(s) to straddle the line between two consecutive rows on the roulette layout. The payout is 17-1 if your bet is correct.
Dozens Bet/Six-Number Bet/Thirty-Number Bet: You place your chips to bet on either the first 12 numbers on the roulette layout, the second dozen, or the third dozens. These bets pay out 2-1, but they have a lower winning probability than the other two types of bets.
Basket Bet/First Four Bet/Six-Number Bet/Six-Line Bet: You place your chips to bet that the ball will land in any of the six vertical columns on the roulette layout. These bets pay out 5-1. This bet is a little more complicated than the others, but it has a very good chance of winning. The game of roulette is not only fun, but it’s also a very entertaining game that can be a great way to get your adrenaline pumping.