Roullete (pronounced: roo-layt) is a gambling game in which players bet on which slot of a rotating disk a small ball will come to rest in. They can choose to bet on individual numbers, various groupings of numbers, colors (red or black), odd or even, or high (19-36) or low (1-18). The objective is to correctly guess which number or grouping the winning number will belong to. A successful bet earns the player a payout, and the losing bets are cleared from the table. The dealer then spins the wheel, announcing “no more bets!” to indicate betting for the current round is closed.
Roulette is a casino game that requires a good amount of luck. There are many myths surrounding its origins, including that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as a way to demonstrate the principles of perpetual motion. In reality, the game evolved from older games such as hoca and portique, reaching its current form around 1790 in Paris.
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with a rim that contains the colored compartments in which the numbers are displayed. Thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black, are numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36, while a single green compartment carries the number zero on European wheels and two green ones carry 0 and 00 on American wheels. The wheel is spun by a crank, and the ball is released from a basket hanging over the edge of the wheel.
Outside Bets
Outside bets are a more conservative play in roulette, but the payout is lower. They are based on the distribution of numbers across the layout and pay 2-1 for winning bets. The most popular outside bets are the Dozens bet, in which you wager that the winning number will appear in either the first, second, or third dozen of the numbers on the layout. The Odd or Even bet also pays 2-1, as you bet that the winning number will be either an odd or an even number – not including the 0 and 00, which are neither odds nor evens.