Roulette is a casino game played with a small wheel and a table. Players bet on a number or groups of numbers and place chips on a special betting mat. A common announced bet is 5 and the neighbours which covers a single number and two adjacent numbers.

The wheel has thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black, with a green zero on European wheels and two extra green divisions on American ones (00). The payouts for winning bets differ according to the type of bet.

Origins

There are many different theories about the origin of roulette, which is a game that involves spinning a wheel and betting on its outcome. Some believe that it was invented by the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as a byproduct of his work on a perpetual motion machine. Others claim that it was derived from the English games hoca and portique, while others point to its supposed Italian ancestors, including Lotto Reale, Biribi, and boccia. However, the most likely explanation is that it developed spontaneously from other games that involve gambling on the turn of wheels. For example, Romans turned chariot wheels and ancients spun shields balanced on points. These were all precursors to modern roullete. The word roullete means “small wheel” in French, which is also the name of the table on which it is played.

Variations

Roulette has a lot of variations, and while the gameplay is mostly the same regardless of which version you choose to play, some differences exist. For example, French roulette is similar to European Roulette in that it features a single-zero wheel and uses the same betting combinations on the table layout, but some bets have specific French names and are not part of standard online European Roulette bets. Other popular Roulette variants include Double Action Roulette, which is played on a specialised Mark VII wheel and offers double winnings. It also offers unique betting options such as Orphelins and Tiers du Zero bets.