A croupier spins a roulette wheel with 36 red and black numbered pockets and one zero (or two in American casinos). Players place chips on the table, corresponding to the numbers or groups of numbers they want to bet on.

You can use basic roulette strategies to maximize your chances of winning. Learn about the different bet types, including outside and inside bets.

Origins

There is no consensus among historians on the exact origin of roulette. However, the majority of them believe that the game came into existence around 1655 when French mathematician Blaise Pascal inadvertently invented it during his quest to create a perpetual motion machine. Others point to similar games that were already popular at the time such as the English game of roly poly and the Italian game of Hoca.

Nevertheless, the first roulette wheels only had one single and one double zero pocket. As more and more Europeans immigrated to America, the game of roulette found its way to the country as well. Various other similar games such as portique, hoca, bassette, and roly poly are also thought of as precursors to the modern game.

Bets

There are a lot of different betting opportunities on roulette. Some of them are more risky than others. For instance, the street bet is a wager that pays 11 to 1 if you make a correct roulette prediction. Other outside bets include the Dozens and Columns bets. These bets are made on 12 numbers and pay 2-1. All of these bets are clearly labeled on the table with specific places for them.

Despite its seemingly random appearance, the wheel has been carefully distributed so that each section has two odd and two even numbers.