Roullete is a casino game in which players bet on one or more of the numbers and groups of numbers on the roulette table. The bets can be placed on a single number, various groupings of numbers, whether they are red or black, odd or even, and on the fact that a number is high (19-36) or low (1-18). The odds of winning each bet type are known and the payouts are clearly defined. The house edge is the difference between these odds and the player’s expected return, so understanding it is important before laying your chips down.
The game is played with a cylinder-shaped wheel that has 37 compartments painted alternately red and black, plus a green zero (on American wheels there are two extra green zones marked 00). The wheel is spun in one direction and the ball in another. Prior to the spinning of the wheel, players place their bets on a table by placing chips directly onto the betting mat, with the precise placement of each chip indicating which bet is being made.
Bets on six numbers or fewer are referred to as Inside bets and those on 12 or more are called Outside bets. The betting area of the table is designed with specific sections for each type of bet to help the player place their chips accurately. The game has evolved from the earliest versions and continues to be popular in casinos and gambling dens around the world.
Despite the many fanciful stories of how roulette came to be, the game actually began life in its current form more than 300 years ago at the end of the 17th century. French physicist Blaise Pascal is credited with the invention, as it was one of his attempts to create a perpetual motion machine.
The modern version of the game is played in all major casinos and can also be found online. Players can choose from a variety of versions, including live dealer roulette, in which the betting is done through a computer and the table game is handled by a human croupier in real-time.