The word roullete refers to a game where a small ball rolls around a spinning wheel and people place bets on what number it will land on. Players place chips on the betting table until the croupier announces “No more bets!”

The roulette wheel has thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black, with a green one numbered 0. A second green division on American tables carries a 00.

Origin

Many different theories exist about the origin of roulette. Some people believe that it was invented by French physicist Blaise Pascal in his attempts to create a perpetual motion machine in the 17th century, while others claim that the game was inspired by a Chinese board game and the Italian game Biribi.

The true origin of roullete is unknown, but it is likely that the game evolved from a collaboration between several countries and civilizations. For instance, the Romans played a gambling game that was similar to roulette, in which soldiers placed bets on symbols written on the inside of shields. The game was then spun and the winner was determined when a symbol stopped in front of an arrow. Other anecdotal evidence suggests that the game originated in China and was brought to Europe by Dominican monks who traveled widely throughout Asia.

Variations

There are several variations of roulette games, which vary in house edge, payouts, and betting rules. Some of them are more popular than others. If you’re looking for a pleasant experience, you should play the European-style games with friendly house edges. If you’re an experienced player, the versions with special bets and rules are more interesting.

Some roulette variants include Double Action Roulette, which uses a unique wheel with two concentric rings and allows players to win twice per spin. There’s also Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which features multipliers of up to 500x and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT that offers a maximum payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.