Roulette is a game of chance that relies on probability. Players place chips on the table map until the croupier says “No more bets”.

The dealer then throws a ball into a spinning wheel. If it lands in your bet, you win. There are a variety of bets, but even-money wagers are the most common.

Origin

The history of roulette is a bit cloudy, but the game as we know it today was first introduced in France in 1796. Several stories exist regarding its supposed ancestors, including English games like roly poly and bassette as well as the Italian game biribi.

The earliest version of the wheel used in roulette was invented by a 17th-century French physicist named Blaise Pascal as part of his attempt to create a perpetual motion machine. His design ended up with a cylinder with slots that separated into Os and Es, similar to modern European/Latin American roulette wheels. Other historians believe that the game evolved from a game of chance with numbered squares, which was popular in Italy in the 18th century. They also believe that it derived from older French games like portique and hoca.

Variations

Despite the fact that the basic game rules of Roulette are the same, there are various versions of the game. Some of these are more popular than others. For example, French Roulette has more 0s and offers additional betting options. It also includes two special rules- En prison and La Partage- that significantly reduce the house edge. Another version is Double Ball Roulette, which uses two balls instead of one. This variant offers lower payouts but is still enjoyable to play. Other games include Lightning Roulette, which features multipliers of up to 500x and Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, which boasts a payout of 1:12,000 for a straight bonus win.

Bets

There are a variety of betting opportunities on roullete, with the most risky bets offering the highest payouts. The Street bet, for example, costs nine chips and covers 17 numbers, but pays 11 to 1 if you make the correct prediction. Another risky wager is the Corner bet, which requires placing your chips on one number and the numbers either side of it.

Outside bets are more conservative plays and offer a lower payout if you win. The Line Bet, also known as sixline in French, is a special type of Outside bet that requires you to place your chips so they straddle the line between two rows of three numbers.