Roulette is a game of chance played on a green felt table with a wheel and betting areas. Players place chips on either a single number, a group of numbers, or a color. Inside bets usually have higher payouts, while Outside bets have lower odds of winning. Despite this, several betting systems claim to be able to beat the house edge.

Origins

Roulette emerged in France in the early 18th century from older games such as portique, hoca, and bassette. But its true origins are a bit of a mystery. Various fanciful accounts claim that 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the game, while others suggest it was derived from Chinese games brought to Europe by Dominican monks.

What is known is that the game came to America along with French migrants in the early 19th century. It found a home in New Orleans’ gambling houses, where it was paired with other popular European games such as faro and dice. It is from here that roulette acquired its sinister reputation as the Devil’s Wheel, owing to the fact that the sum of all numbers from 1 to 36 adds up to 666.