Roulette is a casino game that involves spinning a ball on a wheel and betting on the number or color in which it will land. Although the rules are simple, the game has a surprising amount of depth for serious betters. And a solid understanding of the basics can help you win big at roulette in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos.
The Roulette Wheel
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with thirty-six metal partitions, or frets, around its rim. The partitions, painted alternately black and red, are numbered non-consecutively from 1 to 36, with a compartment in the center labelled 0 (on European-style wheels) or double zero (on American ones).
A central cylinder, bearing a metal ball, spins within the wheel, and when the ball stops spinning, whichever number or combination of numbers the bet is on determines whether the player wins or loses. The croupiers, also called dealers, oversee the game and collect and pay winning bets. The croupiers also set the minimum and maximum bets on each table.
Before the French ‘invented’ roulette at the end of the 17th century, the game was played all over the world, including Ancient China, where it was based on a board game that used 37 animals arranged into a magic square with a total of 666. It was brought to France from China by Dominican monks and adapted as the game we know today.
Roulette is one of the most popular casino games because of its glamour and mystery. While the odds of winning are low, the thrill of watching the wheel spin and the chance of striking it rich make this an exciting game to play. The best way to increase your chances of winning is to avoid speculating about the outcome of a specific bet, instead betting on groups of numbers that have a higher likelihood of hitting. Then, when you do win, cash out your winning chips as quickly as possible and continue betting with your predetermined budget. Don’t dip into your winnings for future bets, as this will only decrease your odds of winning the next time.