The game of roulette perhaps is the most classical casino game of them all. Upon hearing of the word ‘roulette’ we instantly get invoked vivid images of luxurious casinos in Monte Carlo and can picture Sean Connery or Roger Moore as James Bond dressed in an immaculate suit while placing a bet on the roulette table – and of course winning as well.
Origins of roulette
The name of roulette is derived from the French language and means something like ‘little wheel’. This of course refers to the roulette wheel where the croupier places a tiny ball which spins around the wheel until it drops down at a certain number. The game was first mentioned in the history books in the late 18th century in the French capital of Paris. The century after roulette became much better known and reached its peak popularity when the French elite, as well as the royals, nobility and rich businessmen embraced the game in every single European country.
The current game of French roulette which we currently encounter in casinos stems back to the year 1842 when the brothers Francois and Louis Blanc introduced their roulette wheel with a green number 0. They brought the game to the casinos of Monaco, after which their version of roulette took off all over Europe.
American roulette
American roulette differs from French/European roulette by the fact that it has an extra double zero (00) on the roulette wheel besides the single 0. American roulette has its origins in the 19th century when casinos in the States added the 00 to the wheel to make sure the house has an even bigger chance of winning. Therefore it is still the case that as a gambler you have slightly better odds winning with French roulette than playing the American version.
The rules of roulette
The game of roulette is actually very simple as it is a pure game of chance and you really do not have think while playing it. The only things that matter is luck and perhaps your intuition, although there are always gamblers who say they have thought of a winning tactic! On the long term it is however not possible to win when playing roulette due to the house advantage of the casino – which is bigger than with many other games such as blackjack and slot machines. But of course that does not mean that you cannot get a nice profit on a short term, as you just need some luck with the game of roulette!
The goal of roulette is guessing on which number the little ball which is launched in the roulette wheel will drop down on. Before the croupier places the ball in the spinning wheel and announced that all bets are off, you have to place your bet on the big roulette table which outlines all betting possibilities.
Waging a bet
You can wage a bet by putting your chips on one or more of the many squares on the table. You can for example wage a bet on a single number (0 to 36 with European roulette) by just putting your chips on the number you prefer. Let’s say you are waging a bet on number 14, and the ball indeed drops down on this number. You then win 35 times your original bet, which can make some amazing earnings! Place ten euros on it, and you might win 350 euros instantly this way.
You can also bet on a colour (black or red), even or odd numbers, or on combinations of multiple numbers. It is for example possible to place your chips on the corner between the numbers 4, 5, 7 and 8 – you are then placing a single bet on all these numbers at the same time. In the same way, you can bet on entire rows, on two numbers at the same time, whatever it is you prefer really. The smaller the chance of winning, the bigger the earnings are of course if you do happen to win. Where a single number earns you 35 times your original bet, you only double your initial wager when you rightly predict red or black.