Roulette is an easy game to play, but it can be surprisingly complicated and rewarding for serious players. The rules are straightforward, but there are a number of strategies that can help you maximize your chances of winning.
In the game of Roullete, a small ball is spun around a wheel that has numbered pockets. When the wheel comes to a stop, the ball will land in one of these pockets. The numbers are red and black, except for a green pocket numbered 0 (on American roulette wheels). Despite the fanciful stories about its origin, there is actually little doubt that roulette was invented in the 17th century by a French mathematician named Blaise Pascal while he was searching for a way to create a perpetual motion machine.
The Roulette wheel consists of a solid, slightly convex disk with metal partitions called frets or pockets around its circumference. Thirty-six of these compartments are painted alternately red and black, while a single green compartment on European roulette wheels carries the number 0, and two green compartments on American wheels carry the numbers 0 and 00. A croupier spins the wheel, which is fitted on top of the betting table to prevent devices from being hidden inside the wheel or the table, and a dealer places the ball in one of the pockets after each spin.
Before the spin begins, players place their chips on a betting mat, which has specific areas marked for each type of bet. The precise location of the chips indicates the bet that is being made. Bets on individual numbers and groups of numbers ranging from six to 12 are known as Inside bets, while outside bets cover more than 12 numbers.
There are also a number of other types of bets that can be placed on the table. These include a Straight-up bet, which selects an individual number; a Split bet, which makes a bet on two numbers; and a Corner bet, which is a bet on four adjacent numbers. When a bet is won, the losing chips are cleared off the table and the winning ones are paid by the dealer. It is best to keep the amount of winning chips to a minimum and not dip into them for future bets.