Roulette is a casino game in which the player places chips on a number or groups of numbers on a betting table. The ball is then spun around a numbered wheel and if the chip(s) land on the right number, the player wins. The game was invented in the 17th century by French physicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal as part of his attempts to create a perpetual motion machine.
The Roulette wheel consists of a static bowl-like disk with a fixed outer edge that contains colored compartments numbered one to 36. The rim of the wheel has metal partitions, called frets or compartments, that are alternately painted red and black and are separated by empty slots, known as pockets or canoes. The first thirty-six of these are numbered consecutively in red and black, while the last seven are grouped together in green and labeled as 0 and 00 (on American wheels there is a second green compartment that is labelled 0).
Players place their bets by placing money on the table and telling the dealer what color they wish to receive. They are then given coloured chips with a value equal to the total amount they have bought-in for. Colour chips are used instead of regular casino chips, to prevent cheating as the value of each is not visible from a distance. Each player gets a different color to differentiate him from other bettors and even spouses are recommended to stay away from the same table during most roulette games to avoid any temptations to collaborate.
After everyone has placed their bets, the croupier spins the wheel and throws the ball into the corresponding pocket on the rotating table. The dealer then clears the losing bets and pays the winners. Once all the winners have been paid, play begins for the next round. It is important to know how the roulette rounds work so that you can bet wisely and maximize your chances of winning. This is especially true for those who prefer to place bets on ‘outside’ numbers, which have a lower probability but are more affordable.