Roulette is an engaging casino-goer game of chance that promises glamour, mystery and excitement. While its appearance might appear straightforward enough to casual players, serious roulette players often employ sophisticated strategies in order to increase their odds. Here we explore its fundamentals; including how it’s played and some strategies which may boost them further.
Roulette is played on a circular table featuring a spinning wheel in its center. Each player bets on which number or color they believe the ball will land, before a croupier (what casino dealers refer to themselves) throws a small white ball onto it from above. There are 36 slots on it (six red slots and 18 black), plus either zeroes (zeroes in older versions of roulette) for wagers on each side – should your bet land somewhere within those 36 slots, you win big!
Before beginning to play, it is crucial that you establish a betting unit based on your bankroll and establish an amount to win or maximum loss that fits within your budget. Doing this will enable you to stay within it while keeping within your spending limit and knowing when it is time to leave the table.
Roulette betting options span an expansive spectrum, divided into two distinct groups: inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets involve wagers that cover individual numbers such as straight, split, corner or street while outside bets cover groups of numbers such as odd/even and high/low bets.
At the start of a round of roulette, a dealer will clear away winning and losing bets before spinning the wheel. Once it stops bouncing around the rim, a croupier will announce its outcome and loser bets are cleared away while winners receive payment.
There are various theories as to the origins of roulette, from its possible link with Blaise Pascal – an early 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher looking for perpetual motion devices – to its popular adoption among casinos across Europe and North America.