Roullete is a gambling game in which players place bets on which red or black numbered compartment of a revolving wheel the ball will come to rest in as it spins. Once all bets are placed, the dealer spins the wheel in one direction while rolling a small ball in the opposite direction around the rim of the wheel. The game is easy to understand, and it offers a surprising depth of strategy for the serious player.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with metal partitions, called frets or canoes by roulette croupiers, arranged nonconsecutively around the rim. Thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black, are numbered from 1 to 36, while an additional green (on European wheels) or double-zero (on American ones) is marked 0. A ball is released into the wheel and spun until it comes to rest in one of the divisions.
Bets are placed on the corresponding section of the table by placing chips on a betting mat. All the chips must be in their correct positions before the dealer announces ‘no more bets’, in order to prevent any sort of cheating or additional advantages. Before the dealer starts spinning the wheel, he will also place a marker on the table to indicate the number of rounds to be played.
There are many myths about the origin of the game, but it is clear that Roulette owes its current form to the French mathematician Blaise Pascal in the 17th century. It was adapted from the older games of hoca and portique.
Before playing roulette, set a budget and choose a table within your limits. Each table will carry a placard showing the minimum and maximum bets allowed, so make sure to read it before placing your chips. Generally speaking, tables with higher stakes offer better odds, but the house edge is always the same.
The most popular strategy is the Martingale system, which urges players to increase their bet amounts after each loss, using a mathematical sequence based on the Fibonacci sequence. This is a high-risk/high-reward strategy that can result in huge wins, but it will also lead to big losses if the player loses too often. In the long run, however, this technique is unlikely to produce any significant positive results. Those who want to improve their chances of winning should try other strategies that emphasize skill, rather than chance.
