Roullete, or roulette in English, has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. The game is based entirely on chance, but the right bet can pay big rewards.
While the rules of roulette are relatively straightforward, the game can have a surprising depth for serious bettors. Players can wager on a single number, various groupings of numbers, whether the color red or black, and even whether a number is high or low.
Before the dealer spins the wheel, players can place their chips on a layout that includes the betting zone and a chart showing which numbers are in each row and column. A dealer (or croupier) then throws a small ball into the spinning wheel. Once the wheel comes to a stop, the ball lands in a pocket that marks a number. If the player has bet on that number, he or she wins.
The roulette wheel consists of 38 pockets, or compartments, numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. The pockets are painted alternately red and black, except for 0 (and 00 in American roulette), which are green.
Outside bets, also known as tiers or pâtisserie in French, are placed on the outer edge of the betting area and cover groups of numbers. These bets offer a lower house edge than inside bets but pay out less when they win.
Inside bets, or roue du zero, are placed on the inner part of the betting area and cover individual numbers. These bets are more risky than outside bets, but they offer higher payouts if they win.
Lastly, there are a number of specialty bets such as the line bet or six-number bet (known as sixain in French). These bets straddle the outside border of the table and cover two rows of three numbers each. The payout for this type of bet is 5-1.
The cylinder used to spin the ball in old roulette games was made of ivory, but nowadays the balls are more likely to be made of resin, Teflon or ceramic. These changes may seem minor, but the differences in size, weight and material can make a difference when it comes to how quickly a roulette ball bounces around the wheel and where it lands. In addition, the material can affect how much friction it creates on the wheel track.