Roullete is a casino game in which players place bets on numbers or various groupings of numbers. The game also allows bets on whether a number is red or black, odd or even, and whether the numbers are high (19-36) or low (1-18). The game may be played alone or with others. Several variations of the game exist. Historically, the bets were made with chips and the wheel was spun by hand; however, in modern casinos, bets are placed electronically and the spin of the wheel is done by a computerized mechanism.
Roulette is one of the oldest and most popular games in the world, especially in Europe. In the United States, it has a much smaller following, being passed in popularity by games such as slot machines and video poker. It still draws crowds in Monte Carlo and other European gambling spots.
The earliest written records of the game date back to the 17th century. It is believed to have been derived from earlier games such as hoca and portique. It is also credited to Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician who was theorizing about probability in the late 18th century, and by Dominican monks who supposedly brought it to France from China.
Roulette is a table game that is easy to learn and play. The rules are simple, and the bets can be made in many different ways. The payouts for winning bets vary. The more numbers a player bets on, the higher the odds of winning but the lower the payouts are. The bets are divided into two categories: inside bets and outside bets. Inside bets are placed in a group on the betting area of the table and include straight, split, corner, and street bets. Outside bets are placed around the perimeter of the table and include the dozens, columns, and red/black bets. There is also a special bet called the neighbor’s which covers three adjacent numbers in the same row or column. This bet is found in some online European Roulette variants but not all. There is also an announced bet, which is a special combination of bets that can only be placed on the racetrack section of the wheel and are not always available in online casinos.