What is Roulette?

Roulette is a casino game in which players place bets on the outcome of a spin of a small ball on a revolving wheel. The ball will come to rest in one of the compartments on the wheel – either red or black and also a green division numbered zero.

Origin

There are a lot of different theories about the origins of roulette. Some people believe that it began in China and was brought to France by Dominican monks who were traveling there. Others believe that it was invented by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal in the late 17th century. The modern roulette wheel was first introduced in the 1700s and it became very popular in gambling houses.

There is no evidence that the game originated in either of these places, however. It is more likely that the game was developed by combining a gaming wheel and an Italian game called Biribi. Pascal was a scientist, philosopher and inventor who was searching for a perpetual motion machine. He is also credited with creating the rotatable shield that the modern roulette ball rests in.

Variations

Roulette games vary in how they are played, and this is a factor that should be taken into account by players. The best options for beginners are those that follow the European format with a friendly house edge. These include games like Lightning Roulette from Evolution Gaming, which relies on multipliers to offer huge payouts, and Triple Bonus Spin from IGT, which offers a 1:12,000 payout for a straight bonus win. Other variations may feature different types of bets and special betting rules.

Continue Reading

Domino – A Girl’s Name That Means “Lord, Master”

In a story, each scene domino should have enough impact on the one that comes next to be effective. For this to happen, the scenes must be properly spaced.

Hevesh uses the same principle when she creates her elaborate domino installations. She tests each section of the installation and films it in slow motion before putting it all together.

Origin

Domino is a girl’s name of Latin origin. It means “lord, master.” It was a popular choice for girls in 2015, with 7 baby girls named Domino.

A domino set was found in Tutankhamen’s tomb and consists of 28 tiles. The oldest known written mention of dominoes dates back to the Yuan dynasty, when it was described as pupai.

The word domino probably came from the traditional appearance of the dominoes – black dots on white. It is possible that the name also relates to the hooded cape worn by priests in winter, although this is just a guess. The game surfaced in Europe in the 18th Century and was brought to England by French prisoners toward the end of that same century. The game quickly became a favorite in coffee houses.

Rules

Domino is a game of chance and skill. There are countless variations of domino games, but most of them involve blocking your opponent and scoring points. The basic set contains 28 pieces: seven doubles (one number on both ends from a double blank to a double six) and 21 singles. The game begins by securing the tiles face down and mixing them. Each player draws seven pieces and, if possible, plays them.

When placing a tile, it must be placed so that its matching end matches the end of another domino or a double. The exception is a double played to a spinner, which must be placed perpendicularly across the end of the chain. The total score for the hand is the sum of all opposing players’ remaining spots.

Variations

There are many different domino games, but most of them are based on the same basic rules. Each domino has an identifying mark on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other side. These marks are called pips and are arranged like those on dice.

The traditional set of 28 dominoes has pips from zero to six and can be extended by adding more doubles. This extension allows more combinations of ends and more tiles in a game.

In Block, the players start with seven dominoes drawn from a face-down stock. Each player then lays a domino on the table, matching its ends with those of existing dominoes. If the total of all exposed ends on the table is a multiple of five, the player scores points.

Materials

The most common domino materials are plastics, wood and metal. Ivory dominoes were made in the past, but trading ivory has been illegal since January 1990.

Dominoes may be made of a single solid material, such as bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl) and a dark hardwood like ebony with white or black inlaid or painted pips. They can also be molded or carved.

Today’s domino sets are often mass produced to reduce cost and can be found in cardboard or hard plastic boxes. However, high-end wood dominoes are made by hand and can be considered works of art. These are the types of sets that you might see in a museum or as a unique gift. They usually have hefty price tags to reflect the craftsmanship and time that goes into these sets.

Scoring

A wide variety of games can be played with dominoes. Some are block games, while others involve scoring. The basic method of scoring is to add the value of the exposed ends of a chain to its total. This includes doubles that are played at right angles to the rest of the chain. These are often referred to as spinners and may have two or all sides exposed.

The first player to score a certain amount wins the hand. The players then compare their remaining domino tiles and subtract the value of their opponents’ unplayed dominoes from their own to find out who won. The winning player earns points equal to the total number of dots in their opponents’ hands. A variation of this game is 5s-and-3s, which is widely played in British public houses and clubs.

Continue Reading