Roulette is a game of chance played with a revolving wheel and bets placed on its numbered compartments. There are several types of bets, with different odds.

To place a bet, give the dealer money and ask for “colour.” The dealer will then give you coloured chips worth that amount.

Game of chance

A game of chance is a game in which players place wagers, and the outcome of the game is determined by randomness. This is in contrast to a game of skill, where the player’s ability and knowledge can affect the outcome. Games of chance often involve a revolving roulette wheel or other devices such as dice, spinning tops, playing cards, or numbered balls. A rouleau for perforating sheets of postage stamps is also a game of chance.

Origins

There are a few theories about the origin of roulette. One is that the game was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as a side-effect of his search for a perpetual motion machine. Another is that Dominican monks brought the game to France from China. But the truth is that the wheel-based game was already in existence a century before Pascal invented it. It was part of two older games, the English “Even-Odd” and the Italian game Biribi.

It’s also possible that the game started in Rome or Greece, where soldiers played gambling games with shields that had symbols on them. However, there isn’t enough evidence to prove that. The modern roulette wheel was first introduced in the 18th century. It was a popular game for the French upper class, who gathered in the gilded casinos of Paris to place bets.