Before you start betting you need to set your budget and decide how much you are willing to risk on each spin. Also learn about the odds and bet types.
The roulette wheel has thirty-six red and black compartments numbered consecutively from 1 to 36, with two green ones (zero and double zero on American wheels) and two rectangular spaces labelled “0” and “1-18” (low or manque). This is known as the table map.
Origin
The history of roulette is a little bit of a mystery. Some say that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal in his search for a perpetual motion machine, while others point to the Italian board game Biribi or the English even-odd games as precursors. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the game may have originated in China and was later introduced to France by Dominican monks.
What is clear is that roulette became a popular casino game in 18th century France, where it was first mentioned under its current name. It would evolve over the years to become what it is today, and the modern wheel and rules were adapted from older games like portique and hoca. It was later brought to other countries, including America, where it would be banned for a short period before returning with modifications.
Variations
While all roulette games are similar, there are some variants that offer different payouts and special betting rules. These variations also influence the house edge. If you are a beginner, you should avoid those roulette games with special betting rules and bets. Instead, you should play a European roulette game with a friendly house edge. You can also try a game with different pay tables such as Lighting Roulette from Evolution Gaming or Triple Bonus Spin Roulette from IGT, which offers a 1:12,000 payout for a straight bonus win.