While roulette is a game of chance, there are certain rules and bet types that can give you the best odds of winning. It’s important to know these before placing your chips.
The game is played by placing chips on a betting mat, with precise placement indicating the bet. Players can choose from inside bets (individual numbers or small groups of numbers) and outside bets.
Origin
Fanciful stories abound about the origin of roulette. Some people claim it was invented by the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal in an attempt to create a perpetual motion machine. Others say the game was discovered in China and brought to France by Dominican monks. Most historians agree, however, that roulette was derived in France from older games such as hoca and portique. The game is played on a wheel with 38 (or 37, depending on the rules) divisions and people place bets by placing chips on the betting mat. It is a very popular casino game and is now enjoyed all over the world.
Bets
There are a number of different types of bets available on the game, with some being more risky than others. The split bet is one of the most risky as players place chips to straddle the line between two numbers and are paid 17-1 if they make a correct roulette prediction. Other outside bets include the Street (also known as a transversal in French) and the Three Number Bet, where players place their chip(s) to straddle the line between three consecutive numbers. These bets offer lower winning odds, but higher payouts. All of these bets are listed on the betting grid and separated from inside bets by a line.