Roullete, also known as Roulette and French roulette, is a casino game played with chips. Players place bets on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, and whether the number is odd or even. They do so by laying their chips down on a betting mat with specific markings indicating the bet being made. The croupier (dealer) then spins the wheel and a ball rolls around it until it settles in one of the compartments marked with numbers. The number corresponding to the pocket in which the ball rests determines who wins.
Although there are fanciful stories of the game being invented by the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal and by Dominican monks, it was probably derived from older games such as hoca and portique. By the 18th century it had largely achieved its present form and was popular in European gambling dens. It later found its way into America where it became the rage in gambling houses and the home game of many well-to-do gamblers.
A Roulette wheel consists of a stationary bowl with 36 divided sections arranged in a randomized pattern and alternately colored red and black. In addition to the numbered segments, there is an extra green section labeled 0 on American tables.
Before a spin, players give their money to the dealer who then hands them coloured roulette chips of equal value to the amount they have given. Between spins, the dealer clears off any losing bets and pays the winners. Players are then free to place new bets.
The Dozens Bet, or douzaine in French, is another simple bet where you wager that the winning number will be one of the first 12 on the layout, or in either the second or third dozen. The payout is 2-1. The Odd or Even Bet, or impair et pair in French, is more complicated. In this bet, you wager that the winning number will be odd or even (not including the zero). This bet offers a higher payout if it wins, but has the worst odds of any bet in the game. Hence its nickname, the Devil’s Bet. Nevertheless, it is still a popular bet amongst experienced roulette players.