Roullete is a casino game in which players place bets on the color or type of number that will appear as the spinning ball comes to rest. The game also offers bets on a variety of combinations of numbers and colors. The house edge is high, but the game can provide a great deal of excitement and mystery to gamblers.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid, convex disk with thirty-six metal compartments (called separators by croupiers) that are alternately painted red and black and numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. A 37th compartment, painted green on European-style wheels and two green ones on American-style ones, carries the number 0. A ball, dropped into the center of the wheel while it is in motion, bounces and spins until it falls into one of the compartments. The player who has placed a bet on that number or combination of numbers wins the wager.
In the United States, the game grew popular in gambling dens up and down the Mississippi River, and then westward into the new territories. The game was later adopted in Europe, where it developed a greater sense of style and elegance.
Roulette, which has a long history of legend and mystery, is a game of chance that offers a wide range of bets. Its rules are relatively simple and the game is easy to learn. However, it provides a surprising level of depth for serious bettors and can pay off handsomely to those who correctly predict where the ball will land as it is spun around the wheel.
The most common types of bets on the roulette table are called outside bets and inside bets. Outside bets cover an entire group of numbers, and they are often more affordable than placing individual bets on specific numbers. Inside bets, on the other hand, are more costly and require a greater degree of skill to win. For example, a straight-up bet on any of the numbers in the wheel costs 40 chips and pays out 392 chips if it is successful.