Roulette is one of the gambling industry’s iconic table-top games. Relying solely on chance, roulette has quickly become an internationally popular casino staple with seemingly simple rules that have yielded high rewards for serious bettors.
Roulette’s history is complex and mysterious, with 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal being widely credited as its creator. But it wasn’t until brought over from Europe during the early 19th century for widespread adoption in America – especially at gambling dens along the Mississippi and westward – that its popularity truly began growing. Although American roulette differs slightly in wheel and betting layout from its European equivalent.
Once players are ready to bet, they should select a roulette table that offers minimum and maximum betting amounts that fit within their budget. A placard usually indicates this information. In addition, there will usually be other rules associated with that table such as whether or not your bet must land in its respective pocket and whether there is zero on its wheel.
The Street Bet/Side Bet/The Trio: Also referred to as cheval in French, this bet involves placing your chip(s) straddling between two rows on the roulette table map – paying out 17-1 should your number come up!
Inside and Outside Bets: On the roulette table, there are several types of bets you can place; only inside bets guarantee success. Outside bets offer greater scope but don’t always pay out; inside bets offer a safer option as they’re focused directly on particular numbers.
No matter the bet you make, the house always has an advantage in roulette due to the presence of its 0 and 00 slots on the wheel. As these spaces don’t correspond with red or black colors nor even or odd numbers, any bet placed there will lose.