Roulette is one of the most well-known casino games and is found in casinos all over the world. It is a game that provides glamour, mystery and excitement to players of all levels of experience. The game is fairly easy to learn, but it can also provide a surprising level of depth for serious betters. There are three main variations of the game, American, European and French roulette. Each has subtle differences that every player should know about.
Roulette owes its origin to the older games hoca and portique. It was invented in France in the 17th century and gradually gained popularity in gambling dens and then spread rapidly throughout Europe. The wheel used in the game consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape and with thirty-six compartments (known as frets or compartmentes by roulette croupiers) numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. A cylinder-shaped metal plate attached to the center of the wheel contains the numbers 0, 1, 2 and 3.
The game is played by betting on a single number or various groupings of numbers. The bets can also be placed on the color red or black, whether a number is odd or even, and if the number is high (19-36) or low (1-18). A bet is placed by placing a colored chip on a particular part of the table. Winning bets are cleared from the table and paid out to winning players, while losing bets remain on the table until they are withdrawn.
Unlike most other casino games, roulette does not use regular casino chips. Each player is given a set of special roulette chips with different colors to help them differentiate themselves from other bettors. If a bet wins, the roulette dealer will place a marker on that number or on the winning chips and the winners will be paid. If a player wishes to leave the table, they can do so by putting all their roulette chips in front of them. The dealer will then exchange these for normal casino chips.