Roullete is a gambling game in which players make bets on which red or black numbered compartment of a rotating wheel a small ball will come to rest in as the wheel spins. The game emerged in the late 18th century in Europe. Its popularity spread quickly as casinos appeared throughout the world, and it is still a popular game in many casino resorts today. The game is also known as a “house game,” because bets are placed against the house, not against individual players.
The roulette wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. The outer rim of the disk contains 37 or 38 metal or plastic compartments, or pockets (called canoes by croupiers), painted alternately in red and black. The numbered pockets, from one to 36 in a nonconsecutive pattern, and the single zero pocket are colored differently from each other and the other numbers on the wheel to prevent cheating by hiding a device to spin the wheel in a different direction. In the United States, the American version of the game has an extra green zero pocket to make the odds even worse for players.
When a player chooses to bet on a specific number, they place chips corresponding to that number on a special betting grid on the table. Outside bets cover groups of numbers, and the payout for each winning combination is based on how many of the chips are used to complete that group. For example, a Straight-Up bet pays 392 chips if the player wins.
A croupier or dealer is responsible for running the game. They are trained to be able to identify cheating and dishonest players. They will remove any bets that have lost, pay the winners and announce when betting for a new round is closed. This is done so that players have a reasonable chance of placing a winning bet during the time remaining for the current round.
In addition to the standard wagers on the numbers, there are also bets on colors or other logical combinations. Some of these are called “called bets,” as they must be verbally announced before the dealer puts down the chip, and others require a predetermined amount of chips to be placed on them. In either case, these bets must be placed before the dealer spins the wheel.
The game is simple to understand and fun to play, but the results of a single spin can be quite volatile. To reduce the risk, players should start by wagering on outside bets that are cheaper to make and have a higher likelihood of winning. It is also a good idea to avoid betting on individual digits, as these bets have the lowest probability of success.