Roulette is a casino game that has several betting options and is primarily played with coloured chips. A player can bet on individual numbers, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, whether the number is odd or even, or if it’s high (19-36) or low (1-18).
Roulette was first introduced in France in the 17th century and soon became popular in gambling dens across Europe. In 1843 a single-zero wheel was introduced by French siblings Louis and Francois Blanc, this reduced the house edge and massively increased the game’s popularity. During the 19th century the game made its way to the US where it became hugely popular in New Orleans and then westwards.
A croupier is the person in charge of running the game and is also known as the dealer. A croupier is responsible for the correct placement of bets and distributing the chips to players after each decision. Once a player has decided on their bet they place their chips on the table, a croupier then parcels them out with the value specified on each chip.
The most common version of the game is European roulette. This differs from the American roulette in that it only features a single zero pocket which drastically reduces the house edge to a coveted 2.7%. This is the version of the game that most casinos and online platforms will offer and should be your preferred choice if you are a beginner to the game as it offers the highest winning probabilities.