Roulette is a casino game based on pure chance. It’s thought to have been invented by 17th-century French physicist Blaise Pascal. It has a number of different betting options.

Players place bets on a single number, various groupings of numbers or whether they are high (1-18) or low (19-36). Outside bets pay 5-1.

Origin

The origin of roulette is somewhat a mystery. There are several different theories that have been suggested, but the most commonly held belief is that it was invented by 17th century French scientist Blaise Pascal as part of his attempt to create a perpetual motion machine. This is supported by the fact that the game combines elements of two other popular games at this time – Roly Poly and Even/Odd. Other theories claim that it was inspired by Chinese games or was brought to Europe by Dominican monks. The first written reference to the game appeared in a document in 1758 describing gambling regulations for New France (now Quebec, Canada) and included roulette on the list of banned games. It is also possible that the game was influenced by earlier games like hoca and portique.

Variations

Roulette is available in a variety of forms, each offering slightly different bets and payouts. Generally, these differences will not have a significant impact on your game experience. European Roulette, for example, is played using a standard 37 partition wheel with single zero while French Roulette offers a unique table layout that includes additional bets such as Orphelins and Tiers du Zéro. These differences may seem minor, but they can add to your overall enjoyment of the game.

Bets

There are a variety of betting opportunities on the roulette table. Players are expected to place their chips in designated areas on the betting grid that separates inside bets from outside ones. Outside bets offer lower payouts but higher chances of winning. These include the Split Bet, which pays 17-1 if you correctly predict two numbers on the board. There is also the Line Bet, known as sixain in French. In this bet, your chip(s) will straddle the line between two rows, giving you two sets of three consecutive numbers.