ROULETTE
The historic beginnings of roulette can be followed back to eighteenth century France. This more primitive variation of the standard casino game was a blend of English and Italian board games that combined to create the gambling game that holds up well into the twenty-first century. The game's name can also be traced back to its earliest origins, as "roulette" is French for "little wheel". A few facets of the game have evolved since its origination, with the primary divergence consisting of the amount of slots in the US and European versions of the game.
Roulette wheels in France and most European countries have only thirty-seven slots, with a single zero (0) serving as the only slot where the house has the advantage. Roulette wheels in America have thirty-eight slots and feature both a double zero (00) and a single zero (0).
Although the contemporary American variation of roulette gives the house a bigger edge than European games, the double zero wheel is in reality an advance over the types of roulette games that were popular in the United States during the late 1800s. In those years, American roulette wheels sported three slots for the house: the zero (0), double zero (0), and an American eagle. Wheels featuring the American eagle slot have been taken out since the high house edge made the game less attractive for players.
Current variations of roulette have met a set standard in all facets of their operation, with the exception of the number of slots on the wheel. Though the amount of slots on a wheel can deviate between different areas, and often between competing casinos, the conventions and functions for roulette games stay the same across the globe.
Every roulette wheel is laid on top of the table in easy view of the dealer and all of the players, with a sizeable green felt grid attached to the table. The grid, also called a "layout", has all the numbers and available bets displayed. The modern simple layout with one grid employed around the globe is believed to have come from American roulette. Since Old West gambling saloons were frequently built fast, roulette dealers made a layout that was easier to read and to play. Conventional European roulette layouts had a smaller layout on either side of the wheel, but today the American layout is far and away the prevailing form.
Roulette players have a broad spectrum of wagering choices from which to choose. The bet with the longest odds is a bet on a single number, also known as a "straight-up" bet. Although this bet remains popular with new players, it carries the worst odds in the game (2.63%). Then again, because of the risk implied in this bet, straight-up bets also have the best payouts (35 to 1).
A much less risky bet is the "outside" bet. The bet is known as an "outside" bet since the player places their chips outside the numbered grid. Outside bets usually have better odds of winning since they carry large groups of numbers, like all "red” numbers or all "black" numbers. A bet on red or black, just as with odd or even numbers, is a comparatively safe bet. Each even-money bet carries about a 47% chance of winning.
The zero and double zero slots on American roulette wheels give the casinos an indisputable advantage. Experts often call roulette a "negative advantage" game; players are bound to lose money at roulette over the long run. Players employ an extensive assortment of schemes and systems that propose to turn roulette's crushing house advantage around and give the player the edge. Still, it's impossible for any betting system to defeat the house advantage in roulette. The house edge is a simple matter of mathematics, regardless of when, where or how much a player wagers at any time. The few schemes that have met with success are those that look for biased roulette wheels that favor certain parts of the wheel over others.
