What is Roulette?
Roulette is a casino game in which a ball drops into a revolving wheel with numbered pockets and the player bets on the outcome. The bets can be placed on single numbers, groups of numbers, colors red or black and whether they are odd or even. The game has a long history and spread quickly in Europe and America. Its popularity increased dramatically when a single zero pocket was introduced by Louis and Francois Blanc in 1843, which greatly reduced the house edge and enhanced its appeal.
The physics of a roulette game is based on the laws of angular momentum. The game is played on a table, which has a circular layout of numbers with two green sections for the 0 and 00 pockets. A ‘column’ is made by placing your chips on one of the three ’12’ columns and wins are paid out when the ball stops in that column. ‘Dozen’ is a similar bet where your chips are placed on any of the three ’12’ sections.
European Roulette is the most popular version of the game both online and in physical casinos. Its house edge is much lower than the American version as it only has a single ‘zero’ pocket, which significantly increases your chances of winning. It also has a rule called ‘en prison’ or ‘la partage’, which allows you to get half of your even money bet back if the ball hits the ‘zero’.