History of Roulette
From the French word, Roulette means "small wheel". Blaise Pascal, a mathematician, was the first to form a roulette wheel, in the 17th century. Roulette was inspired by his captivation with perpetual motion. Louis Blanc and Francois Blanc, also Frenchmen, inserted "0" in the roulette wheel in the year 1842. The purpose of the "0" is to favor the odds towards the house.
In the early 1800s roulette was introduced in The United States, another "0" being added; this then became "00". In that same decade, both in Europe and the U.S., the game of roulette gained in popularity, in the earliest casinos that chose to feature it.
Roulette gained the popular title of "King of Casino Games", since it became so famous among aristocratic gamers. The first casino to introduce a roulette wheel was built in Monte Carlo by Francois Blanc.
A particular legend became popular, because of the numbers on the roulette wheel. Some people believed that Francois Blanc sold his soul to become successful. In return for the deal with The Devil the secrets of roulette were given to him by the dark forces to make Blanc rich and famous. This legend was basically derived from a fact: The numbers on the roulette wheel, if summed up, add up to a total of "666" (the numbers are 1 to 36). "666' is believed to be the "Number of the Beast" - in others words, The Devil.
Roulette is a round table with a wheel on it. The wheel has 37 or 38 pockets. The person spinning the roulette wheel is called a croupier. When the croupier spins the roulette wheel, the ball will fall in a pocketed number. If your chosen number catches the ball, you win your bet.
There are total of 36 main pockets on the roulette wheel (one, or two, are zeros). The pockets are numbered separately from 1 to 36. But the numbers are not placed in order on the pockets. The roulette also has three different colors on it: red, black, and green (for the zeros).
For example, if a player places a bet on the number 14, and the ball lands in that same number's pocket, regardless of what color, they wins that bet. 35:1 is the payout (if the player bet $1, they then win $35). As the bet increases, the payout will increase accordingly.
Players can bet not only directly on the numbers, but also in various combinations. He can choose between an odd and even number. Or he may choose according to color, if desired. The one-or-two zeros are neither odd/even, nor red/black. This favors the house by keeping this sort of bet from being a 50-50 chance.
In today's gambling world, roulette maintains its popularity in casinos around the world, and online, as well. Every gamer should try the roulette wheel. It can be quite fun and exciting.
