Roulette is a game of chance that has brought glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. The rules are simple and easy to understand, but the game offers a surprising depth of strategy for serious bettors. Whether you are looking to learn the basics or to boost your bankroll, the article below will give you all the information you need to make the best decisions for your money.
The earliest written description of the game dates back to the early 16th century, when Blaise Pascal developed the first formal roulette wheel. His design featured a solid wooden disk, slightly convex in shape, with 37 metal compartments, called frets or canoes by roulette croupiers, numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. A 37th compartment, painted green on European wheels and red on American ones, carries the number 0. A small ball is spun around the edge of the wheel, where it will eventually come to rest in one of the compartments. If your bet corresponds with the slot where the ball settles, you win.
In addition to the standard bets of straight-up, split, street and corner, there are several other types of bets, known as “inside bets,” which correspond with a grouping of numbers on the wheel (either the low or high black, for example). These bets pay out more often, but offer lower odds of winning.
Outside bets, on the other hand, include odd/even, high/low, dozens and column bets. These bets pay out less frequently but have better odds of winning than inside bets.
Another thing to keep in mind is that roulette chips have no value away from the table. Each player gets a different color of chip, which makes it easier to separate bettors at the table. Even spouses are recommended to play in separate sections during most roulette games. When you’re ready to leave the table, simply place all your roulette chips on the table and tell the dealer that you’d like to cash out. They will return your roulette chips in normal casino chips for you.
While a lot of people have made claims about beating the house at roulette, there is no evidence to support them. A quick online search will reveal thousands of betting systems that promise to convert a subfair game into a profitable enterprise. While some of these strategies work for a time, most of them will lose you more money than you have won.
However, mathematical understanding can help you make more consistent profits at the roulette table. For instance, a group of physics postgraduates called the Eudaemons used theoretical insights and a rudimentary computer concealed in a shoe to beat the house at roulette in Nevada in the 1970s. However, they didn’t publish their research and nobody knows exactly how they did it. A similar approach is being explored by a team of Oxford physics postgraduates. If successful, their strategy could revolutionize the way we play the game.
