Roulette

Playing Roulette

Roulette is a casino gambling game that involves spinning a small ball and numbered wheel in different directions. As the spinning wheel slows, the ball loses momentum and falls into one of 38 numbered slots. Players place bets on which numbered slot will contain the ball when the wheel stops.

In American roulette there are 38 slots. They are numbered 1 to 36, and 0 and 00. The casino offers a maximum payout of 35 to 1.

Suppose you bet $1 on each of the 38 numbers. Since only one slot can be the one into which the ball drops, you would win $35 on that slot plus you get to keep the $1 you bet on the winning number. You bet $38 but only got back $36, for a net loss of $2. That $2 difference is the house advantage or spread, which amounts to 5.26%.

Players can bet on a single number, place their chips between two numbers for a double-number bet, at the beginning of a row for a three-number bet, on the corners of four numbers, etc. Players can also place bets on multiple numbers. However you do it the odds are the same.

There is no way to beat a roulette wheel. Anyone who tries to tell you they have a system to beat roulette is wrong. Don't listen to them. Play the game, enjoy it, but you must accept the fact that the house has a 5,26% advantage.

Roulette is named after the French word meaning "small wheel". The game has been played in its current form since as early as 1796 in Paris. The game spread throughout Europe and became one of the most popular games played at the Monte Carlo casinos. Some call roulette the "King of Casino Games", possibly because it was associated with the glamour of the casinos in Monte Carlo.

Rapid Roulette

Rapid Roulette is a new, electronic version of the Roulette table game. A computerized betting system is used to speed up the game. In Atlantic City; Bally's, Caesars, Harrah's, and the Showboat have each installed one Rapid Roulette table, on a trial basis.