Roullete is a casino game where a small ball is dropped into one of several compartments on a revolving wheel and bets are made on which numbers the ball will fall into. Bets can be placed on a single number, various groupings of numbers (such as odd or even, high or low), the color red or black, or whether the numbers are arranged in a column or row. Depending on the game version, there may be additional special bets that pay out at even lower odds. The game emerged in the 18th century from the older games hoca and portique and it became popular in gambling dens across Europe.
The roulette wheel consists of a cylinder with 36 compartments, alternately red and black, and a green division labeled zero. The game is played on a table with a layout that has the same numbers as the wheel and corresponding chips. Before each spin, players place their bets by placing chips on the betting mat, with the precise placement of the chip indicating the type of bet placed. When the ball drops into one of the compartments, all losing bets are removed and winning bets are paid out, with the dealer placing a marker on the winning chip to clear the table.
In addition to the standard European roulette variant, some casinos offer a variety of other roulette games. These include multiball roulette, where the game is played with up to three balls, and mini-roulette versions that feature a smaller wheel and bets on just 12 numbers. Most of these games are based on the same rules as European roulette but have different payouts and maximum bet amounts.
Some people try to ‘game the system’ by watching the published results of previous spins and then making bets based on their observations. However, the laws of probability state that the odds of hitting a particular number on the wheel remain unchanged regardless of past outcomes. This is why it’s important to play within your bankroll and not dip into your winnings for future bets.
There are a variety of roulette betting systems, but the Martingale strategy is particularly effective for this game because it limits your losses and maximizes your wins. This strategy requires that you double your bet after each loss and reset it after a win. Depending on the size of your betting unit, this can quickly add up to a substantial sum of money. The simplest way to establish the size of your betting unit is to calculate how many units it takes to hit the maximum payout on an outside bet. A number such as zero costs 17 chips to complete and pays 235 chips, while a straight bet on number 1 or 3 requires 30 chips and pays 392 chips. The minimum bet is then set based on the available bankroll.