Roulette is a popular casino game which was named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers or the colors red or black or whether the number is odd or even. Nowadays, a roulette app can be found to keep the fun going long after you leave the roulette table at the casino.
To determine the winning number and color, a croupier spins the roulette wheel in one direction and then spins a ball in the opposite direction. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls into one of 37 (in French/European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel which then determines the winner. It is a rather past faced and quick results driven game, which explains it’s popularity in casinos and among players.
Initially, Blaise Pascal introduced a primitive form of what is now known as roulette back in the 17th century. The first form of what is known as roulette was devised in 18th century in the country of France. The roulette wheel is believed to be a combination of the English wheel games known as Roly-Poly, Reiner, Ace of Hearts, and E.O. as well as the Italian board games of Hoca and Biribi and “Roulette” from an existing French board game of the same exact name.
The game has been played in its present form since as early as 1796 in Paris.
The roulette wheels used in the casinos of Paris, Frances back in the late 1790s had red for the single zero and black for the double zero. To avoid any confusion that may have arisen the color green was used for the zeros in roulette wheels starting in the early 1800s.
In 1843 the single 0 style roulette wheel in order to compete against other casinos offering the traditional wheel with single and double zero house pockets.
In some forms of early American roulette wheels there were numbers 1 through 28, plus a single zero, a double zero and an American Eagle. The American Eagle slot was a house slot that brought the casino an extra edge. The tradition would soon vanish and since that point in time the wheel features only numbered slots. Authentic Eagled, which are considered to be extremely rare nowadays wheels can fetch tens of thousands of dollars at auction, if they are in excellent condition.
Legend says that François Blanc bargained with the devil to obtain the many hidden secrets of roulette. The legend is based on the fact that the sum of all the numbers on the roulette wheel (from 1 to 36) is 666, which is the “Number of the Beast”, according to legend. It adds a level of mystery and intrigue into this widely popular game