Roulette: Origins and History of the Game
Let's talk about roulette origin and history. Roulette, a game of chance based on the rotation of the wheel and a small ball (pill), is without a doubt one of the most famous and exciting casino games today. Gamblers love the trill while they wait to see where the ball will end, and new players enjoy the simple and comprehensive rules. Because of its popularity, many variations of the game have emerged. The main types of roulette are European, American and French. The main difference between European and American in the number of fields with 0 (European – one field, American – two fields). There is also a difference in the playing field and wheel dimensions. The French is similar to the European one. Their wheel is identical, but the playing field is different. Also if a player drops a zero in the French version, he loses only half of the bet.
More about roulette origin and history. How did it appear?
The word “Roulette” comes from France and literally means “wheel”. Like with most other games, there are several versions of the invention of this game.
There are a lot of interesting facts about roulette origin and history. One of the stories about the invention is that the game was invented in ancient China. Instead of the modern wheel, the Chinese used a stone disk and instead of numbers, there were sacred animals on it. The number 666 was craved in the center of the stone. An interesting fact is that the sum of all numbers in the modern roulette gives exactly 666.
A more modern version is the one that Blaze Pascal, the famous French mathematician, was the founder of modern roulette. He conducted research aimed at developing a perpetual motion machine in 1655, and the roulette turned out as a by-product, which started to get used by gambling establishments a bit later.
The history of roulette in its usual form began in 1796 in Paris. It was also mentioned in the novel “La Roulette, ou le Jour” by French writer Jaques Lablee. In it, the author tells about a certain game with a wheel, which was installed in the Palais Royal. The roulette became popular in Russia around the same time, during the reign of Catherine II when the game became very popular among the upper class. In America, it first appeared in New Orleans, although it did not get much popularity initially. Throughout the 18thcentury the game started to gain popularity and took a leading position in the industry.
Modern roulette variations
Nowadays the most popular roulette options are American, European and French Roulette. Based on the name of these roulettes, one can predict that the rules of these games are based on the parts of the world they come from. American roulette dominates the US casino market and European roulette is most common in casinos in Europe.
The European roulette wheel has 37 sectors, from 1 to 36 and 0. Players can place their bets on different options. They can bet on colour, number, even or odd, dozen, column and more. American roulette, unlike European, has 38 sectors on the wheel, from 1 to 36, 0 and 00. The betting system is the same. The advantage of the casinos in American roulette is approximately two times higher than in European roulette and because of this, American roulettes are less popular with players. Popular casinos offer you a choice of both types of roulettes – European and American. The third variety is French Roulette. It has 37 sectors on the wheel, as in the European. This option dominates in some casinos in France. It allows for bets not available in the other options.
As a rule, the diameter of the wheel of most devices can reach up to 90 cm, and the weight can not exceed 40 kg. The manufacturing and installation of the wheel is a very difficult task that requires high precision, otherwise the results may be unfair. The wheel has 37 numerical fields (38 in the American version) going in a special order and having two alternating colours, black and red, and green in the 0 field.
Online Roulette
Currently, online roulette has also become quite popular. You can play the game using live croupiers or software. In the first case, the game takes place in a real casino, and what is happening at the table is transmitted to the player's screen. This process is no different from visiting a real casino. In the second case, the game processes are controlled by the software, and the loss of numbers on the playing field is simulated by a random number generator. The software is regularly tested and upgraded, which reduces the number of errors to a minimum. Keep in mind that to win against an RNG from a mathematical point is harder. The pay rates differ significantly in different casinos. Most tables have set minimum and maximum bet limits, with the smallest bets starting from as low as 0,05$.
If you want to get even more detailed information on the different types, as well as rules and strategies, check our Roulette guide here.
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