Roulette is one of the world’s most beloved gambling games, whether online or at land-based casinos. A straightforward affair, players place bets on special tables and predict where the ball will land when the wheel finally comes to rest; although its outcome depends solely on chance, its enjoyment does not diminish with age!
Roulette wheels consist of a solid, slightly convex disk covered with metal partitions or frets arranged around its edge to form compartments (commonly known as pockets) numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. Thirty-six of these compartments are painted alternately red and black while one green compartment bears the number 0. On European-style wheels an additional 37th green compartment carrying this number has been added on opposite sides; this difference between American- and European-style roulette is one reason for its greater unprofitability than its European equivalent counterpart.
Before the game begins, a player places chips on a betting mat to indicate which bet they intend to place. Once this step has been completed, the dealer tells them how much each chip is worth and distributes them via cash in. At this stage it may still be possible for last-minute changes to be made by placing additional bets, though most opt to keep to their initial choices once betting has taken place.
Once bets have been placed, a croupier (also referred to as the dealer) spins the roulette wheel before throwing a small ball into it. If your bet landed on one of those compartments containing numbers, if yours did too you will receive an equal payout equaling your bet amount.
Though roulette may not be an exceptionally profitable game for most people, professional gamblers have found ways to profit using systems based on probability – though this practice can potentially result in devastating losses.