Roullete (roh-LET) is a gambling game in which a ball is dropped onto a revolving wheel with numbered holes and players bet on which number the hole will land in. The game originated in France in the 18th century and is believed to have been derived from older games like hoca and portique. There are many theories about its origins, including that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal or by Dominican monks. It is a popular game at casino and online, where players can choose from a variety of betting options.
There are two basic types of bets in roulette: inside and outside. Inside bets are placed on specific numbers or groups of numbers and have a higher payout than outside bets. Outside bets are placed on the overall layout of the numbers and have a lower payout. Inside bets include straight, split, and corner (square) bets. Outside bets include street, trio, and douzaine bets.
A croupier then throws the ball into the spinning wheel and players can continue to place their bets until the croupier announces “no more bets.” The wheel then spins and the ball will fall into a pocket, either red or black, or one of the green zeroes. A winning bet is one that has a number in the range of 1 to 36.
The house edge in roulette is the result of a series of symmetries in the wheel and the table layout. First, the numbers on the table are grouped into 12 groups of three consecutive numbers each. These are called dozens. There are also symmetries between the low red and high black numbers. The final symmetry is that the numbers in the first dozen are all odd, while those in the second and third are all even. This gives the house an edge of 2.70%.
While there are many different roulette systems that claim to beat the house edge, the truth is that a random number generator, or RNG, ensures that each spin of the wheel has an equal chance of landing on any number. This means that, if you want to win at roulette, it is essential that you know the rules of the game and use a proper strategy.
To begin, you should always play the European version of the game if available. This will offer a much lower house edge than the American version, which has an extra green division labelled 00. This adds an additional 1.35% to the house edge, and this makes it very difficult for players to beat the game. It is also recommended to try a live dealer roulette game, as this will allow you to interact with a real croupier. This is the best way to get a feel for the game before you start betting money on it.