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Roulette History
Roulette is said by some to have been started or invented way back in
1655 by the French scientist Blaise Pascal, during his monastic retreat,
and first played in a makeshift casino in Paris. Other historians claim
however that a French monk invented it in order to help break some of
the monotony of daily monastery life. Still others say it originated in
an old Chinese game whose object was to arrange 37 statuettes of animals
in a "magic square" of 666 (but they fail to describe the method
of play).
Roulette Equipment
There are two standard styles of roulette tables found in American casinos.
One is the standard table, which has one betting layout with the roulette
wheel at one end; the other, called the double-end table, has two layouts
with the wheel in the center between them.
Roulette Personnel
A roulette table with a single layout is usually worked by two "croupiers".
A double-end table with two layouts is operated by either three or four
croupiers. The croupier who spins the wheel and deals the game is called
the "wheel roller" by casino employees. To keep it simple, we'll
call him the "dealer" and his assistant the "croupier".
Roulette Game Rules
The players begin by making their bets, placing chips on the spaces of
the layout in the manner permitted by the applicable rules for the area/state/country
etc. The dealer spins the wheel in a counterclockwise direction then flips
the ball on the bowl's back track so that it travels clockwise. Players
may continue placing bets while wheel and ball are still in motion until
the dealer yells (says) "No More Bets!". He does this as the
ball slows down and is about to drop off the back track. Bets placed on
the layout after this announcement are not valid and must be returned
to the player(s).
American Roulette
American Roulette is played using a wheel that consists of thirty-eight
slots, each with its own number. The numbers on the American roulette
wheel are 1 to 36, 0, and 00. The numbers alternate pairs of odd numbers
with pairs of even numbers. The numbers also alternate between black and
red. Both the 0 and 00 slots are green in color. A dealer (also known
as a croupier) spins the wheel in one direction and then rolls a small
ball in the other direction. The ball then drops into one of the slots
as it begins to slow down.
French Roulette
The French roulette wheel has 36 numbers, and only the single zero, unlike
the American roulette wheel which also has the numbers 1 to 36 but with
two zeros (0 and 00). That aside, French roulette is very similar to American
roulette. The numbers on the roulette wheel alternate pairs of odd numbers
with pairs of even numbers. The numbers also alternate between black and
red. Both the 0 and 00 slots are green in color. A dealer, or croupier
spins the wheel in one direction and then rolls a small ball in the other
direction. The ball then drops into one of the slots as it begins to slow
down.
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