Roullete (pronounced “roh-LAY-tuh”) is a casino game in which players place bets on the outcome of a spin of the roulette wheel. The game is one of the oldest and most popular games in the world, and can be found in casinos around the globe. In the United States, however, roulette is far less popular than slots, video poker, blackjack, and craps. On the other hand, it is a big draw in Monte Carlo and other European casino resorts.
The game is simple enough that even inexperienced casino guests can quickly get the hang of it. Players can choose to bet on single numbers, various groupings of numbers, the colors red and black, or whether a number is odd or even. There are also bets that pay off if the ball lands on a certain part of the wheel, or if the numbers are high (19-36) or low (1-18).
Before the wheel is spun, the dealer will announce, “No more bets!” This prevents players from placing chips just as the wheel is about to come to a stop, which could lead to cheating or other unfair advantages. Once the betting is closed, the dealer will spin the wheel and throw a small ball into one of the numbered slots.
If the ball lands in a red slot, the player will win. If it lands in a black slot, the player will lose. The odds of hitting a specific number are 1 in 37. The house edge for a single-zero wheel is calculated as (37-(35+1))/37, or 2.7%.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. Around its rim are metal partitions, called frets, which divide the disk into thirty-six compartments numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. A compartment painted green carries the number 0, while on American wheels two green compartments carry the signs 0 and 00.
The roulette table resembles the craps table, with a similar layout and a number of different bet types. Some of these bets require a large bankroll, while others are suitable for casual casino players with smaller wallets. Regardless of your bankroll, there are strategies that will help you optimize the amount of time you can play at a roulette table, so you can have a much better chance of winning.