Roulette, the name for a card game played in a Roulette wheel, originated in Italy and is played today in over 120 countries. Roulette is played on a revolving wheel that consists of thirteen cards. It is considered to be the most popular casino game in the world. Roulette has been the subject of many songs, including “The House Always Wins”, by The Rolling Stones and Queen’s “izers”.
Roulette can be loosely defined as a game of chance. The term “roulette” comes from the French word meaning wheel, which was probably derived from the Italian word biribi. In the late eighteen hundreds the term began to be used in English, and eventually became known as Roulette in America. The reason for the shift in pronunciation for this word is not quite clear, but it may have to do with the pronunciation of the word “rage” in the context of other European languages.
A Roulette layout consists of eleven rows of fourteen cards each. The layout may vary slightly from one player to another depending upon their preferred playing method. Roulette players place red and black chips in the center of the table in the same locations that were used for betting in the previous game.
Players make their roulette bets either by pushing a lever that represents the number that they are betting, or by placing a red or black number that is not determined by the game into the corresponding slot on the roulette board. When the player wins a number of bets, the house takes the difference between the odds of the player winning the bets and the odds that the house took when they sold the similar numbers in the previous game. Roulette players who place more bets at the beginning of the game lose more than those who take a lower amount of bets. The house always wins the jackpot, no matter what the odds of the game.
The second column of numbers represents the bets made by the Roulette player. A single bet does not mark a win. Placing more bets means that the odds of winning change. Players can change their bets by selecting new numbers in the second column as well as by selecting new black or red numbers from the dealer’s choice of numbers.
Placing a stake of one dollar into each of the three numbers on the left side of the table represents the player’s initial stake. Placing a single bet on the first line bet of the table marks a win. Placing bets in the center of the table with numbers that are not in the first two lines means that the odds of winning change dramatically. When the odds of a single bet change dramatically it means that the player has been dealt a better hand than when the odds of both a single and a double bet changed dramatically.