Origin of Roulette

If we consider which country gave the world the most games, it's likely to be China. We owe China the introduction of playing cards, dominoes, and even roulette!

According to legend, a traveling foreign monk once saw a large disc in a village with 36 notches. Each notch had a figurine of an animal, and the number 666 was carved in the center of the disc - the sum of all numbers from 1 to 36. The monk improved the game by making the disc spin.

Whether this is true or not is hard to say - too much time has passed. Let's move to more recent times to learn how the game appeared in European countries. By the way, the name of the game has French roots - "roulette" translates from French as "little wheel."

A game resembling roulette, called "hoca," existed in France in the 19th century. It had a wheel with 40 compartments, and three of them were designated as zero sectors. The game survived different times; when authorities faced financial difficulties, they allowed and encouraged gambling venue owners, hoping to quickly replenish the treasury. However, there were decrees issued several times stating that anyone daring to play roulette should be executed.

In most studies, the famous French mathematician Blaise Pascal is mentioned, who dedicated his life to studying the perpetual motion machine model. Perhaps, the result of one of his experiments led to the creation of roulette with its spinning mechanism. It's unlikely that the 17th-century mathematician appreciated his discovery; most likely, he didn't attach much importance to it. However, people with a commercial character did not lose their way, even in those times.

For example, two French brothers, François and Louis Blanc, opened the first gambling club in Monaco. Since then, this resort city has been recognized as a kind of Mecca for thrill-seekers. It is believed that François Blanc did one ingenious thing that brought him insane profits: he removed one of the zero sectors (there were two at that time). This increased the players' chances of winning, even if only slightly. Profits flowed into the brothers' establishment, and the number of visitors doubled. Rumors circulated that this secret was suggested to Blanc by the devil himself in exchange for his immortal soul...

How the Wheel Works

Currently, roulette consists of more than 300 individual small parts that fit together with astonishing precision. Any inaccuracy would distort the result and make it possible to calculate the probability of certain numbers coming up. This should not happen, as roulette is a game where chance plays a crucial role. Over many years of existence, the wheel has not changed at all.

Types of Roulette

There are several types of the game:

• American;
• European (French);
• Boule;
• Without zero;
• Mini.

Boule roulette is interesting because it uses a special bowl with 36 recesses instead of a rotating wheel. The croupier throws a small ball into the bowl, which lands in one of the compartments with a specific numerical value. Instead of the zero sector, Boule uses the number 5.

Some Game Strategies

Let's look at some types of roulette game strategies. Knowing them will make playing easy.

• Martingale - based on increasing bets until you win. That is, funds are placed in a certain amount, and in case of loss, the bet is increased with the calculation that, when winning, all the spent funds will be recouped. If everything goes correctly, the player will receive a reward equal to the initial bet. In case of a win, it all starts again. It's advisable to start with $1 - at least that's what experienced players recommend. It's used for "red or black."
• Columns or dozens. The idea is the same, but bets are placed not on red-black but on a column-dozen.
• Cuban - red and black sectors are distributed unevenly, with more red on the third line and black in the center. It makes sense to bet either on the second column red or on the first column and black.
• Martingale System - a bit mythical but has the right to exist. Choose one potentially lucky number and bet on it 36 times. With a $1 bet, in the worst case, you will lose $36, but if the lucky number comes up in the last spin, you'll stay even. In all other cases, you make a profit!

Playing Roulette on Our Website

On our website, you can play roulette online anytime for free and without registration. If you use the full-screen mode and turn on the sound, you'll feel the atmosphere of a real casino. Good luck!