The game of roulette is a
signature French game form the
18th Century – the term is
French and translates as
“small wheel.” The first
official book on the game was
published in 1801 and the
author references the game of
roulette being played in Paris
in 1976 at the Palais Royal.
The origins of the game though
can be traced back several
decades earlier at least –
Canadian regulations published
in 1758 ban the game (Canada
was known as New France at the
time). The basic game of
roulette has actually changed
very little over the past two
centuries and although
technology has facilitated the
modernization of the wheel,
the betting pattern and rules
of the game remain relatively
unchanged.
Although
the game of roulette was
clearly born out of France in
the 1700’s, the inspiration
for the game comes from
several English wheel based
games that were popular at the
time that roulette was
established. The French game
takes some of the best parts
of a handful of English and
Italian games; some earliest
games that shaped the
development of modern roulette
include: Ace of Hearts, Roly-Poly,
E.O, Hoca, and Biribi. Several
of the English games inspiring
roulette also used a wheel.
The game is pretty
standard all around the world.
Unlike the game of poker
gambling, roulette has mostly
the same components no matter
which version of the game a
player chooses. The two main
styles of roulette gambling
include both American and
European roulette. The
American version of the game
has 38 numbered and colored
pockets whereas the European
version of the game has 37
pockets. Except the number of
pockets, the wheel looks the
same in both versions of the
game. The roulette wheel has
all of the numbers 1 through
37 (or 38 depending) and each
number is either red or black.
When the wheel is spun a small
ball is then spun at the top
of the wheel in the opposite
direction from the spin – the
winning numbers are determined
when the ball falls into one
of the numbered and colored
pockets.
The game has
its origins in European
royalty and was most popular
with the elite gamblers when
it was first introduced.
Europe has a rocky history
with the gambling industry and
there was a period of time
where any form of gambling –
roulette included, was only
available at the Monte Carlo
casino resort. Gambling was
banned from Germany and other
countries and essentially only
the elite and wealthy were
able to travel to the Monte
Carlo to gamble. Despite this
brief period of time when
roulette gambling was stifled
in Europe, the game has
flourished in both Europe and
United States. Roulette lasted
as much more than a fad in the
gambling industry – even today
the game remains one of the
most popular casino games.
Part of the popularity of
roulette stems from the fact
that the game does not have a
huge house advantage –
certainly something gamblers
all over the world love. The
roulette wheel features the 38
numbered pockets and just two
house pockets. A roulette
wheel with the two house
pockets is the most
traditional version of the
game. The house pockets are
zero and double zero – as one
historical description of the
game notes,
"There are
exactly two slots reserved for
the bank, whence it derives
its sole mathematical
advantage." The zero and
double zero spaces are the
banks numbers and if the
roulette ball falls into
either of these spaces the
only payouts go to gamblers
who have bet of either of
those two numbers – the rest
of the roulette board is wiped
clean by the croupier and the
money all goes to the house.
Another popular form of
the game is single zero
roulette – this version of the
game was launched as a way to
compete between casinos and
entice more gamblers to play
the game. The single zero
roulette is still available in
many casinos all over the
world but is particularly
popular in Europe. The
traditional roulette wheel
always remained the standard
in the United States. Roulette
in the United States grew out
of the Mississippi River
region, like most forms of
gambling today.
The
game underwent a few changes
as it evolved into the US
culture – casinos simplified
the layout of the game and
made the placement of the
wheel on the betting table a
standard of practice…this
prevented cheating and made
the entire process more
transparent for the roulette
gamblers. This style of the
simplified roulette wheel is
actually the international
industry standard and roulette
gamblers at a casino in Macau
play the Americanized version
of the game. The only lasting
difference between American
roulette and French roulette
is the use of the either a
single zero (the French) or
the continued use of both the
zero and double zero (United
States).
