Roullete is a casino game where players place bets on individual numbers, groups of numbers, the color red or black, whether the number is odd or even, and other categories. The dealer spins a roulette wheel in one direction while rolling a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track that runs around the perimeter of the wheel. The ball comes to rest in one of 37 or 38 compartments containing either a number, the color red or black, or other characteristics. Each roulette table carries a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets allowed.
The wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. Around its rim are metal partitions called separators or frets, and the compartments between them are known as pockets. Thirty-six of these are painted alternately red and black, numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. On European-style wheels, a separate compartment painted green carries the sign 0, and on American-style wheels two separate green compartments carry the signs 0 and 00. The wheel is spun by a small handle attached to a shaft, and its rotation is controlled by a perfectly balanced mechanism.
Before each spin, the dealer clears away all losing bets from the table and pays winners. He also announces ‘no more bets,’ which prevents players from placing chips before the wheel stops and may help to eliminate some forms of cheating. Nevertheless, the casinos do not want to call this rule because it would cut into their profits.
When play begins, the player gives the dealer a chip value equal to or at least within the table’s minimum bet. The dealer then exchanges it for coloured chips that are marked to indicate their value, and hands them to the player. Each player is assigned a unique color, which makes it easy to differentiate between the different bettors and helps to avoid confusion. Even spouses are usually kept apart during a roulette game.
The game can be played at live and virtual casinos, where a human dealer handles the betting in real time. Roulette games are typically played by a single player, but some casinos feature multi-player tables. Some players like to watch the other players, hoping that they can learn something about their opponents’ strategies or simply to have fun watching them try. However, this is a foolish strategy that does not improve the odds of winning more than luck or chance alone.