Roullete is a casino game in which players place bets on one of a series of numbered segments of the roulette wheel. The croupiers then spin the wheel, and if the ball stops in your selected segment, you win. The game has many variations, including American and European. Some of these variations have subtle differences in house edge, and it’s important to understand them in order to maximize your chances of winning.

Despite fanciful legends claiming that the game was invented in 17th century by French mathematician Blaise Pascal or by Dominican monks, roulette evolved from older games like hoca and portique. By the late 1700s, it was being played in France’s illegal gambling dens. In 1843, French siblings Louis and Francois Blanc introduced a single zero pocket on the roulette wheel, which dramatically reduced the house edge and massively increased its popularity.

A standard roulette table consists of a wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with a metal rail around its perimeter and a series of thirty-six compartments called “canoes” by croupiers, painted alternately red and black. A second, green compartment carries the number 0. A croupier will spin the wheel and then place a ball in one of the canoes. The odds of the ball landing in a player’s chosen section are determined by the number and color of the compartments it rests in, as well as the fact that all bets must be made before the wheel is spun.

The payouts for inside bets are higher than those of outside bets. This is because the inside bets are more likely to win. A successful bet on a column pays out 1 to 1. A successful bet on a line or basket pays out 11 to 1. A successful straight up bet pays out 35 to 1.

In addition to betting on individual numbers, the game also allows you to make groupings of numbers. For example, you can bet on the first, second, or third dozen, which each pay out 2 to 1. There are also bets on the colors of the numbers (red or black), and whether they are odd or even.

Although some people claim to have a system for beating the odds of roulette, it is very difficult to do so consistently and without spending large amounts of money. However, if you are patient and follow some basic rules, you can improve your odds of success.