Roulette is a casino game played with a small ball in a spinning wheel. Players bet on the number or section where they think the ball will land and are paid out based on their betting odds. Players may also place bets on groups of numbers instead of individual digits which are known as ‘outside bets’ and have lower odds of hitting. Once the dealer clears the table of losing bets and pays winners for the current round, betting for the next spin begins.
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with a metal bowl or ‘pockets’ around its perimeter. Thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black, are numbered consecutively from 1 to 36 while the seventh, called a green zero on European wheels or double zero on American ones, is coloured green and has a sign of 0. A single 0 lowers the house edge on even-money bets by half but there are also two extra green divisions on an American wheel which makes it more difficult to win.
Bets are placed prior to the spinning of the wheel by placing chips on a betting mat, the precise placement indicating the bet being made. When the wheel is spun, the dealer then places a small cylinder (‘the ball’) into the green pocket and throws it in one direction over the rim of the wheel until it comes to a stop. When the ball has landed, the dealer will pause for a short while to allow bets to be withdrawn before marking winning bets.
While some people have tried to beat the game of roulette by using complicated betting systems, it is considered a fair and unpredictable game of chance and therefore no betting system can turn it into a profitable enterprise. That said, roulette is one of the most popular casino games and has a reputation for being fast-paced. There are several betting strategies that can help players improve their chances of winning but only a handful are proven to be successful. In order to maximise the chances of winning, players should bet wisely and not over-bet.