The very early beginnings of Roulette are said to trace back to ancient times. According to popular belief, it derives from a Roman game where soldiers used to shoot arrows onto a wheel; the Greeks and Chinese are also said to have had similar games. Like most games found in most casinos today, Roulette was also modernized by the French. The first modern Roulette is attributed to a Parisian scholar named Blaise Pascal. Pascal invented Roulette while he was trying to figure out perpetual motion in the mid 17^th?century; he developed a little wheel that stands for "Roulette" in French and gave it some rules. It was a popular pastime that was thought to be "chic"; surprisingly, it was very big in monasteries.

The next important phase for Roulette was in the mid 19^th?century when the brothers Lois and Francois Blanc opened casinos in Hamburg, Germany. These casinos had Roulettes, with their tables having only one zero. Eventually, Roulette met fierce resistance in Germany, for some deemed it an "unchristian" game. The two brothers then expanded their business to places like Monaco and Monte Carlo, and the game expanded by itself gradually.

However, like many other games, Roulette skyrocketed in its popularity when it crossed the ocean to America in the early 19^th?century. It is said to have been popular among the elite, like many other casino games in their early versions. One thing did change, though, with the emigration of the game to America. The American table added an extra double zero, something which enlarges the House advantage. Today, Roulette can be found practically in every casino, especially in online casinos offering 3D instances of the game; Roulette is also very common to be found among the games offered live in online casinos.

Roulette's glossary is a fine mix of terms from France and America, commemorating the special history behind the game.

American Wheel:?While European wheels have 37 numbers, the American wheel has one additional number putting it at 38 (1 to 36 with two zeroes).

Ball:?The little guy who determines everything – this is a small white ball that is spun around on the roulette's wheel until it settles on a number.

Column Bet:?A bet with a payout of 2:1 which is placed on a column of 12 (1-12, 13-24, 25-36). A bet on the first dozen is called "premiere 12" while one for the last dozen is "derniere".

Croupier:?The French version for dealer, it is not uncommon to stumble upon it in online casinos.

European Wheel:?Unlike the American Wheel, the European Wheel has 37 numbers: 1-36 and a zero.

Even Bet:?A bet placed on all of the table's even numbers.

Even Money Bet:?A bet with a payout of 1:1. This can include wagers like high/low, red/black, odd/even.

Five Number Bet:?A bet available only on the American Wheel, placed on 0, 00, 1, 2 or 3.

High/Low Bet:?A high bet's considered between 19 and 36, while a low bet is considered between 1 and 18.

Inside Bet:?A bet on the numbers placed in the inside section of the table.

Line Bet:?A bet on a line of six numbers.

Odd Bet:?A bet placed on all odd numbers on the table not including zero.

Outside Bet:?A bet placed on anything but numbers, e.g. high or low, odd or even, black or red.

Split Bet:?A bet which covers two numbers.

Straight-Up Bet: A bet placed only on one number.

Street Bet:?A bet which covers a row of three numbers.

In Roulette, the player's goal is to predict into which slot or area the spinning ball will fall. Each round begins with all players placing their bets; the betting options are plenty – they can be made on single numbers or groups of numbers like columns, and lines etc, then there can be bets which are not specifically numbers – odd or even, black or red, high or low.

Once all bets are placed, the most exciting part of Roulette begins. Accompanied by the iconic saying, "No more bets, please," the croupier (dealer) spins the roulette wheel and tension builds as it slows up, with everyone looking to see on which slot the ball will land. Once the ball has landed, the croupier makes the payouts to the winning players.

House Advantage

In American Roulette, the presence of two zeroes gives the House advantage 5.26%, while in European Roulette, with only one zero, the advantage is 2.7%.

Roulette Payout Odds:

Straight-up bets (bet on one number) – 36:1 (if there is no house advantage – 37:1/38:1).

Split bet (two numbers) – 17:1.

Street bet (three numbers) – 11:1.

Corner bet (four numbers) – 8:1.

Bet on six numbers – 5:1.

Outside or column bet – 2:1.

Bet on even money – 1:1.

At its core, Roulette is a total game of chance with random results. The Roulette's wheel spins have nothing to do with the other. Yet, there are some strategies that players can employ to boost their chances of winning.

Martingale: Developed in 18^th?century France, with the Martingale strategy players place bets on Even Money Bets exclusively; after each loss, they double their wager. This is due to the Even Money bets having chances of 50/50 – a firm doubling of the wager will make certain the player will recover his losses the moment he wins. The Martingale strategy demands devotion; if you've chosen to bet on black, you'll remain black for the rest of the game.

D'Alembert: Named after the 17^th?century French mathematician, the D'Alembert is a strategy for lower risks where players gradually increase their bets by one each loss they endure, and after a win – they decrease the wager. What this aims to achieve is that the number of wins will be either greater or equal to the number of losses.

James Bond:??While you don't have to be a secret agent in service of the queen, or to wear a flashy Rolex Submariner, you do need at least $200 for this strategy named after the world's most famous spy. Working only in European Roulette, the James Bond strategy is based around wagering on column bets with a system: 70% of your funds are put on high numbers, 25% are put on low numbers and 10% on 0.