History of Roulette.

The term 'Roulette' is officially derived from the French word meaning 'Small Wheel', although the true origins of Roulette are clouded there are some who believe that a French Mathematician Blaise Pascal from the 17th century. Blaise was supposedly inspired by his fascination with perpetual motion devices and had soon fashioned a large wheel for his experiments. It was one of Pascal's close friends that suggested he might use his invention for the purpose of gambling. Some also believe that the game of Roulette was not invented by the French, but instead bought to Europe by the Dominican Monks who discovered the game in China while trading with the Chinese.

A fellow Frenchman Francis Blanc who established the casinos in Monte Carlo was supposed to have sold his soul to the devil in order to gain the secrets of Roulette what backs up this theory is that if all the numbers of the Roulette Wheel are added together they make 666. Francois and Louis Blanc added the 'O' to the Roulette Table in order for the house odds to be increased.

As the game spread though Europe and up to the U.S the 'O' that had been added to the wheel in Europe was changed. The single 'O' was rejected by the Americans and a double 'OO' was added although in some cases it was changed to an American Eagle. Soon after in the 1800's Roulette had become the most popular game in the casinos this was due to its relationship and associated glamour of the Monte Carlo Casinos.

There are two types of Roulette that can be played, European Roulette and American Roulette. In European Roulette the wheel contains a total of 37 numbers including the 'O' added by Francois and Louis Blanc, by having this one 'O' the house is given 2.70% advantage, which means that for every $100 bet that is placed the house receives $2.70 in profit. The profit margin for American Roulette is higher at 5.26% advantage this is because the American Roulette Wheel has thirty eight numbers including both 'O' and 'OO', so with every $100 bet placed the house makes $5.26 in profit.

There are other differences between the two games like the colour of the betting chips. European Casinos will give each player the same colour chips meaning that the player must use their memory to distinguish the bets that they have made, were as American casinos give each player different colour chips so each player bets are easy to distinguish. Another difference is that European casinos give their croupiers a long stick (like a rake) to gather all the bets from the table, were as croupiers in American casinos use there hands to collect the bets. The last and most major difference between the two is that if the ball lands on the 'O' in a European casino the player is given the option to use the en prison rule, where a player can either surrender one half of there wager or to leave it for the next game.

The reason for the swift rise in the popularity of Roulette is due to the ease at which it can be played with maximum thrill. After the chips are purchased from the dealer each player places their chips for the desired amount on the table, which has a table of numbers, colours etc. Once all bets are made the dealer spins the wheel while spinning the ball in the opposite direction, players are allowed to still place bets during the spinning until the dealer calls 'No More Bets'. The wheel begins to slow and the ball will drop into a slot, the dealer then places a marker on the slot were the ball has landed. The player who bet on the winning number or colour would be rewarded, were as the other players would end up losing there chips to the casino.