What You Need to Know Before You Start Playing Roulette

Whether at an online casino or at a brick and mortar gambling establishment, Roulette offers glamour, mystery, and excitement. It’s a simple game to play and for those who know how to bet correctly, it can reap high rewards. But there are a number of things that you need to keep in mind before you place your bets.

The Roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. Around its rim are metal partitions called separators or frets, and within these are thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black, and numbered non-consecutively from 1 to 36. There is also a green compartment marked 0. On American roulette wheels, there is a second extra green compartment labelled 00.

As the croupier spins the wheel, players make bets on which red or black, odd or even, or high or low, numbered compartment the ball will fall into as it comes to rest. Once the ball stops spinning and settles into one of the compartments, the players who have bet on that number or section will receive a payout according to their betting odds.

While some fanciful stories exist about the origin of the game, it is widely accepted that Roulette was derived from the older games hoca and portique. Its modern layout and wheel structure became popular in European casinos in the late 18th century.

Before you start playing Roulette, set a budget. Each roulette table carries a placard listing the minimum and maximum bets allowed. Choose the table that fits your budget best. Also, read the rules of each game carefully before placing your bets. Choose a game with a lower house edge and a higher return on investment.