Roulette is a game of chance that has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. It is a relatively simple game based entirely on luck, but it has a surprising level of depth for serious players and the right strategy can reap substantial rewards.

To play, you place chips on one of the betting tables. Each table carries a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets. Before you start, set a budget so that you can play several rounds within your financial limit. Each dealer will hand you coloured chips that represent your bet amount.

Once the table is full, the croupier throws a ball into the spinning wheel. You can continue placing bets while the wheel is spinning. When the ball lands in a pocket that matches a number, section or color you have bet on, you win.

If you’re a beginner, you should probably start with outside bets rather than inside ones. These bets cover a group of numbers rather than individual digits and are cheaper than inside bets but have a lower payout if you win.

The simplest type of outside bet is the Straight Up/Line Bet (called Sixain in French). You place your chip(s) on the outside border of the table map, next to any row of three consecutive numbers. The payout is 1-1.

Other Outside bets are the Dozens Bet (called Douzaine in French), the Odd or Even Bet and the Red or Black Bet. These bets are similar to the Straight Up/Line Bet except that you’re wagering that the winning number will be in either the first or second dozen, or the odd or even. If the winning number is a zero or 00, you lose.

Roulette is a table game that involves spinning a numbered wheel and then throwing a small ball into the wheel while it’s still in motion. The ball then bounces around the wheel until it lands in one of the numbered compartments. If you have placed a bet on that number, or on its colour, or whether it is odd or even, you win.

A simple game with complex maths, roulette has a long history and numerous variations. It was derived from the older games hoca and portique, and is believed to have been invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal.

The roulette wheel consists of a static bowl-shaped disk that has a circular track with a spindle. The inner surface of the disc is a series of metal separators, called frets or “canoes” by croupiers, that are painted alternately in red and black, with a 37-compartment ring containing alternating black and red numbers from 1 to 36. On European wheels, a 38th green compartment carries the sign of 0. On American wheels, a green one carries the sign of 00.

While there are a multitude of theories about the odds of various bets, no one knows exactly how the house edge in roulette works. However, researchers have analyzed and tested many mathematical models, and the results show that the odds of certain bets are much higher than others.