Roullete, which means ‘little wheel’ in French, is a casino game where players bet on what number or type of number the ball will land on when the dealer spins the wheel. The game is easy to learn and offers a surprising amount of depth for serious bettors.

In a roulette game, a player wagers by placing chips on the table and telling the dealer where they are placed before the spin of the wheel. The dealer then spins the wheel and a ball into one of the compartments numbered 1 to 36, with alternating red and black colors. There is also a green division marked 0 on the European wheel and an extra green ‘double zero’ on the American version.

A winning bet is declared when the ball lands in your chosen area. Then you get your money back. Some bets are more difficult to win than others and some have higher odds of winning than others. Regardless of what bet you make, a good strategy is to set a target amount that you wish to win and bet accordingly. This will help you avoid losing too much money.

Traditionally, the balls used in roulette were made of ivory. However, nowadays they are usually made of a synthetic material called “ivorine” to maintain the appearance and feel of ivory. The material of the ball makes a difference in how quickly and unpredictably it moves around the wheel. A light ceramic ball, for example, will move faster than a heavy, large ivorine ball.

The earliest form of the game was invented in the 17th century by a French physicist, Blaise Pascal, who was trying to create a perpetual motion machine. It was later developed in gambling dens and casinos in France. The European version of the game was adapted by Francois and Lois Blanc, who added the single zero to the wheel which gave the house an advantage over the player. Despite this, roulette remains the most popular casino game worldwide.