Roulette is a well-known casino game, probably originated in the Italian game Biribi, also called Spanish Roulette. It is played on an endless wheel, and players are able to spin the wheel as many times as they desire, adding spins to the wheel whenever they wish. In this way, players can choose more winning combinations by wishing for them. Although roulette is played with wheels, it can be played with even a simple push broom handle. Regardless of whether the wheel is used or not, the basic concept remains the same: one places a bet, spins the wheel and if the number rolled off the wheel is one of the two highlighted selections, that selection will win.
The word ‘roulette’ actually comes from a combination of words, the most common being rue (French), and ball (Spanish). This game is played in many arcades, especially in France, Italy, Spain and Brazil. It enjoys its greatest popularity in the United States, specifically New York City, where it is usually played in the streets or in the back rooms of saloons. Today, it is often played at local bars, sometimes sponsored by the casinos.
One reason why it is played in bars is due to its convenience: they are very easy to set up, take very little space and are often located indoors. The classic French style is to place a number on a roulette table with the rest of the guests, counting that as a bet. When the wheel is spun, the bettors can choose from any combination that came off the previous spin. In many variations of the game, such as online roulette, the bets are placed by calling out the numbers. Online roulette can be an exciting new way to enjoy the excitement of a roulette table, and can be played for fun as well as for real money.
Roulette is much like betting in slots, in that you place your money on the line in hopes of hitting more numbers on the roulette wheel than your total bet. Most games of roulette end in a win, but it can also result in money being lost, since at the end of every spin, the winning numbers are revealed. Sometimes the numbers picked are more in random than expected, and these will show up on the wheel. The bets here are similar to the numbers in slot games – the numbers that are picked are known as the “hot” numbers and the bets are based on matching them to bets made.
“Off” numbers can be used in place of the hot numbers to create a “short” or “long” bet. The difference between the two types of bets is that with a long bet, the final payoff is lower than it would be if you had bet on the hot numbers, but with a short bet, the final payoff is higher. Either way, the bettor has to hope that his numbers come off the wheel properly and he wins. This is not as simple as betting on the numbers that are picked.
Online roulette is becoming more popular. There are several web sites which offer roulette games for online play, and many of these sites offer versions of the game for people who cannot get to a real roulette table. Roulette on the internet can be very exciting because of the added excitement of not having to travel to a real casino. It can also be a great way to spend a evening sitting in front of your computer when all the other things you want to do are going on in the evening or day time.