Roullete is a game played on a roulette wheel where players place bets prior to the wheel spinning. Those bets are marked on the betting mat by placing chips in certain positions indicating a specific type of bet. The bets may cover individual numbers, various groupings of the numbers, whether a number is odd or even or red or black. The payout odds for each bet is based on probability. The bets on six numbers or less are called “Inside bets” and those placed on the other sections of the betting mat are “Outside bets.”

Various theories exist as to the origin of the game. One of the most widely accepted is that it was derived from the earlier games hoca and portique by 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Others credit Dominican monks for bringing the game to France from ancient China. Whatever the truth, the game soon became the mainstay of casinos and gambling houses throughout Europe.

The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with a bowl-like base and a rotating metal bowl at its center. Around the edge of the bowl are thirty-six metallic compartments, referred to as pockets by roulette croupiers, and painted alternately black and red. The wheel also has a green compartment, numbered zero on European-style wheels and 00 on American ones.

A croupier spins the wheel and when it comes to a stop, the ball will land in a pocket on the roulette table (aka layout) which has been marked with a number from 1 through 36. If the player has placed a bet on that number, section or color they will receive the appropriate payout.