Think of a casino game, any casino game…the chances are that one of the first to spring to mind is roulette.
There’s something about it that seems to encapsulate all we think about the glamour and excitement of a night in an exclusive casino. Of course, the movies have a lot to do with this. How many times have we seen James Bond nonchalantly approach the table, put all of his chips on a number, and, predictably, see the little white ball fall into that exact pocket?
Then there are the mechanics of the game itself. It can be quite mesmerising as we watch with anticipation as the ball spins in one direction, the wheel in the other, before it falls into place with a satisfying “plink” into its destination.
And the fact is that the game is as popular today as it was over two centuries ago.
A brief history of roulette
The invention of roulette is generally accredited to the French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Born in 1623, one of his obsessions was to invent a perpetual motion machine – one which, once set in motion, would run forever.
Obviously, the laws of physics and, most specifically friction, mean that this is an impossibility. But Pascal did manage to devise a wheel on smooth bearings that would certainly keep on spinning for a long time with minimal force needed.
As a mathematician, he was also very interested in the laws of probability. So these two elements came together perfectly. Here was a device that was ideal for testing out his theory that, over time, there would be a precisely equal distribution of where the ball would land.
Possibly influenced by an Italian game called biriba which was very popular in the 17th century, the game of roulette soon became widely played in the salons of Paris in the 18th century. It even made its first appearance in literature in a novel called La Roulette, Ou Histoire Du Un Joueur (Roulette or the story of a player) by the writer Jacques Lablée first published in 1802.
The 19th century saw the first major exodus of the French across the Atlantic to the US. One of the exports they took with them was roulette. In most respects, including roulette odds, it was the game that is stilled played today.
There have been minor variations over time. For example, the original game had single zero pocket but in the earliest days in the US a second one was added, along with a third featuring an American Eagle. This increased the house edge considerably as if the ball landed in any of these all bets were judged to be void.
Today, the eagle has flown but there are still two variations of the game, American with two zero pockets and European with just one.
The online roulette revolution
While many people still travel to their local casino, or as far afield as to Las Vegas and Macau to play roulette, today there are countless online casinos offering the game.
Its simplicity and speed make it a natural for the online world. In recent times it has also become a mainstay of the so-called live online casino. In this a real dealer runs the game in real time and the action is streamed directly to the player’s PC or mobile device.
The action on screen is digitised to provide a very realistic approximation of playing in a bricks and mortar casino. It has also allowed the online casinos to introduce a number of variations to the game including a high speed one for those players just snatching a few minutes to indulge.
So what’s the appeal?
The essential appeal of roulette has always been, and continues to be, its simplicity. It takes minutes to pick up the rules unlike other more complex casino games like blackjack and baccarat.
As already mentioned, it’s also a very visually arresting game to play as well as one that cranks up the anticipation in a way that is quite unlike any other game.
There are also many different kinds of bets to be placed on the game. These range from simple 50/50 chances to the biggest possible opportunity of pulling off a 35-1 win if your lucky number does indeed become lucky for you.
For those who believe that things shouldn’t just be left to chance there are also a range of different strategies to try out – although the jury is still very much out on how effective these really are.
So it all adds up to a game that has it all for the casual or the committed casino player. It’s been popular for over 200 years already – and it’s set to continue to be for centuries more!
Are you a Roulette fan? Do you visit the casinos or prefer to play online?
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