Roulette is a casino game of chance that offers glamour, mystery, and excitement. Its rules are simple enough for novice players to understand and has a surprising depth of strategy that serious betters can reap high rewards from. It has been popular worldwide since the 17th century and is considered a symbol of luxury. It is not as popular as slot machines, video poker, blackjack, or even craps but still draws crowds in Monte Carlo and other European resorts.
In a typical roulette round, players place their chips on the table map and the dealer spins the wheel. After the ball has landed on a number, the dealer clears the table of all losing bets and pays the winners. Then the table is reset and the process begins again. Players can choose to wager on individual numbers, various groupings of numbers, or a color red or black. Each bet type has different odds, so it is important to know the odds and probabilities of each before making a bet.
Roulette has long been a subject of fascination for mathematicians and scientists. It presented an ideal challenge for them to apply their knowledge of probability and statistics to a game of chance. While it remains a game of chance, the mathematics behind it has revealed some interesting symmetries that can help betters to gain an advantage over the house.
There are several different variations of roulette, but the most popular in physical casinos and online is European roulette. This version has a single zero pocket on the wheel which reduces the house edge to a low 1.35%. This is an incredible advantage over the American version with a double zero. It is also a good idea to play the European roulette version when playing at an online casino because it has higher winning chances than the American variant.