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History of Roulette
The History of Roulette is a fascinating one. The game can trace its origins to seventeenth century France. The word “roulette,” obviously of French origin, means “small wheel,” and, considering the game itself, this should come of no surprise. Strangely enough (or not, depending on your viewpoint), this staple of casinos was developed by a mathematician, the famous Pascal, who created it in accordance with his love and/or fascination for perpetual motion devices.
The French roulette game became the model for what is now called “European” roulette. This differs from American roulette insofar as the two games have different wheels. An American wheel, developed in the early nineteen century after the game had come across the ocean, has two zero options: a 0, and a 00. Conceivably, this was an addition which was created with the house’s interests in mind, because having an extra number on the wheel increases the chances that the player will lose their money.
Case in point: the house’s advantage using a European wheel is 2.7%. With an American wheel, it is roughly 5.3%. In certain nineteenth century American gaming houses, the 00 was replaced with an American eagle, possibly to distract from the fact that casinos had tilted yet another game in their favor.
There are other differences between American and European interpretations of the game. The betting table in Europe is much longer and larger than it is in American versions of the game. A croupier, there, uses a rake to take chips off the table. In American versions, the table is much smaller, and accordingly, the croupier does everything by hand. Another subtle difference between the games is that in the American game, each chip is worth the same amount, and that amount is decided at point of purchase. In the European game, each chip has a predetermined amount, making the game slightly more complicated.
Roulette is often called “the King of Casino games,” and has enjoyed enduring popularity for centuries due to the fact that it always attracts the high rollers in any given casino. One reason for this is that roulette has the longest odds, but also, accordingly, the biggest potential payoff of any casino game. Would-be players would do well to take extreme caution before indulging in a game of roulette, as the thrill of playing can be intoxicating, and sometimes you can lose an extraordinary amount of money in a short period of time.
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