Roulette is an iconic casino game, instantly recognizable by its spinning wheel and the small white ball that determines players' fortunes. Its name means "little wheel" in French, and the game is one of pure chance, making it accessible and exciting for beginners and veterans alike.

How the Game Works
The core of the game is the roulette wheel, which is divided into numbered pockets. The two primary versions of roulette are:

Single-Zero Roulette: It features numbers 1 through 36 plus a single green zero, for a total of 37 slots. Due to the single zero, the house advantage is a favorable 2.7%. Double-Zero Roulette: This wheel has 38 pockets, including the numbers 1-36, a single "0", and an additional "00" pocket, casino also green. This additional slot nearly doubles the house advantage to 5.26%.

The aim of the game is simply to bet on the winning number.

Placing Your Wagers
All roulette wagers fall into one of two main classifications.

Inside Bets
Inside bets are wagers on the numbered section of the table. They offer big payouts but are harder to hit.

Straight Up: Betting on one specific number. The highest payout in the game. Split: A bet on two adjacent numbers. Payout is 17 to 1. Street: Betting on a three-number row. Corner: A four-number bet that pays 8:1.

Outside Bets
These are bets placed on broader categories of results on the outside of the layout. They have lower payouts but a much higher chance of winning.

Red/Black: A bet on whether the winning number will be red or casino black. Payout is 1 to 1. Odd/Even: A bet on whether the number will be odd or even. Payout is 1 to 1. High/Low: A bet on whether the number will be in the low range (1-18) or the high range (19-36). Payout is 1 to 1. Dozens/Columns: Betting on a group of 12 numbers.

Roulette Systems
As a game of independent random events, no betting system can alter the mathematical house advantage. While popular, betting systems like the Martingale are flawed and casino can wipe out your funds in a short amount of time. The smartest approach is to play responsibly, set a budget, and stick to the European version of the game.