Roulette
There is hardly a person who played at online casinos that haven’t heard about roulette, one of the most popular casino games in existence. In fact, even if you haven’t stepped into an online casino chances are you have heard about this game at some point in your life. Whether it is physical or online casinos, you simply cannot have a proper gambling platform without the roulette wheel. And the reason why this game is so popular is quite simple. There is hardly a casino game that can the excitement that comes with roulette, period. Regardless of whether you play this game in a digital or physical form, roulette is easily one of the most exhilarating and adrenaline-spiking casino games to ever be created.
Due to this popularity and unmatched level of excitement, it is no wonder that over the years, roulette has been a subject of inspiration for many movies, books, anecdotes, stories, etc. Even many professional gamblers contribute their decision to enter the world of gambling to roulette. With all of this in mind, it is no secret that this is one of the most frequently played casino games across all gambling establishments throughout the world, regardless of the form.
History Of Roulette
The origins of the game roulette can be traced to Paris, and the famous French mathematician, inventor, and physicist, Blaise Pascal. The crazy part of the story is that it is believed that roulette was created purely by accident, and not intentionally. More specifically, Pascal was looking to create a perpetual motion machine but unintentionally created the foundation for what would later become the modern-day roulette wheel. Eventually, the roulette wheel that we know and use today is a combination of Birbi, a popular Italian board game, and the wheel invented by Pascal back in 1720.
Well, it didn’t take long for this new game to take over the content by storm, and become the most popular game at pretty much every casino in the state. The first recorded roulette table was used in the early 1800s in Paris, and it had the single zero digit in red, and the double zero digit in black. Later, in order to make it easier for the players to distinguish the zero digits from the other numbers, they were painted green.
However, the first roulette table with a single zero digit didn’t appear until the year 1843 at the Bad Hamburg, the popular German spa and casino town. It all started when Lous Blanc, a French casino operator, and entrepreneur, along with his brother Francois, decided to create a single zero-digit roulette table in order to have an advantage over the other casinos. Shortly after moving to Monte Carlo, Monaco, where he was appointed head of the Monte Carlo casino, Blanc decided to implement the single zero into practice. Needless to say, this was an instant hit among the players, being that it increased their advantage by quite a margin.
After introducing the newly modified roulette wheel to Monaco, the single zero-digit roulette quickly started conquering the world, and very soon became the standard. Up to such an extent, that it is now the most popular variation of roulette across the planet, with the only exception of Canada, the USA, South America, and the Caribbean. Either way, if it wasn’t for Louis Blanc and his progressive thinking, the introduction of the single-digit roulette wheel may have never happened, or at least would have been prolonged for a significant period of time.
Roulette Today
Today, there are three main types of roulette played around the world, and these are American Roulette, French Roulette, and European Roulette. As we mentioned earlier, American roulette is easily noticeable thanks to the double zero digit. While it is a true example of staying true to the original roulette wheel, when it comes to the player’s chances of winning, it is not the ideal solution. Due to the double-digit, the house edge at American roulette is 5.26%m which is significantly higher than the other types of roulette. In addition to this, with American roulette, you can also lose if the ball lands on any of the zero digits, as well as if you place an even money bet. All of this makes it the least favorable for players.
Without a doubt, French Roulette has the biggest rewarding prowess out of all three types, and with that, the lowest house edge of just 1.35%. This, in addition to the fact that you only get a single zero, is the main reason why it is the most popular type of roulette ever. Another major reason why this is the case is due to the unique “en prison” and “la partage” rules. “La portage” translates to sharing in French, and this awesome feature lets you get half of your deposit back if the ball drops to zero, only if you previously bet on an even money bet. The “en prison” rule is supposed to replace the “la portage” rule. More specifically, if the ball drops to zero, half of your deposit will remain on the table, and this is instead of a refund, and this amount is to be played the next round.
European Roulette is somewhere in between American and French when it comes to rewarding prowess and house edge, being that it comes with 2.7%. Although way more favorable and rewarding than its American cousin, it still falls behind its French relative. This is mainly due to the fact that it lacks the ingenious rules “la portage” and “en prison”, which give a whole new dimension to the game. From here, we can make the conclusion that if you wish to play a game of roulette, you should play the French variation exclusively. Not only it is the most rewarding out of all, but it also has unique rules that were specifically created to give you a bigger chance to land a win.
