Roulette has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. It is a game of chance, but there are certain strategies that can increase the odds of winning. To play, place a bet on the number or type of numbers you think the ball will land on when the wheel stops spinning. Then watch as the wheel spins and the ball settles into one of the pockets on the roulette table – if you made the right bet, you’ve won!
The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with a circular rim and metal separators called frets around its edge. Thirty-six of these compartments (called canoes by croupiers) are painted alternately red and black. A 37th, painted green, carries the number zero. Two more green compartments on American wheels – painted 0 and 00 – appear on opposite sides of the wheel.
A dealer spins the wheel in one direction while a croupier rolls a small ball in the opposite direction, around a tilted circular track that runs around the outer edge of the wheel. Players can still wrap up their bets until the croupier announces “no more bets.” The croupier then throws the ball into the wheel, and players watch as it bounces around until it comes to rest in one of the pockets on the roulette table. If your bet was on that pocket, you’ve won!
While there are many fanciful stories about the origins of roulette, it’s clear that it was invented in Europe and subsequently introduced to America. Roulette became a popular gambling game in Europe, and it gained a reputation for glamour and mystery when it found its way to the United States. Today, it is a favorite game in casinos worldwide.
The James Bond Strategy
The James Bond strategy combines different types of bets to maximize your chances of winning. While it’s not as simple as betting all of your chips on a single number, it is effective for players with a decent bankroll. To execute this strategy, start by placing your chips at the end of a row of three numbers on the roulette table map. Then, bet on either a single number or a group of three numbers that are close to each other in sequence. This is called a Street Bet, or “transversal” in French. If the ball lands in your selected number, you’ll win a payout of 1-1.
