Sunday, November 6, 2011

Roulette - An Overview

By Gregory Brooks


Roulette or "little wheel," as it is called, is a highly popular casino and online game these days, which is touted as a casino game with a very long past. Its origin may be traced back to France of the 17th century, but the real creator of roulette lies shrouded in mystery. Certain leads point to Blaise Pascal, a scientist and mathematician of repute, while other links point out to a most improbable medium, that of a monk. Speculation is rife whether a scientist would work on a gambling game, and then, what about the monk? Then again, there are reports of the Chinese being the inventors, and also stories of their selling the game to some Dominican monks. The legend becomes more curious with the monks' angle thrown in. One thing cannot be disputed however, and that is, the parisian gambling joints give credibility to this theory, probably due to its French antecedents.

Through the ages, the same look of the roulette table has continued, as it is a wheel game. Two wagering areas have been designated in the table layout. All the numbers are arranged on the inside and the outside has fields colored in red and black so as to assist color wagering. When you consider the wheel, an interesting feature is that it has 2 types - the American variation and its European counterpart. The European roulette has 37 slots with a single zero, and has a casino edge of only 2.63, while the American roulette wheel sports 38 slots, and has an additional slot 00. This variation was said to be the creation of some Frenchmen, who added the extra 00 slot, in order that the casino edge for the American game would rise to 5.26, and almost double the take of the house. Later, the 00 was replaced by the American eagle, to infuse a show of jingoism. Whether roulette is a game of chance, is a long argued subject, but the opinion of the majority seems to be in favor of it being so.

One of the key reasons, it is called a game of chance is that none of the gamblers spin the roulette wheel. The dealer does it. In this sense, no player has a direct control over the spin. Experienced players know that there are red numbers to the right and black numbers to the left. The center numbers will be zeroes. One glance at this and you will know whether it's a game of chance or pure ability.

Since, in roulette, it is all about just choosing a digit, and waiting for the wheel to churn it up, it is considered a very simple and enjoyable game. Winning on a number alone may be a tough task, but here you have the additional options of picking between the red and black fields and even between the odd and the even numbers. These versions add spice to roulette, but it is for the player to understand the variations before he tries his hand at roulette, and before he decides to take the risk of placing big bets. Roulette by itself is not as simple as it seems. The gamers have absolutely no control over roulette. Though, the attractions of the different versions and the online versions are driving more and more gamblers to try roulette.

With the advent if the Internet and consequently, the introduction of the online version of roulette, the game seems to have gone through a process of rejuvenation and has flown on the popularity charts. The European variation of roulette with its single 0 and lower house edge of 2.63 as against the edge of 5.26 in the American variation, has become highly popular. Additionally, the Internet facilitates gamblers from all over the planet to play the European roulette for the advantage of the lower casino edge. For this reason, roulette in America with its higher house edge, doesn't seem to have caught on.

Several prominent clienteles, including superstars of the sports and the entertainment industry, not to speak of the nobility, are always crowding around the roulette tables of the established casinos. For this reason alone, roulette in Europe, is being referred to as the "king of casino." Most gamers deem it a great privilege to be seen to stand along with the prominent stars at the roulette table. It is a strange factor that, even though roulette is a game of sheer chance, people are thronging to its tables and are fascinated at the variants of the game of roulette. The advent of the online variation appears to have invigorated the gamblers who are sure the game will last a long time.




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