Roullete is a casino game in which players bet on one or more of the numbers on a numbered wheel. The ball is spun around the wheel and, when it settles on a number, if the player has bet on that number or on a grouping of numbers, or on the color red or black or on odd or even or on high (19-36) or low (1-18), they win.

The game was invented more than 300 years ago, and its modern form dates from the late 1790s. It was first popularized in casinos and gambling dens across Europe, and later in the United States. The wheel, a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, contains thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black and numbered nonconsecutively from 1 to 36. There is a separate green compartment for the zero, and on American wheels two more green ones carry the signs 0 and 00.

Various theories have been posited about the game’s origin, including that it was created by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of an attempt to create a perpetual motion machine. By the 18th century, roulette had become an important fixture in Paris casinos and gambling houses.

Today, the game is played all over the world in both land-based and online casinos. The game’s popularity has also led to the development of many different systems for beating it. Some are simple, some complex, and some well-documented, but no system can overcome the house edge, which is about 1.35%.

It’s important to know the procedure of a roulette round before you begin playing. Each round begins when the dealer clears the table of losing bets and pays the winners. After this, the player can place chips in the desired betting positions. The best bets are those on the outside of the table, since these bets have a higher chance of winning. For the most accurate results, bet on groups of numbers rather than individual digits.