Roullete is a game of chance in which bets are placed on the outcome of a spinning wheel. Players can bet on individual numbers, various groups of numbers, red or black, odd or even, or first, second, or third dozen. The game originated in the early 18th century and has a number of fanciful stories about its origin, including that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal or by Dominican monks. It reached its present form in the late 18th century and quickly became popular in the casinos and gambling houses of Europe.

The roulette wheel consists of a solid, slightly convex wooden disk with metal compartments, called frets or pockets, that are alternately painted red and black. The compartments on European-style wheels are numbered 1 to 36; an additional green compartment carries the sign 0 and two green ones on American wheels carry the signs 00. The croupier, or dealer, spins the wheel and releases a small ball into it. The players’ bets indicate which compartment the ball will enter as it comes to rest. The winners are paid according to their betting odds.

There are many ways to bet in roulette, but the most common bets are the straight-up and split bets. A straight-up bet on a single number wins 37 chips to 1; the payout for a split bet (betting on two adjacent numbers) is 35 chips to 1. The house edge in roulette is 5.26%, which is higher than the house edges in craps, blackjack, and poker.

While there are some systems that can help you win a few chips here and there, most of them are scams and are not worth the effort. In fact, roulette is a huge drain on your wallet simply because it doesn’t pay what the bets are worth. It’s not for lack of effort by gamblers. Countless books and websites claim to have the secret to beating roulette. They all fall into the trap of false advertising.