roulette

A casino game named after the French word meaning little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even, or if the numbers are high (19-36) or low (1-18)

To determine the winning number and color, a croupier (dealer) spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually loses momentum and falls onto the wheel and into one of 37 (in French/European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. Payouts range from 35:1 for a single number bet down to 1:1 for an odd/even or red/black bet.

See also

• roulette table