Roulette offers glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers around the world. This game may seem simple enough, but there’s a surprising level of depth to the rules and betting strategies that can reap high rewards for serious betters.

The word “Roulette” translates to “little wheel.” It is a game that involves placing bets on either individual numbers, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black and whether they are odd or even. A player may also choose to bet on the number of the wheel and whether it is high (1-18) or low (19-36).

It’s important for players to understand how to play roulette before making their first bets at a live roulette table. Unlike other casino games, roulette is played with special colored chips that are used to differentiate players from one another. This allows the dealer to know who is betting on what, preventing any type of cheating.

The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape with metal separators or frets. Thirty-six of the compartments or pockets are painted alternately red and black with a single white zero, while on American wheels two green compartments on opposite sides of the wheel carry the signs 0 and 00. A croupier, who is called a ‘dealer’ in French, spins the wheel and then rolls a small ball into the grooves of the wheels. If the ball lands in a winning number, the dealer marks it on the table with a marker and pays the winners. Losing bets are cleared off the table and are not returned to players.

European roulette is the most popular version of the game at physical casinos and online platforms. This is because it has a lower house edge than its American counterpart, which can be an important factor in winning. The game also offers a more gratifying experience for novices because of the magnified chances of hitting a winning bet.