Roullete, also called Roulette, is a gambling game in which players place bets on the outcome of a spin of a wheel. The game originated in the 17th century, with fanciful stories of it being invented by the French mathematician Blaise Pascal and by Dominican monks. Today, it is one of the most popular casino games in Europe and around the world.

In a typical game of Roullete, a croupier spins a wooden or metal disc with grooves that are either red or black and contain alternately black and white compartments. These pockets, which are referred to as “canoes” by roulette croupiers, number nonconsecutively from 1 through 36. A 37th compartment, which is painted green on European wheels and red on American wheels, carries the sign 0. A croupier then places a small ball into the wheel, where it speeds up as it rotates, eventually coming to rest in one of the compartments.

A bet is placed by giving a dealer money at the table and asking for “colour”. The dealer gives the player coloured chips worth that amount, and the player then places them on the table map in the desired configuration. When a bet wins, the winning numbers are marked on the table and the coloured chips are collected by the dealer to be reinserted for the next spin.

Before laying down any chips, a player should decide which bet types to make and which are the most promising. Inside bets, which are bets on individual numbers, have a higher house edge and lower payouts, while outside bets, which are bets placed on groups of numbers, have a lower house edge and higher payouts. It is also important to set a budget before entering the casino and stick with it, since the house edge in this game can quickly eat away at any profits.

There are many betting systems for playing Roulette, some easy and some complicated. Most are based on the theory that by observing other players and predicting their behaviour, the player can gain an edge over them. This is possible, but the edge gained is usually no more than coincidental and will not improve a player’s odds of success significantly.

Another strategy is to play only on a table with the La Partage rule, which requires that the dealer divides all even-money bets in half. This reduces the house edge from 2.70% to 1.35%, and makes it easier to win at this game.