The Fascination of Roulette

Roulette has been one of the most popular casino games ever since the first European casinos opened in the 18th century.  From the elegant casinos of the French Riviera to today’s online casino, roulette is one of the casino’s best-recognized and most popular gaming events. So take your no deposit casino bonus giveaways and try out this game of distinction.

But....why does roulette continue to be so popular?

History

Roulette is one of the oldest games in the casino. Some gaming historians believe that the game dates back to the days when people believed in Gods of fate who, the myths indicated, used to roll the Wheel of Fortune to decide the fate of people,

Other historians say that the game was connected to the Old English game of Even and Odds or, perhaps, to the Italian Biribi game. But the game, as it is played today, seemed to have been invented by the French scientist Blaise Pascal. The 17th century mathematician wanted to invent a perpetual motion machine but there was no zero in its design so his wheel had no zero pocket.

François and Louis Blanc, two French brothers, took Pascal’s design and added a special zero pocket to launch the game that would eventually become a worldwide favorite. When the Blanc brothers opened the first Monte Carlo casino they introduced the new game to the public. It was an immediate hit with the gamblers but shortly thereafter, King Louis XV tried to ban gaming in France. The Blanc brothers moved their casino, with the roulette wheel, to Germany.

Roulette flourished throughout Europe. French immigrants brought the game to America where a second, double zero pocket was added. That created the game that’s today known as “American Roulette.” French migrants tried to operate roulette games in New Orleans but it never caught on, mainly because players believed that the double zero pocket increased the house edge and limited players’ payouts.

Slowly American roulette lost its reputation as a less-lucrative variation of the game although, in point of fact, it is harder to win at American Roulette than it is to win at European Roulette. Nevertheless, American roulette became dominant in North and South America as well as in the Caribbean and in South America. European roulette continues to be the most well-liked version of the game in other areas of the world. What accounts for roulette’s popularity? 

Easy

The game itself is easy to play and once you learn the betting table, you’re good to go. Even though the “Queen of Table Games” is often represented in popular literature and media as a game for the suave and sophisticated, it’s basically a game that’s appropriate for any player with any level of experience or at any betting level.   

History

As mentioned previously, there’s a sense of history present when you play the game. Spinning the roulette wheel can transport you back to the days when members of Europe’s high society ty vied with each other at the roulette table while they gossiped  about the latest happenings in the European royal families and planned takeovers and intrigues that could change the world.

Playing roulette isn’t like playing a slots game, where you use 21st century technology to spin and win. You engage in old-fashioned gaming entertainment that involves a simple wheel, ball and chips.

Competition

Roulette is a competitive game. You can play it as a solo player online or as part of a crowd of roulette competitors while standing at a table in a brick-and-mortar casino venue.

The game offers you the chance to test your skills at determining which bets on the betting table will bring you the best results. Should you place an inside bet and take more of a risk for the chance to achieve a higher payout? Should you put down a less-risky outside bet and be satisfied with more frequent, but lower payouts?

These are all decisions that you need to make as you attempt to achieve the best results possible on your play.

Pace

Roulette is a time-limited game so everyone moves forward at the same pace. You don’t need to take turns, as you must do in other games. Rather, the croupier decides when to cut off the betting and throw the ball, so the game moves along at a good clip. There’s no need to feel that you’re being held up by other players who can’t make their decisions when you play roulette – whoever doesn’t place their bet in time loses out on the spin.  

Skill

As we said before, you need to understand the betting table – and, the different probabilities of each bet – when you play roulette. On the one hand, it’s fairly simple to learn the table. On the other hand, if you don’t learn the table, and if you don’t make your bets based on the different probabilities offered, your chances of winning are reduced.

There’s some skill involved in playing roulette – more so than, say, in slots. So if you want to engage in a game of luck but still play an active role in the results, choose roulette.

Social

Roulette is a social game – more so than games like blackjack and poker. You don’t need to concentrate on beating the dealer or other players when you play roulette. If your bet matches the results of where the ball falls in the spinning wheel, you win. You can focus your attention on chatting with your fellow players since you’re not playing against them.