There is much confusion on who invented roulette. Some say it was the Russian soldiers while others say it was a monk from Tibet. But the generally accepted fact is that roulette was invented by Baise Pascal in the 17th century in his search for a perpetual motion machine. The game is being played today in Paris exactly the way it used to be played since 1796. If you read French novels La Roulette & Ou Le Jour by Jaques Lablee then you will find mention of an early form of roulette in France.
It started with French roulette
The single zero roulette was brought to the Homburg town of Germany by Frenchmen Francois & Louis Blanc in order to compete against casinos offering both single & Double Zero (00) roulette games. Roulette truly spread to Europe & America in the early 19th century. After gambling was banned in Germany in the 1860s, Monte Carlo became the new home of roulette. In the United States the Double Zero (00) wheel became popular with players. The French style of roulette was further simplified in the US & because of that it became so popular that it now dominates casinos across the world. But it was undoubtedly the French who started roulette.
Roulette in the US
When the game found its way to the United States, the casino owners here added the double zero (00) to the roulette wheel. Adding the double zero made the game more challenging to the players & thus reduced their chances of winning. Still the American style increased in popularity since its betting style was simplified & money offered were huge.
During the first half of the 20th century Las Vegas developed as the biggest casino hub of the US. Roulette became one of the most popular games played at these casinos. Even today roulette dominates the casino scene in Las Vegas. Today there are numerous numbers of casinos around the world which offers roulette to the players. The game of roulette today is undoubtedly the “king of all gambling games” in the world.
Five types of roulette
Online casinos offer the players several types of roulettes to choose from. It is up to the player which type of roulette he is comfortable in & which type he wants to play. The most common types of roulette that an online casino will offer are 5 in number. They are: American roulette, European roulette, French roulette, Racetrack roulette & Mini roulette. Brief descriptions of all these five types of roulette are given below.
- American roulette: American roulette is probably the most popular type of roulette played around the world. It is almost similar to the European roulette barring a few distinct features viz. The American roulette wheel has 38 number pockets. It has a 00 added to the wheel apart from the single 0 & the numbers 1 through 36.
- European roulette: The roulette wheel in this type of roulette has only a single zero & the numbers 1 through 36. This is the most common type of roulette that is offered by online casinos. But since the number pockets in this type of roulette wheel is less so the chances of winning for a player is also reduced.
- French roulette: This is probably the most authentic type of roulette that is played today. Roulette was invented in France. The roulette wheel in this type as well has only a single 0. But some of the rules & lingo in French roulette differ from its American & European counterparts.
- Racetrack roulette: This type is similar to the European roulette since it also has only a single 0 on the wheel. But the difference lies in the table layout, the placement of the numbers, and the odds. Neighbor bets are also allowed in this type of roulette.
- Mini roulette: This type of roulette has only 13 numbers on the wheel. It was never actually intended to be a full version of roulette. But it has gained popularity off late.
Web Roulette
Web roulette is the best option for all those casino game lovers, who do not have time to visit an actual casino to play them. Online roulette games make sure that you do not have to catch a plane and have to go all the way to Las Vegas to enjoy the excitement, thrill and enthusiasm that this game brings to all the players. Internet has now become a source as well as a destination for virtually everything. Hence gambling is also one of the major activity that people around the world, undertake through the medium of various casino websites offering a variety of games to play with actual players around the world, simultaneously bet and win actual prize money too.
The best part about indulging in web roulette is that you can be at the comfort of your own home, or office and still refresh yourself with an instant game of roulette just by logging on to any one of the casino websites that are available in abundance on the internet. But before that you will have to most importantly make sure that the casino website you are registering with is a reliable and genuine one, as there may be some shams and bogus casino websites that indulge in fraudulent practices and cheat people.