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Roulette has taken the Internet gaming industry by storm. More and more people are playing the game and are hooked by the thrill and fun that it offers. However, there are also new players who are wondering what the game is all about.

What is roulette? In general terms, it is a casino game that was first played in France in the 18th century and was further popularized with the Russian version aptly called Russian roulette. The game involves betting on which pocket a ball will land in a spinning wheel.

Roulette has come a long way from being a small-time game played in France many years ago. It is now considered as one of the most popular gambling games in Europe as well as in many parts of Asia. Most big cities in Europe have at least one big casino where tourists and locals alike can play a fun game of roulette on most nights of the week.

Now that the question of what is roulette has been answered, it’s time to talk about the basics of this game. The players of roulette, which is usually up to eight players in every game, play against the House.

The House is duly represented by a croupier who is also sometimes referred to as the dealer. The dealer spins the roulette wheel and handles the players’ payouts and wagers.

There are different variations of the wheel. In French roulette and in European roulette in general, the roulette wheel features 37 slots – 36 of those represent positive numbers and one zero. In the USA and several regions in Asia, the wheels often have two zeros which add up to 38 slots.

Each player that joins a game buys-in chips of different colors for easier differentiation of bets between the wagers in a game.

It’s an efficient way of not getting the bets mixed up. At the end of every roulette play, the colored chips are exchanged with cash chips with value amounts imprinted and are typically used in most casinos. There are several denominations and each denomination represents one distinct color.

To play the game each player must bet at least one number in the numbered slots of the wheel. The players can bet in a table layout and once all players have placed their bets, the dealer or the croupier can start spinning the wheel which launches a ball. Whatever number on the wheel that the ball drops on in the slot is the winning number.

Roulette is traditionally played in casinos and is always a sure hit in every gambling house. The players have a variety of options in betting – one is inside bets or outside bets. Inside bets require the players to either choose the exact number of the slot where the ball will drop on or choose a range of slots with which they think the ball will land in.

Outside bets on the other hand, allow players to select their bets on larger range of numbered slots or slot colors or whether the winning number is odd or even. The types of outside bets include red, black, even and odd bets, dozens bet and column bets.