Roulette has offered glamour and mystery to casino-goers since the late 1700s and is now a mainstay at both online and land casinos. While it may seem intimidating at first, if you know the rules and can pick the best bets, you can reap high rewards.

Initially, the game became popular in illegal gambling dens across France. By 1843, siblings Louis and Francois Blanc introduced a single-zero pocket, which massively increased its appeal as a game of chance. The game spread rapidly, and by the 1860s it had made its way to New Orleans in the US where it gained further popularity. The American version of roulette differed from the French one, with a double-zero wheel.

A Roulette wheel is a solid, convex wooden disk with a slightly raised outer edge that contains thirty-six red and black compartments, or frets, with two green ones on American-style wheels carrying the numbers 0 and 00. Between the compartments are metal pins called lugs, which are used by croupiers to place chips. The rouleau is spun by the dealer and the ball, which is released at the start of each spin, goes around the wheel until it comes to rest in one of the numbered pockets.

There are three main types of roulette bets: a straight-up bet, a split bet, and a street bet. Each type requires a different amount of money and a different payout structure. A Straight-up bet wagers on a single number and pays out at odds of 1 to 1. The split bet is a bet on two numbers, and the street bet is a wager on three numbers.

When it comes to betting, you’ll notice that the roulette table is covered in a special color of chips that help the dealer differentiate between players. When the game is between decisions, you tell the dealer how much you want each of your chips to be worth. She then hands you normal casino chips that have the desired value.