Roulette is a game of chance in which players bet on the outcome of a ball landing on a spinning wheel. It is popular around the world and has been in casinos for centuries, owing its name to Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician who invented it.

The game is played on a wheel with numbered slots called “pockets”. The number of pockets can range from six to 36 and are painted red or black. Unlike American-style wheels with two extra green compartments numbered 0 and 00, European-style wheels have just one set of slots numbered from 1 to 36.

There are many different types of bets in roulette, all based on probability. They include Inside Bets, Outside Bets and Proposition Bets.

Generally, inside bets are made by placing chips on individual numbers in the wheel, while outside bets are placed on groups of digits. Both are easy to learn and have a lower house edge than some other types of bets.

Some of the most common inside bets are:

The Dozens Bet, or dozens; This bet is placed on any number from the first 12 to the last 12. You can place a single chip on each of the first 12 numbers, or you can put up a combination of chips for a double-number bet. The payout is 2-1, so it’s an even-money bet that pays out more than most other bets.

Odd or Even, also known as impair et pair in French, is another simple bet that pays out even money if the number you bet on wins. The 18 odd numbers are numbered from 1-18, and the 18 even numbers are numbered 19-36. In French, this bet is also referred to as passe et manque, and you lose if the zero comes up.

If you’re playing roulette at a live casino, your bets are recorded on a special betting mat. The mat shows the location of each of your chips and if your bet wins, you’re paid a percentage of the amount you wagered.

To play, you’ll need a small stack of chips. These are usually colored to distinguish between bettors and are not worth anything away from the table. You can also purchase chips for the table that are marked with a unique code.

Once you’ve placed your bets, the dealer will spin the wheel. When the ball lands in one of the pockets, the winning bets are paid out and the losing bets are cleared off the table. The dealer will then place a marker on the number that landed in the pocket to indicate the winner.