Roullete, also spelled Roulette, is a casino game in which a ball rolls around a spinning wheel and people place wagers on the number it will land on. Players can bet on individual numbers, various groupings of numbers, red or black, odd or even, or whether the number is high or low.

The game has been a favorite of high rollers and gamblers for hundreds of years. There are numerous fanciful stories about its origin, including claims that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal while trying to create a perpetual motion machine, or by Chinese monks.

Roulette is played on a circular table with a spinning wheel and numbered slots in the center. Each player is assigned a color of chip, and when the dealer is ready to begin the round, she places a marker on the winning number or winning bet. Once the marker is in place, losing bets are cleared off the table and the winners are paid. The process then repeats.

There are many different bets that can be placed on a roulette table, but the most common are inside and outside bets. Inside bets are placed on specific numbers, while outside bets are placed on groups of numbers. Typically, outside bets are cheaper than inside bets and have a higher probability of hitting.

When playing roulette, it is important to set a budget before the game begins and stick to it. This will help you avoid making large, unwise bets that could derail your game plan. Additionally, it is important to choose a table within your budget that offers the minimum bet amount you can afford.

Each roulette table has a placard that describes the minimum and maximum bet amounts. The croupier will clear the table of the previous round before starting the new one. Once the table is empty, you can start betting.

The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk, slightly convex in shape, that revolves on the base of a bowl. A series of metal partitions, called frets or compartments by roulette croupiers, are set around the disk’s edge. Thirty-six of these compartments, painted alternately red and black, are numbered from 1 to 36 in a nonconsecutive pattern. In addition, on European wheels, a 37th compartment painted green carries the sign 0. On American roulette wheels there are two additional green pockets, one marked 0 and the other 00.

After the ball has landed on a number, the croupier will announce the result and pay out winning bets. It is important to cash out your chips before the next spin, so that you can continue to bet with your predetermined budget. Many players like to watch their opponents, hoping to learn something about the game that they don’t know. This strategy can backfire and ruin your odds of winning.