Roulette is a casino game of chance. The game originated in the 17th century in a primitive form by Blaise Pascal, the French physicist, philosopher and inventor, as part of his attempt to create a perpetual motion machine. The modern roulette wheel and table began to be used in the 19th century, and the game spread throughout Europe and America where it became a favorite gambling pastime.

The game consists of a rotating wheel with numbered pockets. The numbers are alternately red and black, and the 0 (or 00 on some American tables) is green. A croupier spins a ball into the wheel, and bettors place chips on the table correlating to the pockets the ball can land in.

There are a number of different types of bets you can place, ranging from simple ones to complex and riskier plays. The most common bets are on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the color red or black, and whether a number is odd or even. You can also bet on a particular section of the wheel or an entire row of numbers, and you can make multiple bets simultaneously.

After deciding how much to wager, players purchase a roulette chip from the dealer (also known as the croupier). Each player is assigned a different colored chip to differentiate them from other bettors and help the croupiers keep track of each player’s total amount wagered. Roulette chips are larger than standard casino chips and have a different shape, so be sure to pay attention when selecting one.

Once the bets have been placed, the croupier spins the wheel. The ball, which is made of a synthetic material similar to ivory called “ivorine” (actually Teflon) or, in some cases, resin or ceramic, makes many revolutions on the wheel before it lands. The size, weight and material of the ball all have a significant effect on how the game is played; a smaller, lighter ball, for example, jumps more unpredictably than a bigger, heavier ivorine ball.

Once the wheel stops spinning, the croupier announces that the bets are closed and players may remove their chips from the table. The dealer then pays the winners, and collects the losing bets. All bets are made on the basis of odds, and winning bets have a higher payout than losing ones. In European roulette, the house edge is 2.70% when the La Partage rule is in effect, and 1.35% without it.