Roullete is a classic casino game based entirely on luck. It’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy, but offers plenty of betting options and strategies for experienced gamblers. The game is played by spinning a wheel and throwing a ball into one of the many pockets marked with different numbers. If the ball hits a number that a player bet on, they win.

The game was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi, and first appeared in France in the 18th century. Fanciful stories of its origin include that it was invented by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal or by Dominican monks. It eventually evolved into the game we know today, with a fixed layout and a circular wheel.

Players place bets on which pocket the ball will land in by laying chips on a special table. The croupier (that’s the dealer in roulette) then spins the wheel, pausing for a few seconds to allow players to wrap up their bets. Once the croupier announces “no more bets,” play begins and players watch as the wheel spins and the ball bounces around until it finally settles in one of the numbered slots.

There are numerous ways to win at the game, with some bets offering higher payouts than others. A few of the most popular bets are:

Street Bet: Also known as cheval in French, this wager involves placing your chip(s) to straddle the line between two numbers on the layout. This bet pays out 17-1 if it wins.

Dozens Bet: Also known as douzaine in French, this bet is made by placing your chips on the outside border of a group of 12 numbers on the layout. If the winning number is in the first dozen, the second dozen, or the third dozen, you win. If the winning number is in the 0 or 00 rows, you lose.

Odd or Even Bet: Also called passe et manque in French, this is a wager that the winning number will be either odd or even. If it’s an odd number, you win; if an even number, you lose. If the ball lands on 0, a pair of black or red bets lose, as does any other outside bet.