Roulette History
Roulette is one of the oldest known casino games still in existence today - some would say the oldest of all.The name "roulette" comes from a French word meaning "little wheel", and indeed the game is believed to trace its origins back to seventeenth century France. One popular theory dates the game to 1655, when French scientist and mathematician Blaise Pascal, while on a monastic retreat, supposedly invented the game, which was first played in a Paris casino. Another similar theory credits an unknown French monk as the inventor, who created the game to relieve the monotony of monastic life.
The original roulette wheel featured numbers from 0 to 36 and a 00 slot, making 38 slots in total. Around 1842, Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc transformed the wheel into its modern-day form by removing the 00 slot, thereby creating the 37-slot roulette wheel.
This development was not welcomed in the United States, however, where the 00 slot continued to be featured on roulette wheels. Nowadays, the 38-slot roulette wheel is known as the American Wheel, while the 37-slot wheel is known as the French Wheel.
Contrary to other Best online Casino gambling games like blackjack and poker, roulette is a game of pure luck. Some attempts at strategizing claim to be effective, but these have less to do with actual game play and betting and more to do with the mechanical performance of the wheel itself. As Albert Einstein once stated, "You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it."
This aspect of the game makes it a true gamble to play. Roulette also lends its name to the somewhat more risky Russian Roulette, a game fortunately not offered in your average casino!
