Roulette is a casino game that is played with a small wheel and a colored ball. There are various betting combinations that can be made on the numbers, groups of numbers, whether the number is odd or even, and whether the ball will land in the low (1-18) or high (18-36) section of the wheel. Different bets offer varying odds for winning and different payouts.

Roulette has been a popular game around the world since the 17th century. Its rules are simple, and it is a game of pure chance – but the right strategy can increase your chances of success. A simple Google search will return many systems for playing (and supposedly winning) roulette, some easy, some complicated.

The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. It has a rim with thirty-six compartments painted alternately red and black. There is a separate compartment, painted green, which carries the sign 0 on European-style wheels; and on American wheels there are two green compartments on opposite sides of the wheel that carry the signs 0 and 00.

A croupier, also known as a dealer, spins the wheel and then drops the ball into one of the numbered sections of the table. When the ball stops, players who have bet on that section win. The odds of winning vary depending on the type of bet, but in general those who place inside bets are more likely to win than those who place outside bets.

Inside bets are placed on the individual numbers on the table, while outside bets are placed on a group of numbers. There are several types of inside bets: Straight, Split, Street and Corner. Straight and Split bets are the simplest, but the most common are Street and Corner. The Street bet covers three consecutive numbers on the outside edge of the table, while the Corner bet covers four adjacent numbers.

Announced bets are special betting combinations that are usually featured in French Roulette although they can also be found on online European Roulette variants. They have their own special French names and are vitally important to know in order to understand the roulette rules properly. One of the most commonly used announced bets is Neighbours, which covers five numbers and the neighbouring numbers on each side.