Roulette is a casino game of chance that has offered glamour, mystery and excitement to casino-goers since the 17th century. Its rules are relatively simple, but it offers a surprising level of depth for serious players. The right strategy can reap high rewards.

The game is played on a circular table with a red and black layout marked with numbers. The wheel is spun by the croupier, and when the ball stops on a number the dealer announces it, collects all losing bets (which go into the casino’s income), pays out winning bets and then removes the buck from the table. This reveals the outcome of the last decision and the betting recommences for the next round.

During the course of a game players can place bets on a single number, various groupings of numbers, whether the number is odd or even, the color red or black and other propositions. These bets are referred to as inside or outside bets, depending on their placement on the betting board. Each type of bet has its own payout odds.

Players can also choose to wager on groups of numbers, a column, or a dozen. To make a column bet place your chips at the end of any street on the table map, or at the bottom of any ‘2 to 1’ inscribed column. To make a ‘dozen’ bet, place your chips on the first, second or third ’12’ sections of the roulette felt. Each ‘dozen’ is made up of three adjacent numbers, and if the ball stops on any of these numerals you will win.

European roulette is the most popular form of the game, both in physical casinos and online. It has a lower house edge than its American counterpart, and is an excellent choice for novices to the game.

However, there are many other variants of roulette, including en prison and la partage. The former, which translates to ‘in prison’ in English, allows the player to keep half their stake on even money bets when the ball lands in zero. The latter, which translates to’sharing’ in English, lets the player keep half their stake on winning bets and keeps the other half for future rounds. These rules don’t affect the overall probability of winning, but they do change the way that bets are placed. This is why it’s important to know about these variations before you play. Luckily, many online casinos offer a variety of roulette games for players to enjoy.