American Roulette
American Roulette is the closest mainstream variant of Roulette we have
to the early versions of the game. Vegas-style Roulette is the game visitors
to Las Vegas and Atlantis City have played for decades, even if it's not the
most cost-effective Roulette game to play. I've discussed this game on other
pages, but I wanted to give a complete history of Roulette in its own
separate article. Here's how roulette got started.
Roulette Wheels
The first roulette machine probably was invented in the mid-17th century by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, philosopher, and inventor who died at the age of 39 (1662). Among other things, Pascal is known for creating early calculating machines, but in his attempt to creating a perpetual motion machine, Pascal created what we would recognize as a roulette wheel. A primitive form of the game was played in these days.
I
n the 18th century, roulette developed in England, France, and Italy,
perhaps evolved from earlier English wheel games like Reiner, E.O., Roly
Poly, and Ace of Hearts. The game was banned as early as 1758 in New France,
now known as Canada, along with faro, hoca, and dice. This hardly stopped
play.
Roulette Nobel Reference
The first literary reference to roulette was in a 1796 French novel of the same name, when it was written that a game by that name was played in the Palais Royale in Paris--a palace once home to the powerful Cardinal Richelieu, his successor Cardinal Mazarin, and later the House of Orleans (a French royal line). 1796 was during the days of the French Revolution, when the place was known as Palais de Tribunal, so these were French revolutionary leaders who first played roulette.
Early Roulette Variations
In the early days, there was no standard set of numbers on the roulette wheel. Twenty-six was an early number for the wheel, while twenty-eight was also common, while a "0" and "00" were used on the wheel. This meant that the early versions of roulette greatly favored the house, and offered much worse odds than you would get anywhere in a live casino or online casino today.
European Roulette Makes an Appearance
The first referenced game of what we know as "European Roulette" came in 1843, when the German spa town of Homberg advertised single-zero roulette to set itself apart from competitors. While this may have drawn in customers, double-zero roulette was played throughout most of Europe and the world--until gambling was all-but outlawed throughout the continent of Europe.
By the 1860's, the German government had outlawed gambling of all sorts, and other European nations were following suit. The tiny French principality of Monaco became the sole haven for gambling in Europe, specifically in the resort town of Monte Carlo. This became the destination for Europe's upper classes, and it was in Monte Carlo that European Roulette became the accepted version of the game. As this was the Victorian Age and the last great scramble for European overseas empires, Europe's imperial powers, like Britain, France, and the Netherlands, spread the Monte Carlo version of the game (single-zero roulette) to the world.
Roulette in the United States
Not so in America. Americans not so much went their own way, as they were isolated from the changes in the game found in Europe and their overseas colonies. In the 19th century, the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans were like giant moats isolating North America from the world, so the American version of Roulette, played in (often technically illegal) gambling halls across the land and riverboat in the Mississippi River, continued along the traditional double-zero play style. As the rest of the world did away with the 00-bank, the United States of America continued to play the older version of the game.
Is American Roulette or European Roulette Better?
For the player, you should always choose European Roulette over American Roulette. On the 12-number and 18-number bets, the "0" and "00" are always losing plays. So if you have one game with only the "0" and another game with both the "0" and "00", it stands to reason that the latter game is going to come up a loss twice as often. Always play European Roulette, if you have the choice.
American Roulette Odds
Casino odds are set by state laws throughout most of the United States today. The odds tend to be 34/1 or 35/1, meaning they cannot pay off lower than 34-to-1 on a single number bet, and the multiple number bets also cannot fall below that same percentage. In the American Frontier stage, casinos and saloons typically set the numbers at 27-to-1--considerably worse odds.
I'll discuss roulette odds more fully in a later article, but it should go with saying that roulette is not one of the best gambling propositions in most casinos, whether online or otherwise. If you enjoy roulette, it's probably because you enjoy the spin of the wheel and the unique feel of the game, along with the lack of hard choices or strategy requirements. If you enjoy American Roulette, then enjoy the game for what it is.
