Roullete (or Roulette) is a casino game played by spinning a ball around and about a rotating wheel. The player places a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the colors red and black, whether the number is odd or even, and other combinations. The payouts on these bets vary depending on the odds of winning. The roulette wheel consists of a solid wooden bowl slightly convex in shape with thirty-six colored compartments or pockets, numbered consecutively from 1 to 36, on the inside. A croupier, or dealer, spins the roulette ball into the bowl on a special track and then releases it to bounce around the rim until it settles in one of the pockets. The croupier then announces, “No more bets.” While there are many theories about the origin of roulette, it is generally agreed that the game was derived from the older games hoca and portique and was developed into its modern form by the end of the 17th century. It is also widely believed that the game was invented by French mathematician Blaise Pascal as part of his experiments to create a perpetual motion machine, and it gained a great deal of popularity in France. Roulette has become an iconic gambling game in casinos and gambling dens worldwide, and it is also popular online. There are a wide variety of betting options and strategies available for roulette players, but beware: any system that promises you a surefire way to win is a scam. A winning bet is one that correctly predicts the number or type of number that will come up when the wheel stops. There are a few simple strategies that can help you maximize your chances of winning. Outside bets are those that cover a larger area of the table and offer higher odds of winning than bets placed on individual numbers. These bets include the Dozens bet, which combines bets on either the first dozen, the second, or the third; the Columns bet, which covers 12 vertical rows of numbers; and the Line bet, which is placed by placing your chips at the edge of a row. These bets pay 2-1.