Roulette History Definition

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Roulette, a French word meaning 'small wheel', is the oldest casino game still in existence. In some places, it is known as the 'King of Casino Games.' Although the game of roulette as we know it first emerged in the late 17th or early 18th century in European casinos, there are many stories and legends relating to its origins.

One story is that the game began in China and was brought to Europe by Dominican monks. Another story is that the game was created by ancient Romans who used to spin their chariot wheels on their sides.

The Roulette wheel was invented by a French physicist, inventor, and mathematician named Blaise Pascal. Initially, Pascal wasn't trying to invent a casino game. In 1655, Pascal tried to invent a perpetual motion machine. A a perpetual motion machine is a machine that continues to operate without drawing energy from an external source. Ancestors of Roulette? Roulette in French means 'Small Wheel' which again points back to a French origin of the game. However, if you read the many websites out there with a summary history of Roulette, they almost all point to supposed ancestors that are English, namely: 'Roly Poly', 'Ace of hearts' and 'Even-Odd' and Italian, namely 'Biribi' and 'Hoca'. NEXT PREVIOUS View on Wikipedia Copy URL. Install the Chrome Extension About WikiRoulette. Use the left and right arrows to move forward and back.

The most enduring legend, though, is that French mathematician Blaise Pascal invented the game as a result of his attempts to build a perpetual motion machine around 1657. At that time in England, there had been a game called 'roly-poly' which featured a spinning ball and horizontal wheel that is seen as a prelude to modern roulette. When that was banned in 1740, Beau Nash who was the Master of Ceremonies in Bath England created a game called 'EO' or even-odd. This game was easier to play than 'roly-poly' but was banned in 1745.

In 1796 the first modern roulette table appeared in Paris casinos. In 1842 Francois and Louis Blanc added the '0' to the roulette wheel to increase house odds. There is a legend surrounding the addition of the '0' to the roulette table. The legend is that Francois Blanc made a pact with the devil to learn the secrets of roulette. It is based on the fact that when the numbers of the wheel are added up the resulting total comes to '666' which is believed to be the mark of the devil.

When gambling was banned in France the Blancs moved to Germany and set up a gambling house there. Gambling was eventually outlawed in Germany as well but Charles III, the Prince of Monaco who was looking for a way to relieve the financial problems his region was experiencing invited Louis Blanc (his brother had died by this time) to his country to set up Monaco's first casino.

The casino was an instant hit and was seen as a glamorous and elegant game that was not only easy to play but thrilling as well. It is still highly regarded in the country's magnificent and plush casinos. The game eventually made its way to the U.S. in the early 1800s first appearing in New Orleans.

The roulette wheel consists of thirty-six compartments number from 1 to 36. They are in alternating red and black colors. A 37th compartment is painted green and has the number 0 on European-style wheels or 00 on American-style wheels. The game is played with players placing chips on the roulette table on any number, group, or classification they hope will win.

The dealer spins the wheel in a counter-clockwise direction, then drops in a small ivory or plastic ball in the wheel's backtrack in the opposite direction. Players can still place bets while the wheel is in motion. When the wheel drops off the backtrack the ball will fall into one of the numbered partitions on the wheel. The dealer calls out the number and color then collects all losing bets and pays off the winners.

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rou•lette

Pronunciation: (r-let'), [key]

—n.

a game of chance played at a table marked off with numbers from 1 to 36, one or two zeros, and several other sections affording the players a variety of betting opportunities, and having in the center a revolving, dishlike device into which a small ball is spun to come to rest finally in one of the 37 or 38 compartments, indicating the winning number and its characteristics, as odd or even, red or black, and between 1 and 18 or 19 and 36.
a small wheel, esp. one with sharp teeth, mounted in a handle, for making lines of marks, dots, or perforations: engravers' roulettes; a roulette for perforating sheets of postage stamps.
a row of short cuts, in which no paper is removed, made between individual stamps to permit their ready separation.

—v.t.

to mark, impress, or perforate with a roulette.