Roulette is a casino game that involves spinning a small ball on a wheel. The wheel has 36 numbered pockets, plus a single 0 and sometimes a double 00 (depending on the type of roulette being played). Bets are placed on the table, corresponding to the number of slots in which the ball can land. The dealer spins the wheel in one direction, and then rolls a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track that runs around the outer edge of the wheel.

The game is played with colored chips, each indicating its value. Players receive six to eight sets of colored chips when they buy in, and each set contains 300 chips. Unlike other casino games, roulette chips do not have a denomination printed on them; instead, the player is assigned a color that corresponds to their buy-in. This prevents cheating by making it harder to discern between different players’ chips.

When a player is ready to leave the table, they place all their remaining roulette chips on the table and tell the dealer that they would like to cash out. They will then be given normal casino chips in exchange.

There are many roulette strategies, but most of them focus on placing bets on definite numbers or small groups of numbers. The odds for these bets are lower than those of other bets, but the payouts are higher. The Dozens bet, for example, pays 2:1. Another popular bet is the Columns bet, which pays 1:1.

Regardless of the specifics of any particular strategy, it is important to understand that the house always has an edge in roulette, so any bet made against the house will lose money over time. This is why it is crucial to play only at reputable casinos with a reputation for fairness.

Despite its complicated construction and seemingly impenetrable rules, the roulette wheel is actually quite simple to use. It is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape, with 37 or 38 numbered compartments ranging from 1 to 36, painted alternately red and black. There is also a green compartment with the symbol of 0, and on American wheels, two additional green compartments with the symbols of 00. The rim of the disk is lined with metal separators, called frets or dividers, and in between each of these sections are arranged a series of numbered compartments that appear as if they were carved into the surface of the wheel. These are called “pockets” by roulette croupiers. The dividers are positioned in such a way that they allow the ball to come to rest only in one of the pocket locations. The roulette croupier then announces the winning number. The winning bet is the number that has a colored marker placed over it. The other bets are losing bets. The game is then repeated. Historically, the game has been associated with gambling dens and high-class social events in Europe. The name is thought to be derived from the French word for “little wheel.”