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Roulette Roots are in Europe
Ironically enough, despite the name American Roulette, this game originally developed in Europe. The version of American Roulette that is played today came about as a result of the game of Roulette not providing enough revenue for the players and the casinos. The rationale behind the introduction of American Roulette to the casinos can be understood when the history of the original game is known.
The History of Roulette and Blaise Pascal
Roulette is a game with a rich history. Although it is first charted as being played in the 1600's there are stories from earlier times as far back as the Egyptians who were thought to have decorated a sphere with different symbols and sent it spinning with a small token on top of it. Bets were placed on where the token would come to land. The more well known history of the Roulette wheel stems from the mathematician Blaise Pascal who invented the Roulette wheel in his quest for an answer to perpetual motion. He devised a wheel with numbered pockets and set it spinning, a ball was then thrown into the spinning wheel and he charted where it would come to land when the wheel stopped. This game became known as Roulette as we know it today. The name Roulette is from the French for "little-wheel". Casinos and gaming houses favored the invention of Pascal's and it became very popular. The original Roulette wheel did not have a zero in it, there were only 35 pockets but by 1842 after the wheel had been in existence for over two hundred years, there were new players and faces on the scene who wanted to add a bit of change and action to the game.
European Roulette History
In 1842 two clever Frenchman by the names of Francois and Lois Blanc decided that by adding a zero to the wheel there would be more chances for the players to win. This addition of the zero took off very well and soon became widely accepted. This version of Roulette was known as European Roulette and was one of the leading games played in the French and other European casinos. It changed the nature of the game and with it different odds were offered for the winning numbers. Naturally the Roulette wheel made its way over the Atlantic to America where it also became a storming success. This was the start of American Roulette
American Roulette "Improvements"
Americans are always looking for better ways to do things, which may be why they are so successful. So when the Roulette wheel arrived in America in the late 1800's the clever players and casino owners were looking for ways to increase their chances of winning. The casinos wanted to make more money for themselves but with still giving the players the belief that they too would have more of a chance. The solution was the addition of another zero to the Roulette wheel. So in fact players were now betting on the chance of the ball coming to rest in one of 38 pockets. This gave better odds for the house and also more chances to win and more bets to be made for the players. All of the parties involved were happy and American Roulette became the standard Roulette game played across the Atlantic in America. In Europe for some reason the Europeans did not like the addition of the extra zero so kept their wheel with one zero and it has still remained that way from all of those years ago.
The Changing of the Roulette Colours
There is one change that the Americans made that the Europeans did like and adopt. The original wheel with the two zeros was very confusing for many as it had the single zero in color red and the double zero in color black. It was very difficult to differentiate between the zeros and the other numbers. The American Roulette game instituted the change of the color of the zero pockets; both the single zero and the double zero were changed to green and have remained so today. This way they can be identified very easily.
All other rules of American Roulette are played in the same way as the other Roulette games and just as there were clever people trying to beat the wheel in European Roulette, there were also people who tried to beat the wheel in American Roulette. A man by the name of Joseph Jagger hired six clerks to record and chart where the ball would come to rest at consecutive games. He used this information to work out the probability of where the ball would come to land at each spin of the wheel. Surprisingly enough his tracking methods were successful and he managed to win a lot of money. Others followed suit and with the growth of the computer technology in the late 1900's computer programs were used to chart games and work out probabilities.
Online Roulette
From the growth of computers for charting the games, computers soon became used for playing the game of American Roulette and other Roulette games. By the late 20th Century the internet had been born and with it came the introduction of online casinos to the computer savvy public. At first Roulette was not a widely accepted game to be played on the internet as players were wary of the wheel being fixed and also it took a long time for credits to be transferred to online casinos. But towards the late 1990's online banking and secure payment systems were in full operation and all of these fears were squashed. The online roulette wheel was generated by a random number generator so there was no fear of cheating and thanks to the fantastic software that has been written for online casinos, the atmosphere of a land based casino has been easily transported to the online casinos. Players who previously were wary of trying their luck at the casino could now play roulette at home in comfort and privacy. Online casinos and flash casinos lowered the betting minimums and online roulette became a game that anyone could play. Roulette was no longer an exclusive high rolling game.
Since its beginnings in the early 1600's or even before, Roulette has had a rich and varied history. It is a game that is always associated with casinos, the color of the Roulette wheel with its red and black pockets (and green for zeros) projects an enthralling image that entices players to the game. American Roulette with its extra chances of winning for the player and its chance of better revenues for the casinos has only improved the level of the game and helped it to become more popular.
If you like online games - try the simplicity of Keno!
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