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HISTORY OF ROULETTE
Roulette history is hard to come by because the origin of roulette is lost, and there was likely some form of a wheel based game going back almost as far as the origin of the wheel itself. There are stories that the game was invented in China and brought to Europe by traders who were trading with the Chinese.
The game of roulette has fascinated casino patrons for close to 300 years now. Although no one seems to know all of the details surrounding its origination and development, some form of the game is probably as old as the "wheel" itself. There are accounts of ancient Romans tipping their chariots on their sides and spinning one of the wheels for games of amusement. The word roulette itself is French, meaning "little wheel". Several early versions of roulette appeared in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. It is believed that the noted French scientist and mathematician, Blaise Pascal, invented the mechanism in 1657 while experimenting with perpetual motion devices. Pascal, incidentally, pioneered the mathematical field of "probability."
The first account we have of a spinning ball and rotating horizontal wheel being used as a gaming device was in a game called "roly-poly," in 1720. The Gaming Acts of 1739 and 1740 banned roly-poly, as well as many other games of chance, in England. An innovative Beau Nash, the Master of Ceremonies at Bath, England, evaded these laws by introducing "EO." EO, or even-odd, was a simplified version of the game, but that too was outlawed in 1745. During the next 50 years, the game evolved into the one we would recognize today. These modern wheels appeared in Paris casinos around 1796. They contained all of the familiar elements that survive today; the alternating red and black colors, the layout of numbered pockets 1 through 36, the 0 and the 00. About the only difference being that the single zero was red in color (although the casino barred any "red" bets from winning if 0 appeared) and the double zero was black (again barring "black" bets). To alleviate the confusion, the color "green" was eventually assigned to the zeros.
This version of roulette found its way over to the U.S. by way of Europeans in New Orleans in the early 1800's. Some proprietors, not content with a big 5.26% edge, experimented with wheels containing 31 pockets. These wheels were numbered 1 through 28, with a 0, 00 and an "Eagle" pocket. These greedy proprietors paid out only 26 to 1 for a single number win (30 to 1 is the fair pay out). This translates into a whooping 12.90% house edge! People soon stopped playing these wheels in favor of the original double zero wheels.
Meanwhile, back on the "continent," two innovative brothers from France, went in the opposite direction. Francois and Louis Blanc introduced the first single zero roulette wheel in 1842. They left France, where gambling was illegal, and set up a house in Homburg, Bavaria (now Germany). The new single zero wheel, with a 2.70% edge instead of the double zero's 5.26% edge, was an instant hit. It decimated the competition. When gambling was outlawed in Germany, Louis Blanc (who survived his brother) accepted an invitation from the Prince of Monaco, Charles III, for whom Monte Carlo was named. For a cost of 2 Million Francs, he was allowed to establish and operate the magnificent casino that sets all the standards in Europe.
Although both the double zero and single zero wheels originated in France, the double zero became known as the "American Wheel," because it survived in the states. The popularity of the single zero wheel had supplanted the double zero wheels in Europe and consequently was dubbed the "French Wheel." In Europe, the option of "En Prison" was offered, further lowering the house edge, on even money wagers, down to 1.35%! No wonder the game accounts for over 50% of revenues in European casinos as compared to about 5% in U.S. casinos. Casinos today in Atlantic City, do offer En Prison for even money bets on their double zero wheels. This effectively reduces the casinos' edge from 5.26% to 2.63% for those bets.
Roulette did enjoy popularity stateside around the turn of the century up until World War II. As Americans learned to lose less at craps and subsequently became interested in the notion that black jack was beatable, roulette declined in popularity. Roulette is the oldest casino game still in existence. It is possible that with the emergence of more single zero wheels in the United States, and a well informed gambling public, the game may enjoy a resurgence in popularity.
Second version:
Roulette is said by some to have been started or invented way back in 1655 by the French scientist Blaise Pascal, during his monastic retreat, and first played in a makeshift casino in Paris. Other historians claim however that a French monk invented it in order to help break some of the monotony of daily monastery life. Still others say it originated in an old Chinese game whose object was to arrange 37 statuettes of animals in a "magic square" of 666 (but they fail to describe the method of play). They add that the game was later played in Tibet, and eventually by French Dominican monks. One of these monks is said to have transposed the statuettes into numbers from 0 to 36, and arranged them haphazardly along the rim of a revolving wheel. Since the early French roulette wheels of the 1800s had both the 0 and 00, this theory does not sound plausible.
The history of roulette thus remains a bit shrouded in mystery. Claims and counter-claims over the years have not helped to solve many of the riddles and missing links surrounding the game, and undoubtedly, the true origin of the game will remain a mystery forever.
The modern version of the Roulette wheel did not appear until around 1842 when Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc are said to have invented the single "0" roulette game. Eventually, the game was brought to America. However, the single "0" modification was rejected in the United States and roulette history was altered forever with American roulette wheels being made standard with the two zeros "00".
Although both the double zero and single zero wheels originated in France, the double zero became known as the "American Wheel," because it was accepted with open arms and survived in the states. The popularity of the single zero wheel had supplanted the double zero wheels in Europe and consequently was dubbed the "French Wheel." Roulette is the oldest casino game still in existence today.
Third version:
The history of Roulette is difficult to determine because the origin of roulette is lost. There was likely some form of a wheel based game going back almost as far as the origin of the wheel itself. There are stories that the game was invented in China and brought to Europe by traders who were trading with the Chinese.
Several early versions of a wheel and spinning ball were invented in the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe. The first games that we would recognize as modern roulette were introduced in Paris casinos around the end of the 18th century. This game contained all of the features that we have today with the one exception, the single zero was red while the double zero was black. This led to some confusion for players and the color green was introduced for the zero and double zero to alleviate the confusion.
In the mid 19th century the single zero game was invented in France, this reduced the casino's edge thereby increasing the odds of the player. When gambling was outlawed in Germany the inventor of the single zero machine (Louis Blanc) accepted an invitation to go to Monaco to establish and operate a casino. The casino set the standards for roulette in Europe, and roulette remained exclusive to Monte Carlo until 1933. This led to the gambling and resort industry in Monaco as many of Europe's rich were attracted to the luxurious Monte Carlo casino.
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The use of the double zero roulette wheels survived in the United States and is sometimes called the "American Wheel". The introduction of the single zero wheel (with better odds for the player) resulted in the demise of the double zero wheels in Europe and has become known as the "French Wheel" in roulette history.
In Europe (also Atlantic City in the U.S.) the Casino's offered another refinement to the game that increased the odds yet again for the player, the option of "En Prison" was offered. With the en prison option if the player has bet an even money bet (Even-Odd, Red-Black, 1-18 or 19-36) and zero or double zero is the next outcome the player has two options:
The player can "imprison" the bet. This means the bet stays where it is and the next spin determines if the bet is lost or returned to the player.
The player may surrender half of the bet.
Most people exercise the en prison option so don't be surprised if the croupier assumes that you will also, be sure to tell him/her if you would prefer to surrender half of your bet.
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