Ever since French Roulette graces the halls of the French nobility, Europe and the rest of the world haven’t been able to get enough of the little wheel game. Even with the rise of the online casino industry and the massive technological benefits, the beauty and joy of Roulette, is that the essence of the game hasn’t changed much at all. However, with the power of mobile gaming and AI in the loop, the classic roulette game is now available in many exciting new variants with new winning opportunities. This article is a deep dive into how the classic game roulette has evolved through the years to remain relevant.
The Origins of Roulette
French Roulette is the oldest of the three main roulette games. Its roots go back to France in the 1600s. However, some experts have Roulette’s origins dating back to ancient Greek and Roman times. It was said that the Greek and Roman soldiers used their shields to spin the marbles and small pebbles around to amuse themselves in between battles. No matter the official history, most roulette players and fans give Blaise Pascal official credit for creating the roulette wheel. Roulette itself means little wheel in French.
Using his physics and mathematics background, it is believed that Blaise Pascal created the foundation for the French Roulette wheel and later the first roulette table. As French Roulette became popular, it was soon played throughout Europe. For non-French speakers, they created European Roulette. European Roulette plays identically to French Roulette, including the single zero and the same 2.70% house edge. However, with European Roulette, the wording is all written in English.
As European Roulette fever grew, French colonists and immigrants brought Roulette into America in the 1800s, specifically in New Orleans, which was popular for its gambling parlors. It didn’t take long for Roulette to sweep over America, to the point they added the double zero to distinguish it from the other roulette variants.
The Rise of Roulette Strategies
During the early years of Roulette, it didn’t take long for French players to take their game to the next level. By the 1700s, professional roulette players had developed and perfected the Martingale strategy. With the Martingale strategy, players who lose should double their bets to help offset losses quickly. And when they win, they should go back to the original bet.
It didn’t take long for the success of the Martingale for other roulette betting strategies to come onto the scene. By the mid-1750s, roulette players began perfecting the d’Alembert method. The d’Alembert method calls for players to progressively increase their bets after a loss and to progressively decrease them after a win. This is where the concept of progressive betting strategies for Roulette and other games comes from.
Other popular roulette strategies include:
· The Reverse Martingale (Paroli)
· The James Bond Method
· The Fibonacci Method
· The Labouchere Method
Modern Roulette Variants and Side Bets
One of the reasons why online Roulette is thriving at online casinos is because it offers members the choice to play the classic variants while playing the new and exotic ones. For tradition, most online casinos still support American, French, and European variants. However, the top traditional and online sweepstakes casinos have expanded Roulette to feature live dealer play.
Live Roulette allows roulette enthusiasts and supports the thrill of playing classic Roulette or other variants like Lightning and Platinum Roulette with a live croupier. Game developers like Evolution Gaming and Playtech stream the live roulette experience in beautiful 4K resolution with graphics so real it feels like you’re actually playing at a big-time casino.
The live roulette experience also features multiple camera angles, so you don’t miss that winning roulette spin. Games like First Person and Auto Roulette have the camera angle from the player’s perspective, so it seems like you’re spinning the roulette wheel. All of these roulette variants accept traditional roulette bets, including straight-up, odd, and even and column bets. However, with new additions like Gravity Roulette, players can also make these roulette side bets:
· Orphans bets
· Neighbors bets
· Jeu Zero
The Future of Online Roulette
With new online casinos and more social casinos exploding onto the scene, the future continues to be bright for online Roulette. Prominent game developers like Playtech are working to expand their online roulette games to make them more appealing. AI also continues to play a massive role in the casino game development. With AI, more online casinos can concentrate on developing exclusive roulette games that are only available at their sites.