Roulette is a casino game that can be found in nearly every gambling establishment. It’s easy enough for beginners to pick up and play, but it offers a lot of depth for serious players.

The word “roulette” is French for little wheel. In the game, a croupier spins a numbered wheel and then puts chips on the table, correlating with the slots where the ball can land. Bets can be placed on single numbers, groups of numbers, colors (red or black), whether the number is odd or even, and whether it’s high or low. When the ball lands in one of the slotted areas, the player wins money.

Before you start betting, set a budget and stick to it. Each roulette table carries a placard describing the minimum and maximum bets allowed. It’s also a good idea to read up on the different bet types and their odds before placing your chips.

Once the dealer clears the table, players place their chips on the table map according to their desired bets. Typically, bettors begin with “outside” bets, which cover groups of numbers instead of individual digits and are often cheaper. After the bets are placed, the dealer spins the wheel in one direction and rolls a small ball in the opposite direction around the rim of the wheel.

As the wheel stops, a marker on the winning number is marked and the winners’ winning chips are paid. If you have won, do not dip into your winnings to bet again; doing so will skew the odds for future rounds.

The wheel is a solid wooden disk slightly convex in shape. Around its rim are metal separators, called frets or compartments by roulette croupiers. Thirty-six of these compartments are painted alternately red and black, while a green compartment carries the sign 0 on European-style wheels, and two green ones on American wheels carry the signs 00. Each player purchases a color chip from the dealer, assigning it a value equal to the table’s minimum bet.