The Basics
Roulette is probably the game most people think about when you mention the word Casino and the modern from of the game and in fact the game can be traced back to the middle of the 18th century when it became popular in the USA having been imported from France. In Roulette players, usually up to eight, all play against the house/casino which is represented by the croupier also refereed to as the dealer, who both spins the roulette wheel and handles the bets and payout's. The wheel itself has 37 slots representing 36 numbers and one zero. In America most wheels have two zeros, one single 0 and one double 00 therefore 38 slots in total giving the casino even more of an edge than the european version.

To play each of the players buys-in a slightly different colored chip so that their bets don't get mixed up with each other. At the end of the spin, if you have won, your colored chips are exchanged with cash chips. These are special chips which have the value printed on them. These cash chips are available in many different denominations each with its own color. You can then either take these chips to the cash desk where they exchange them for cash or you can choose to see if your luck holds at the table.

To take part in a round the player places one or several bets on numbers (any number including the zero) in the table layout and/or on various other combinations such as a group of numbers or simply black or white. When all the players have placed their bets, the croupier spins the wheel and launches the ball into it. A few moments before the ball settles on a slot the croupier will announce 'no more bets'. From that point on all bets are locked in and no more bets are allowed until the ball comes to rest. It's only after the croupier places what is called the 'dolly' on the winning number, pays out the winning bets and clears away the losing bets that you can start placing bets for the next round. The payout's are listed below and depend on the bet placed.

Object of the game
Blackjack is a game of mostly luck although there can be some tactics involved in minimising the bets but thereby also reducing the overall win. To succeed the player has to anticipate where the ball will land after each spin. Some players will go with certain with what is referred to as 'hot' numbers and therefore they think more likely to come up frequently. Others will try and see which numbers did not come up for a while and bet on them in the belief that the number must come up again soon. Clearly both these tactics rely on luck as the probability of any number coming up is exactly the same for each spin of the wheel although the chance of a certain number coming up repeatedly in sequence is low. Certain players employ special systems or methods to try and give themselves better odds. Overall Roulette in my opinion is a game of pure chance so by all means have a go if you're feeling lucky but another games rely on a bit more skill and therefore offer a better chance of victory.

The payouts
A straight bet or a bet on a specific number pays 35 to 1. (You collect 36. With no house advantage it should be 36 to1).
A two-number bet, where you place your chip so that it touches two numbers at the same time, called a split bet, pays 17 to 1.
A three-number bet, referred to as a street bet, pays 11 to 1.
A four-number bet, touching on four numbers at same time e.g. on the cross of 10,11,13,and 14, called corner bet, pays 8 to 1.
A six-number bet, pays 5 to 1.
A bet placed on the outside dozen, 1st 12, 2nd 12 or 3rd 12 or on one of the columns, pays 2 to 1.
A bet on the outside even money bets, which are one of the following; 1-18,19-36, odd,even, black or white, pays out at 1 to 1.

The house advantage
On a single zero roulette tables the house advantage is approximately 2.7%. On a double zero (USA) roulette table it is 5.26% (7.9% on the five-number bet, 0-00-1-2-3). The house advantage exists by paying the winning player(s) a chip or two less than what the probabilities would dictate if there was no advantage. In the case of Roulette the advantage exists through the use of the 0 or 00.