The history behind roulette

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The history behind the origin of roulette is interlaced with tales of numbers and even a deal with the devil. Starting with its name, it directly translates to “little wheel” in French, and ever since the game was invented back in the 18th Century, it has taken players through a roller-coaster of happiness, excitement, tension and dashed hopes. On to its origin, it all started in the 17th Century when Blaise Pascal, a French student created a wheel to guide him in his probability studies. He called it a motion machine. It was later modified to become the roulette wheel. It is said to have been spotted in Paris by the end of the 18th century in a game played by royalty. The early version had ‘pockets’ numbering 0-36. However, as casinos looked to increase their odds, a double zero was added.According to legend, Blaise made a pact with the devil, apparently, to gain the secrets of winning in the game. This was just one of the many intrigues that helped add to its popularity, not to mention that the sum of its numbers adds up to 666.By the 19th century, it was played throughout Europe and in America. At the time, some tables featured roulette with a double zero pocket, which gave the house an edge in the odds, while others had just a single zero and were more popular among patrons. Today, a table featuring a double zero is considered to be the American version, while that with just one is considered to be of the European style.

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