The Origins of Roulette
Mystical gambling
The word Roulette derives from the French word "Small Wheel".
Roulette is said to have been invented in 1655 by French monk Blaise Pacal during his monastic retreat. Others believe a lonely monk who wanted to escape the monotonous lifestyle of a monastery invented it. Other people believe it derived from an old Chinese game and was originally played in Tibet. The most mystical belief of Roulette is that Francois Blanc, who founded the first casino in Monte Carlo in 1842, sold his soul to the devil to learn the true meaning of Roulette. It's funny actually because if you add up all the numbers on the Roulette wheel they add up to 666. Coincidence?
In any case, the history of Roulette to this day still remains a mystery. There have been so many theories that have gone unsolved through time, and this game will probably remain a mystery forever.
The Roulette we see today first appeared around 1842 when brothers Francois and Louis Blanc first introduced it into a casino. Both the single and double zero originated in France, but the double zero was dropped in Europe and is still played that way to this day. When Roulette was introduced to the USA, they decided to go with the double zero most probably because the house edge is much higher with the double zero. The double zero Roulette game is called American Roulette and the single zero European roulette.
French Roulette has the same rules as American and European Roulette apart from one minor difference. The entire game is played in French. The entire layout is written in French so it would be a good idea to familiarise yourself with the language.
Passe - high numbers
Manque - Low numbers
Pair - Even numbers
Impair - Odd numbers
P - 1st Dozens
M - 2nd Dozen
D - 3rd Dozen
