The game of roulette has a storied history and, depending on how you look at it, is one of the easiest gambling games to learn to play. Also, because of its potential for high stakes action and big payouts, it is one of the most exciting games of chance in the world.
It started in France in the seventeenth century, but since then has made its way all across the globe. In modern times, with the proliferation of the internet and digital age, the game of roulette is no longer exclusively played in brick and mortar establishments such as casinos and private gambling clubs. Today it has a prominent presence in the online and video worlds as well. There are all manner of websites devoted to casino games, especially the game of roulette. Some of the best places to play mobile roulette online are within the casinos of the Fortune Lounge Group. These casinos include Royal Vegas, Vegas Palms, and 7Sultans, to name a few.
More specifically, there are dozens of different iPad roulette apps available for the device, both for a nominal fee or for free. But before we take a brief look at some of the more popular iPad roulette apps, let’s delve briefly into the history of the game, as well as how it is played.
A Quick History Lesson
Many scholars believe that the game of roulette holds its origins from way back in the seventeenth century in France. Back in that time, an inventor created a crude version of what we know today to be the roulette wheel. This Frenchman by the name of Blaise Pascal wasn’t looking to create a new gambling game or means of entertainment. Instead, he was thoroughly devoted to creating a perpetual motion machine.
He never did get his machine off the ground, but it didn’t take long for some of his French compatriots to realize that there were other applications for his device, including gambling. Soon, crude versions of modern roulette began springing up all over France. From there, the evolution of the game of roulette perpetuated by forming inventive combinations of British and Italian games such as Roly-Poly, Reiner, Ace of Hearts, and E.O. as well as Biribi and Hoca.
Eventually, the closest predecessor to the current versions of roulette came to fruition as long ago as 1796, making it just older than two centuries. But the real propagators of the game of roulette into the modern age are two French brothers by the names of Francois and Louis Blanc, and they were living in Germany in the mid-nineteenth century just as gambling in its entirety was being outlawed there.
The brothers loved the game of roulette, and because it and all forms of gambling became illegal in the country where they lived, they were inspired to set up a casino in one of the last bastions of legal gambling in all of Europe, Monte Carlo. It was in that casino that the brothers featured prominently one of their favorite games, roulette.
The version of roulette that the brothers endorsed and had in their casino was the single zero version, and this was done purposely as the brothers Blanc intended to compete with the double zero version.
There were some early versions of the roulette wheel that had only 28 slots as compared to modern slots that have typically either 37 or 38 slots, depending on if you’re playing the American or European version. Back when the Blanc brothers were setting up shop in Monte Carlo, many American slots were featuring a double zero version of the game, and this is why today the roulette wheel with two zero slots is known as the American version.
Also in America at that time, many of the casino roulette wheels featured a slot with an eagle on it. Today, these eagle roulette wheels are extremely rare and extremely valuable, sometimes even selling for up to $1,000 at auction.
As the nineteenth century perpetuated, the double zero version of roulette was growing in popularity all the way from New Orleans to California, and its dedication as the American version was solidified in that time frame.
How to Play Roulette
Roulette is usually played with up to eight players, though that number can shift depending on the house rules. When a player wants to enter a game, they must place the desired amount of chips upon the bet they wish to make on a board containing a numbered and colored grid. This board contains all of the numbers on the roulette wheel. If the wheel is European, then it will only have one zero slot. If the wheel is American, then it will have both a zero slot as well as a 00 slot.
Once all of the players place their bets on the board, the dealer, or croupier, spins the roulette wheel. He or she will then roll a tiny ball in a circle along the perimeter of the spinning wheel. Once the ball is in motion, the croupier will call out that no more bets may be made.
Eventually, the ball will approach the spinning wheel in a gradual constricting spiral until it hits the wheel and eventually gets lodged in one of the slots in the roulette wheel. Where the ball end up is what determines whether a bet wins or loses.