Roulette is a casino game in which a ball rolls around a wheel and players wager on what number it will land on. It is immensely popular and there are various strategies for winning it; but before placing bets it is vitally important that you understand the house edge and its impact on your odds of victory.

The house edge measures how much money you lose to casinos over time. As its name suggests, a higher house edge increases your likelihood of losing it all to them over time. Roulette has a house edge of 2.70% but there are ways to decrease this. One is betting outside bets with lower house edges that pay out more often while La Partage rule can lower this to as little as 1.35%.

When playing Roulette, dealers will provide bettors with colored chips to distinguish among themselves and to maintain order within the table. Each color represents an amount, determined by your buy-in amount (for example if you put in PS20 they will provide 20 chips each valued at PS1) If you win an bet then these chips will be replaced by regular casino chips and vice versa.

As an alternative, try your hand at mini roulette tables; these tables are great for beginners or anyone wanting to test their skills. These smaller-than-standard roulette tables can fit up to six players at once and are portable, making them suitable for playing both at home or when travelling.

Since its invention in 17th-century France, roulette has provided casino-goers with glamour, mystery and excitement. Although its rules are simple and easy to grasp, they provide surprising depth for serious bettors.

Though there are various betting options, the optimal ones are those which provide the highest probability of success. Outside bets like the dozens and columns offer this advantage and are less risky than individual digit bets while offering lower payouts.

In the 1970s, a group of physics postgraduates known as Eudaemons used theoretical insights to beat roulette with theoretical advantage; unfortunately their exploit was never publicly released for public knowledge. Since then, J. Doyne Farmer has devised an ingenious method for beating the game using complex math and an innovative computer hidden inside their shoe – potentially reaping immense profits for players who learn his approach.