Roulette is a casino game of chance where players place bets on the outcome of a spin of a wheel. The rules of the game are relatively simple, but serious betters can use a variety of strategies to increase their chances of winning.
The name roullete derives from the French word for “wheel.” The modern game’s origin is unknown, although 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal was credited with inventing it. It became popular among gamblers in the early 18th century and was widely adopted by casinos throughout Europe. In the United States, the game is known as American Roulette.
In a nutshell, the game’s wheel has numbered pockets ranging from 0 to 36 (in American roulette, there is an additional “00”). The numbers are alternately red and black and are not in sequential order, with the exception of the 00 pocket, which is green. A croupier spins the wheel, sending a small white ball spinning that will land on one of the pockets. Bets are placed on the table correlating with the pockets in which the ball can possibly land.
Unlike other casino games, roulette chips do not have a denomination printed on them. Instead, each player receives a specific color that signifies the amount of money they have given to the dealer. When a player wants to leave the table, they must place all of their roulette chips on the table and tell the dealer that they would like them cashed out. The dealer will then give them normal casino chips in return.
Before a new round begins, the dealer will usually announce “no more bets!” This helps prevent cheating by giving players extra time to place their chips. When the round is over, the dealer will clear the losing bets and pay the winners before starting a new one.
For nearly 25 years, the TriBeCa loft that housed Roulette served as a crucial laboratory for avant-garde music, attracting a renowned cohort of composers, improvisers and electronic producers to the space. Now that Jim Staley, 73, has decided to step down as artistic director, the venerable venue is shifting into a more traditional role, but its mission of supporting experimental arts continues. Visiting the long, tall room on a recent afternoon, it’s hard to imagine the vast array of sounds that once filled the space. But the place still brims with history. To enter, you must pass through the kitchen, a reminder that this was once Staley’s home. He moved to a nearby apartment in 2016.