Roulette in the Wild Wild West

History of Roulette

The roots of Roulette can be traced back to the time of Blaise Pascal, France 1655 and his attempt to create perpetual motion. His wheel had but 36 numbers and it remained that way until Frenchmen Francois and Louis Blanc added a zero (0) in 1842. If the name Francois Blanc sounds familiar that may be because he is credited with establishing the first casino in Monte Carlo and Roulette became "King" of all gambling games.

Roulette in America

It is generally believed that the French of New Orleans brought the game to American in the early 1800's. It didn't take long for American's to add a second zero (0) to the wheel bringing the total to 38 slots. Some wheels, instead of a zero had an Eagle pictured. Even the Mexican's got into the act with there own version of the game called "Canute". Itinerant gamblers in the old west worked a loosely defined gambling circuit which covered the cow towns, mining camps and rail heads through the midwest, southwest and northwest. Those banking the games traveled with their equipment, which were folded and packed in wooden crates. Today, a folding Roulette table from a well know manufacturer would bring a handsome price at auction.

A Simple Game

Any strategy involved in playing the game of roulette, back in the day as it also does today, takes place in the betting. There can be no strategy involved in the spin of the roulette wheel itself, as the resting place for the little ball is based purely on chance or luck. A roulette wheel in the Old West featured thirty-seven and later thirty-eight compartments with numbers one to thirty six, zero and a double zero or an Eagle. Players have a variety of betting options. Placing 'inside' bets is either selecting the exact number of the pocket the ball will land in, or a small range of pockets based on their proximity on the layout. Players wishing to bet on the 'outside' will select bets on larger positional groupings of pockets, the pocket color, or whether the winning number is odd or even. The payout odds for each type of bet is based on it probability.

Richard Canfield

Famed gambler and sharper Richard Canfield operated a gambling house at #5, East 45th Street in New York, just blocks from Time Square in 1899. In his resort he offered private rooms with Faro and Roulette. He had both a single-end and double-end Roulette table with wheels made of hickory and ivory.

Roulette Today

You can find the game of Roulette today in most any casino in America where they still employ the double zero (oo) or you can go online and find the old French version with just a single zero (o) which offers you the player better odds.