Roulette is played upon a long table, of which we give a representation.
This table is covered with green cloth. In its centre is a movable
cylinder, on the circumference of which are thirty-seven divisions,
separated from each other by wires, and numbered from 6 to 36.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF ROULETTE.]
This cylinder is made to revolve, by the hand, at the same time that a
small ball is thrown in the opposite direction upon the fixed parts of
the machine, where, after several circuits, it falls into one of the
numbered compartments, which are alternately black and red.
At each end of the table, numbers corresponding with the thirty-seven
upon the cylinder, are stamped on the cloth in three columns, with the
words _manque_ (“dead” or missed), _pair_ (even), and _rouge_ (red), on
one side of the columns; and _passe_ (stake), _impair_ (odd), and _noir_
(black), on the other side. While, in the line below the columns and the
divisions mentioned (namely, _manque_, _pair_, _impair_, &c., &c.) are
nine spaces, marked below the columns, first C, second C, third C; and
to the right and left three spaces marked first D, second D, third D.
_Mode of Playing._—The smallest stake allowed by the foreign tables is
one florin. If the player bet upon any odd number, and the ball drops
into the compartment so numbered, he receives thirty-six times the
amount of his stake; but since there are always thirty-eight chances
against him, he may lose a very large sum before winning at all.
To simplify matters, and to encourage the player, he is at liberty to
divide his stakes among several numbers, lay his wagers upon any of the
columns containing twelve numbers each, or upon the first, second, or
third series of twelve numbers (in these cases he is paid double if he
win); or play upon red or black, odd or even—the former including the
numbers from 1 to 18, and the latter from 19 to 36.
The three D’s printed on the cloth stand for _Douzaine_, and signify the
first, second, or third dozen on the red or black side; and the three
C’s similarly stand for the _column_ of figures under which they are
placed.
The game, however complicated it may appear at first glance, is really
quite simple, as a little attention to the explanation will attest, and
affords great variety in the betting.
As the bank must win in the long run, and its percentage is but small,
the “regular” places can afford to dispense with deceptions. In private
gaming-houses, however, as many tricks as ingenuity can invent are
employed to fleece the unwary.