Roullete (French for little wheel) is a casino game played with a small white ball that lands on one of the numbers on a spinning wheel. The wheel has 36 numbers, plus a 0 on European tables and a double-zero on American ones. A croupier spins the wheel and the ball, and players place bets on the table correlating with the slots that the ball can possibly land in.
Roulette is a game of chance and requires no skill, but it does have some subtleties that can make it profitable for some players. A basic strategy is to make “inside” bets, which are bets placed on a group of numbered numbers or small groups of numbers that are close together. The odds of these bets are lower, but they pay more frequently.
Outside bets, on the other hand, are bets placed on larger groups of numbers. These bets have higher odds, but are less likely to win. A popular type of outside bet is the Dozens bet, which covers the first or second dozen of numbers on the wheel. This bet pays 2-1.
There are countless systems for playing and winning at roulette, and some of them promise very high payouts. However, most are based on probability, which states that the odds of hitting a specific number stay the same regardless of past results. Therefore, a skilled player should understand the odds of the game and not be fooled by shady promises or complicated betting strategies.
During a roulette round, the dealer clears the table of any bets that have won and then lets players place their bets. The dealer then pauses for a moment, often saying “no more bets!” to signify that the betting period is closed. When the dealer is ready, they will announce the start of play and then spin the wheel.
Once the ball reaches a number, the player must decide whether to keep their bet and collect their winnings or to fold and lose their chips. Usually, the bets will be collected and paid by the croupier, but some casinos allow players to collect their own chips. A successful bet is one in which the player correctly guesses what number the ball will land on.
The Roulette experience has changed dramatically in the forty-five years since Staley moved the theater from his TriBeCa loft to Greene Street, but the principles of experimentation and collaboration are still intact. Many of the artists who began at Roulette—including John Zorn, Shelley Hirsch, Malcolm Goldstein, Merce Cunningham, and Ikue Mori—still perform there, forging an enduring community with younger generations whose development they helped to foster. But this season, a new chapter in the story of Roulette begins: Staley is retiring from his role as artistic director. The theater will move to a new home in downtown Brooklyn.