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The History of the Name Roulette
The name Roulette apparently derives itself from an already existing French board game that had no relation to the game Roulette we know today. People simply borrowed the name. The actual game of Roulette is also considered a mixture of several existing games of the time. The games ascribed to this mix include the English Roly-Poly and Ace of Hearts as well as the Italian board games Hoca and Biribi. Be that as it may, somewhere in 18th century France, someone came up with the invention of the game of Roulette which would still be popular today, over two hundred years later.
The Evolution of the Roulette Wheel and Pockets
The original roulette wheel is supposed to have included two house pockets (the 0 and the 00). Ancient descriptions of American roulette wheels include a third pocket - the eagle. The roulette wheel described by Hoyle as being used in America only had 28 numbered slots as opposed to the modern 36 numbers of today's wheels. The invention of the single 0 wheel is attributed to François and Louis Blanc of the German town of Homburg. The legend is that François Blanc obtained his specialized Roulette knowledge by consulting with the devil (this legend is 'supported' by the fact that the sum of all numbers on the roulette wheel is 666 (the 'number' of the Beast) - this is probably not poor Blanc's fault though). A more reasonable explanation is that Louis Blanc and his brother were trying to compete with other casinos by offering a roulette game with better player odds than their competitors.
Roulette moves to Monte Carlo
In 1860, the Germans banned all gambling and the Blanc family moved to Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo casinos became the gambling center for all the wealthy of Europe. Consequently, the glamour of the Monte Carlo casinos became the stuff of legends. At the center of these casinos the single 0 roulette wheel devised by Blanc was always granted a central role. This is probably what eventually earned the game of Roulette its well deserved title of "the King of Casino Games".
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