What were the original rules and betting options for roulette?

The original rules and betting options for roulette were relatively simple. The game featured a spinning wheel with numbered pockets, typically ranging from 1 to 36. The early versions of the game also featured a single zero pocket, which gave the house a slight edge. In some variations, there was also a double zero pocket, which further increased the house edge.

Players would place their bets on the table, which had a grid layout that corresponded to the numbers on the wheel. They could place bets on a single number or a group of numbers, with different payouts depending on the odds of the bet.

The simplest bets were “inside” bets, which involved placing chips directly on a single number or a small group of adjacent numbers. The payout for these bets was higher, as they were less likely to win. Players could also make “outside” bets, which covered larger groups of numbers and offered lower payouts.

Some common outside bets included betting on whether the winning number would be odd or even, red or black, or high or low (1-18 or 19-36). Another popular outside bet was the “dozen” bet, which involved betting on one of three groups of 12 numbers (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36).