Although it isn’t the fastest game in town (roulette moves at roughly 45 spins per hour; craps moves at roughly 100 rolls per hour), roulette is nonetheless a very popular casino game — especially in places like Monte Carlo and other European casinos and resorts.

What is it about roulette that draws such a faithful following? It’s easy to learn and fun to bet.

“You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.” — Albert Einstein

In a nutshell, here’s how roulette works: A croupier first spins the roulette wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction. The ball eventually stops and lands on one of 37 (in European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. If you can correctly pick which number the ball will land on, you win. It’s that easy. Well…sort of. There are different types of bets when it comes to playing roulette. There are inside bets and outside bets. How you bet will determine how much money you win.

For more on how to play roulette (including lots of info on the essential roulette betting strategy and tactics), read this article.