Roulette is without question, the most incredibly exciting and fast paced game that you will find in a casino.

For over two hundred years, gamblers have been enthralled by the sight of a tiny white ball spinning furiously around the wheel, ready to reward, (or punish), those who willing to speculate on its eventual resting place.

Originating in France, "Roulette" is French for "small wheel," and it's this European pedigree that has lent the game a sense of glamour and sophistication not found in your typical slots or table games.

The basics of the game are simple: the dealer drops a ball into a spinning roulette wheel, and bettors gamble on where it will land. They do this through a seemingly endless array of betting options.

First and foremost are the numbers. A standard American roulette table and wheel have 38 separate boxes, each one representing a number from 1 to 36 and 0 and 00. Half of the 36 numbers have a black background, while the other half are in red. The 0 and 00 boxes are displayed in green.

A gambler wishing to bet on, say, the number "14" will place his or her chips in the box marked "14." The dealer will then drop the ball into the spinning wheel. If the ball lands anywhere other than on the number 14, the gambler will have lost the bet. However, if the Roulette Gods happen to be with the gambler that day, and the ball lands on 14, he or she will be rewarded with a remarkable payout of 35 to 1 on the bet.

In addition to numbers, a myriad of betting options are available, including betting on the colors "Black" or "Red." Because half of the 36 numbers are red, and half are black, the "color" bet pays even money, and the bet will be lost if the ball lands on one of the two "green" numbers.

Other near "even money" propositions include bets on the "Odd" and "Even" boxes, as well as bets on the "1-18" and "19-36" boxes.

Besides these near even money bets, the roulette player can choose a bet which bundles three, four, 12, 18, and virtually every other combination of numbers. In other words, there is practically an endless supply of betting options to choose from. And if you hang around a roulette wheel for any period of time, you'll discover that every roulette player seems to have their own betting style and inventory of "lucky" numbers.

Yet despite the apparent complexity of the betting options available, roulette remains, at its heart, a simple yet fast-moving, heart-pumping seat-of-your-pants thrill ride that is certain to attract a growing legion of players for years to come.