Enjoy some classic casino action by playing two of the most time honoured games: blackjack and roulette. Roulette is such a classic game that 007 himself has his own roulette strategy, as laid out by the author of the Bond franchise, Ian Fleming. No only are these two authentic casino games fun to play: they can also win you big money if you know how to place your bets properly.
An historical introduction to roulette and blackjack
It is said that roulette was invented in the mid seventeenth century by the famous French mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal. The word ‘roulette’ is French for ‘little wheel’. At the time, Pascal was attempting to create a perpetual motion machine, but he ended up inventing the roulette wheel instead. Pascal is also known for another blending of gambling and philosophical thought as he is the author of ‘Pascal’s wager’, a little logical puzzle that draws the conclusion that it is in our best interests to believe in a deity. Blackjack was also invented in France, and it originally had the name vingt et un, which means ‘twenty one’ in English. Twenty One remains a common alternative name for Blackjack. Blackjack was probably created around 1700, just half a century after Pascal brought roulette to the world.
A simple overview of roulette rules
Roulette is played by spinning the roulette wheel. A European roulette wheel has alternate red and black numbers from 0 to 36. An American roulette wheel also has alternate red and black numbers from 0 to 36 but with an additional 00. The wheel will stop on a particular number and a particular colour: gamblers who have managed to bet correctly on the number and/or the colour will win money. A wide variety of types of bets can be placed, including (but not limited to) bets on: whether the wheel will stop on a red or a black number; whether the number will be odd or even; whether the number will be above or below a certain value.
A simple over view of blackjack rules
As the alternative name of blackjack, twenty one, suggests, the aim of this casino game is to get cards that equal the value of 21. For these purposes, kings, queens and jacks all have a value of 10 while aces are worth either 1 or 11. Each player is dealt two cards, which they will either keep secret from the other players or display openly to the other players depending on the version of the game that is being played. The dealer will usually also deal themselves two cards. In some versions of the game, if the dealer has cards equaling 21, the game is over and the dealer has won. In any game of blackjack, however, there are usually several rounds. In each round, the dealer asks each player whether they would like another card, whether they would like to leave the game (‘fold’) or whether they would like to keep their hand of cards as it is. The first player to reach 21 wins. If no player reaches 21, the player with the hand that is closest to 21 will win. In some versions of the game, the player who has won one round will become the dealer for the next round. It is usually the case that players place a new bet for every round of the game. The wager money is placed into a central pot, with the overall winner of each round collecting all of the money from the pot.
Try these two timeless classics for yourself
There are plenty of casinos offering roulette and blackjack online, and one of the best ways to play these games is with a live dealer via a video link. Live dealer games of roulette and blackjack enable you to play against fellow gamblers hailing from all corners of the globe, whilst the presence of a live dealer adds a thrilling immediacy to the proceedings. If you do not wish to have this experience, there are also lots of computer generated games of blackjack and roulette available to play at any hour of the day. Many of these feature very innovative graphics and creative themes. If you have ever wanted to play Bond himself in an immersive 3D casino, you will surely be able to find the right online casino for you.