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Roulette is a game played in casinos. It consists of a large rotating wheel, divided into numerous slots. The operator or “croupier” spins this wheel, and then spins a ball around the inside in the opposite direction. Eventually the ball will slow down and drop into one of the 37 or 38 (depending upon whether being played in Europe or America) colored segments.

The players will place their bets on a special layout which corresponds to the segments in the wheel. Amongst others, the player may bet upon individual numbers, a color (either red or black) and either an odd or even number.

 

 

The History Of Roulette

 

Early roulette table, ca. 1800

 

French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher Blaise Pascal, whilst attempting to build a perpetual motion machine developed an early version of the game. The wheel itself is believed to be a combination of existing games from England, Italy and the French game of “roulette”.

 

 

17th Century E.O. wheel with gamblers

Roulette has been popular since the late 18 th century when it was played in the Royal Palace in Paris. A storybook described the equivalent of the modern day “zero” slots from where the casino derives an edge. Prior to this, a Quebec publication referred to various banned games including roulette.

Due to the fact that gambling was not allowed in France, two Frenchmen, Francois and Louis Blanc pioneered Roulette with a single “zero” in Germany. When that country followed, Louis Blanc agreed to go to Monte Carlo to set up a casino. This was enormously successful.

Earlier versions of the American wheel contained the numbers 1 to 28 with a zero, a double zero and an American Eagle. Any time the ball falls into either zero's or the eagle, the only bets paid out are bets placed on that specific outcome. Payouts were made at odds of 27/1, the same as for correctly predicting a single number.

Roulette became more fashionable throughout most European countries and America during the 19 th century. When Germany banned it and the Blanc's ran Europe's only legalized casino in Monte Carlo, nobody could have predicted the lasting affect this would have upon this tiny country. They employed the single zero wheel, and this became the European standard, as well as the game played by most of the world with the exception of America where the “00” game has maintained its dominance.

The story goes that Francoise Blanc made a pact with the devil himself when developing roulette, due to the fact that all the numbers (1 to 36) when added together total 666.

 

Early American West Makeshift Game

 

The “double zero” game found its way from France to New Orleans, and spread west. Due to various different forms of cheating and tampering devices being used, the wheel was simply located on top of the layout to inhibit any concealed contraptions. The layout itself was redesigned and this became the basis of the American form of roulette.

The American game flourished in illegal gambling houses in a crude and chaotic fashion, while the French single zero variety developed in a more leisurely and stylish fashion in Monte Carlo. Despite this, the American game with the simpler layout and faster turnaround is the world's most favored game.

In the early 20 th century casinos were virtually confined to Las Vegas and Monte Carlo. In the later part of the century they began to grow in popularity around the world. “00” roulette dominates North and South America and the Caribbean, with the “0” game dominating elsewhere.

 

Number Sequences On A Roulette

Each segments of the wheel has a number from one to thirty-six. And are alternately colored red or black. Zero (and if present, double zero) are colored green. The numbers follow this sequence:

Single-zero wheel : 0-32-15-19-4-21-2-25-17-34-6-27-13-36-11-30-8-23-10-5-24-16-33-1-20-14-31-9-22-18-29-7-28-12-35-3-26

Double-zero wheel : 0-28-9-26-30-11-7-20-32-17-5-22-34-15-3-24-36-13-1-00-27-10-25-29-12-8-19-31-18-6-21-33-16-4-23-35-14-2

 

Betting Procedure

A tremendous variety of different bets are possible due to the table layout. Each table will display the smallest and largest bets permitted for each particular type of bet at that table. Colored chips are available to help differentiate between players. A bet can be places on any single number including the zero(s), odds or evens, high or low, or black or red as well as many other combinations of numbers according to their sequence or position on the wheel or table layout. The amount won for any of these bets is in proportion to the odds against it occurring. A player may bet until the croupier calls “no more bets” shortly before the ball is about to drop into the segments. The croupier will announce the number and color the ball has settled into and position an indicator on the same number on the layout. At this time, players may not make any bets or remove chips.

The croupier will remove all lost bets, calculate and payout all winning bets then remove the indicator and start a new round.

 

 

The Layout

The layout is the green (occasionally blue) baize covered printed table used for placing your bets. The layout will mimic the wheel regarding the number of zero's present. In Monte Carlo, the favored design is the wheel in the centre and the layout at both sides. However the most popular style is the American design featuring the wheel at the end of a single layout.

 

French layout single zero wheel

American style “00” layout

		0	?	00
1- 18	1st 12	1	2	3	?
4	5	6	?
odd	7	8	9	?
10	11	12	?
red	2nd 12	13	14	15	?
16	17	18	?
blk	19	20	21	?
22	23	24	?
even	3rd 12	25	26	27	?
28	29	30	?
19- 36	31	32	33	?
34	35	36	?
		?	?	?

Bet

Inside bets

Straight Up (bet on 1 number)

Place your chips on any single number (zero's included). 38 possible Straight Up bets.

Split Bet (bet on 2 numbers)

Place your chips on the line dividing any two numbers. 57 possible Split bets.

Street Bet (bet on 3 numbers)

Place chips at the end of the row of numbers on the line. This bet covers all 3 numbers in the row. 11 possible Street bets.

Corner Bet (bet on 4 numbers)

Place chips on the corner where the 4 numbers meet. All 4 numbers are covered. 22 possible bets.

5 Number Bet

This bet can be made in only one place and covers 5 numbers: 0, 00,1,2,3.

6 Line Bet

Place chips at the end of two rows between them. The bet covers all 6

Outside bets

 

Column

Place chip in one of the squares marked "2 to 1" This bet will cover every one of the 12 numbers in the column. 3 Column bets

Dozens

Place chip in one of the squares marked "1st 12," "2nd 12," or "3rd 12".

Red or Black

Place chip either on the "black" or the "red" area

Even or Odd

Place chip either on the "odd" or the "even" area

Low or High

Place chip either in the area marked “low” which covers all numbers from 1 to 18 or high which covers from 19 to 36

 

Betting Odds (USA)

(Payouts indicated do not include the original bet wagered which is also returned to the player)

Type of Bet	How To Win This Bet	Winnings	Probability	Value/$
0	0	35 to 1	37 to 1	-$0.053
00	00	35 to 1	37 to 1	-$0.053
Straight up	Any single number	35 to 1	37 to 1	-$0.053
Row 00	0, 00	17 to 1	18 to 1	-$0.053
Split	any two adjoining numbers vertical or horizontal	17 to 1	18 to 1	-$0.053
Trio	0, 1, 2 or 00, 2, 3	11 to 1	11.667 to 1	-$0.053
Street	any three numbers horizontal (1, 2, 3 or 4, 5, 6 etc.)	11 to 1	11.667 to 1	-$0.053
Corner	any four adjoining numbers in a block (1, 2, 4, 5 or 17, 18, 20, 21 etc.)	8 to 1	8.5 to 1	-$0.053
Five Number Bet	0, 00, 1, 2, 3	6 to 1	6.6 to 1	-$0.079
Six Line	any six numbers from two horizontal rows (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 etc.)	5 to 1	5.33 to 1	-$0.053
1st Column	1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
2nd Column	2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
3rd Column	3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
1st Dozen	1 through 12	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
2nd Dozen	13 through 24	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
3rd Dozen	25 through 36	2 to 1	2.167 to 1	-$0.053
Odd	1, 3, 5, ..., 35	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053
Even	2, 4, 6, ..., 36	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053
Red	1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053
Black	2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053
1 to 18	1, 2, 3, ..., 18	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053
19 to 36	19, 20, 21, ..., 36	1 to 1	1.111 to 1	-$0.053

 

Casino's Advantage (Edge)

In the old Wild West, bars and other gambling establishments would all offer a universal 27/1 odds against a single number. These days, regulations are in place to ensure the correct odds are offered to the punter.

In the USA the player has a 1 in 38 chance of winning at odds of 35/1, giving the house an advantage of 5.26%.

In the European game, the player has a 1 in 37 chance of winning at odds of 35/1, giving the house an advantage of just 2.70%.

Despite the fact that they are equally playable, the casino's edge comes from the zeros. Outside bets lose when a zero comes up (in Europe, some casinos only take half the outside bets) and the inside bets only pay odds of 35/1 despite there being 38 outcomes. By way of explanation, if you placed a dollar on all the numbers including the zero and double zero it would cost you $38. Whatever number won, you would receive winnings of $35 plus the dollar bet on that number. You will have lost $2 (roughly 5%).

Figures are published indicating the casino's roulette “hold” which is the actual amount it wins at the roulette tables. This figure is around 25%. This is obviously far larger than the stated 5.26% and the reason for this is that players when winning, almost always leave their winning bets for the next spin. This is akin to the slot players who consistently “plough back” all their winnings ending loser.

The house edge is further increased because players' winnings are added to their bank. A player may start with $1000 at the wheel, but over a period of play he may bet $5000. Any players betting until they have no more money remaining have given the house a 100% edge.

 

Call Bets

 

If you bet on 1st 12, you are betting on any of the numbers 1-12, despite the fact that these numbers are not in this order on the wheel. A Call Bet allows you to bet on a wheel section.

Voisin du Zero: This means ‘Neighbors of Zero and is the top area of the wheel if 0 is at the top. It ranges from 22-25 and the bet covers numbers 22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15, 19, 4, 21, 2, 25. These may all be covered by placing bets in these positions: 2 on the 0,2,3 Street; 1 chip over the 5 and 7; 1 over the 12 and 15; 1 over the 18 and 21; 1 over the 19 and 22; 2 on the corner of 25, 26, 28 and 29, and one over the 32 and 35. So in total there are 2 chips on streets, 5 on splits and 2 on a corner.

Tier du Cylindre: This area is opposite the 0 but includes fewer numbers; 27 to 33 are included, a total of 12 numbers. Bet on these by putting chips on these 6 splits; 1 chip on the 5/8, 1 on the 10/11, 1 on the13/16, 1 on the 23/24, 1 on the 27 /30, and 1 on the 33/36.

Orphelin: This bet refers to numbers left over on the sides of the wheel not included in the Tier or the Voisins (8 numbers in total); 17, 34, and 6, and 1, 20, 14, 31, and 9. These can all be covered by 5 bets; a straight up bet on 1, and then split bets on 6/9, 14/17, 17/20, and 31/34.

 

Neighbors of…

Any number may be bet upon and including the two numbers on each side, making 5 bets and 5 numbers covered.

 

Roulette Strategy

Since the game was invented men have tried to find a way of beating it. The most widely attempted method is known as the Martingale system . Bets are made on an even chance possibility, e.g. high/low, black/red or odd/even. The player will double his bet each time he loses, a win netting him one unit each time. The problems are twofold. Firstly, extremely long runs of the same even money result are possible, necessitating increasingly huge bankrolls simply to win one unit. Imagine betting $1 on black and the result is red. The second bet is $2 (to recoup the $1 and hope to win $1). If this now loses you are $3 down, so the next bet must be $4, then $8, $16, $32 and so on. A run of only 10 losses will require the player to place $1012 on the next spin just to win $1. There is still virtually a 50-50 chance that you will lose again. The other problem is the table limit on even money bets, which will be exceeded on your 9 th bet.

 

The Fibonacci strategy uses Fibonacci numbers to place bets. A loss means continue with the sequence whereas a win requires that you start again.

 

An interesting and fun way of playing was to split your bankroll into 35 bets and play the same number for 35 spins. If you received a win, you were playing the rest of the spins with the casino's money. Of course, there is only a 60% chance of a winning bet in the 35 spins.

 

The Labouchere System is similar to the Martingale but double ups do not happen as rapidly.

 

The D'Alembert system , You start by wagering 1 unit, and add 1 unit after each loss. After a win, you subtract 1 unit. Each time the required wager returns to zero, you will have won.

 

The Dozens

2 types of “dozens” play are possible, single and double. Stakes will increase from the table minimum bet to the highest bet allowed on an even money bet.

Methods include looking for the same dozen to re-appear, betting on the “hottest” recent dozen, or betting on a dozen to re-appear after a period of absence.

In the double dozen version, the method can also be to bet on the two that have been appearing the most frequently in the last 3 spins etc.

Columns 1 and 3

A necessary anomaly in the layout means that by betting 2 units on each of the first and third columns, most of the reds are covered. Betting 2 units on black at the same time means that every number on the table apart from the 4 centre column reds and zero(s) are covered.

 

Systems Based Upon Mechanics

The best known of these is the “biased wheel” spotter. Any errors or fluctuations can be exploited if certain numbers or sectors are favored by the wheel. A large number of results must be analyzed to recognize this, and casinos can in the meantime move wheels around. When casinos lost vast sums because of this “clocking”, a new wheel was devised which made the wheel slowdown into the segments much more gradually.

Efforts have been made to use wearable computers to calculate which section of the wheel the ball will drop into. In the ‘70s a team used computers hidden in shoes to predict which area the ball would fall.

A group of Eastern Europeans used laser scanners secreted in mobile phones and connected to a small pc to make the same prediction. They won millions and although caught, arrested and barred from the casinos, no charges were possible.

 

Infamous Roulette Betting

1873, Jo Jaggers and his team from England successfully discovered a wheel bias and won more than $300,000.

1891 Charlie Wells from England became the man immortalized in song who broke the bank of Monte Carlo

2004 Englishman Ashley Revell was the subject of a TV Documentary program when he sold everything he owned including his clothes, and followed by the cameras gambled it all on one spin of the wheel. He placed $135,000 on “red”. The result was 7 red and he walked away a winner having doubled his money.

 

Roulette Protocol

Chips should be placed carefully upon the layout. Players unable to reach must ask the dealer, who will place it for you if time permits. If the dealer fails to place the bet she will usually inform you, but arguing with the dealer is frowned upon by staff and players alike.

Food and drink will be served at the table, usually on a small table by your side. Do not eat or drink over the top of the layout.

Dealers should always be tipped when you leave the table.

Other Guidelines

Do not touch or remove your bets until all payouts have been completed.

After the dealer declares “no more bets” do not touch, remove or add any chips to or from the layout.

If you require money changed into chips, it must be placed on the layout. The dealer is forbidden to take it directly from you.

 

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