Dear Mark: I have a system in roulette where I play all the odd black numbers and if I lose I follow it by playing all the red even numbers. The dealer took note of how I was betting so he knew my style of play. While betting my odd black numbers, I placed $2 on 17 black as the ball was about to drop.
Suddenly the dealer reached for my money and handed it back to me. As you probably guessed, it came up 17 black. To say the very least I was extremely upset and demanded to be paid. The dealer said he couldn't pay me because he had already called "no more betting" before I put my bet on 17 black. The pit boss came over and agreed with the dealer's decision.
Even though the ball did not land in a slot yet, and the dealer probably knew my style of play, shouldn't I still have been paid? Tom D.
Your question reminds me of the roulette player who sent home this telegram: "System working well-send more money."
As a rule, Tom, the casino wants the dealer to wait to the final "reasonable" moment before he barks "no more bets." The house wants to get as many wagers per decision as possible because they hold a hefty 5.26% advantage over the player on roulette. The long and short of it, Tom, is that every casino has its own set of guidelines it wants its dealers to follow. Additionally, every experienced roulette dealer has his own sense of timing on when to halt wagering.
In this case, Tom, I side with the dealer (casino). The simple solution is to get your bets in early. Better yet, how about finding a new game that does not have such a precipitous house edge? All you need now is a new system.
Dear Mark: If black appeared six times in a row on a roulette table, which way should I wager on the seventh spin, black or red? Jim D.
Many self-proclaimed experts believe they can find trends in roulette by watching the wheel. For that reason, over the years I've facetiously asked them the following question: Black has appeared on a non-biased roulette wheel 30 straight times. Which way should you place your next bet? Would you a) bet black because of the established streak, B) bet red because it's way overdue or C) not wager.
Well, Jim, the first two answers are right as well as wrong. No amount of past history on a random non-biased wheel guarantees the outcome of the next spin. Each spin is an independent event, and the law of averages does not apply to any one desultory spin.
But Deal Me In readers know the answer I'm looking for is C. They know that over the long run their losses will be 5.26%. This casino edge is a tad bit too high for the readership of this column.
Dear Mark: My friend believes that all roulette tables operate on streaks and you should only wager on numbers that have recently appeared. I believe, and I am sure you will concur, that he is full of it. I could use some help convincing my friend. Steve B.
A streak is nothing more than a backward glimpse at probability and should not be taken into consideration in most, if not all, gaming situations.
Roulette wheels, Steve, do not operate with artificial intelligence nor do they have any way of remembering which past numbers have hit. Each spin is an independent event that is not controlled by past spins.
Your friend's theory has zero merit.
Dear Mark: Are not the rules better for roulette in Atlantic City than in Las Vegas? Jay G.
Only on one wager, Jay. When you make an even-money bet (red/black, odd/even, 1-18/9-36) in Atlantic City, you lose only half your wager if the roulette ball lands on 0 or 00. These outside wagers cut the house edge down from 5.26 to 2.63%.
Keep in mind, Jay, that this advantage is only in effect for even-money bets. For even better value, Las Vegas offers single zero roulette tables at numerous casinos. A single zero game will give the casino only a 2.7% edge on all roulette bets.
Dear Mark: Thank you for the advice on playing the single-zero roulette game at the Monte Carlo. My wife broke even and I actually won $200. I do have a question regarding the single zero game. Is the game I played at the Monte Carlo in Las Vegas an exact duplicate in rules as a roulette table at the real Monte Carlo in Europe? Paul L.
Not quite, Paul. A true European single-zero wheel offers a rule called "en prison." If you make an even money bet and the ball lands on zero, the croupier doesn't rake in your wager. Instead, your bet is "imprisoned" or held hostage, and you are forced to let it ride until the next spin. If your bet wins, you can remove it from the table. What is exciting about this wager is that it cuts the house edge on even money bets in half, down to a very respectable 1.35%. This makes it one of the better bets in European casinos.
Dear Mark: What are the chances of any one number showing up four times in a row on a roulette table? Anita G.
On a double-zero game, once every 2,085,136 spins. As a matter of fact, Anita, I saw it happen once, not with one croupier, but with three separate dealers. I was a pit boss at Bill's Lake Tahoe Casino when dealer A spun the number 25. After making his payoffs he went on his break and dealer B stepped in to spin 25 twice consecutively. She was relieved to go home for the evening, then dealer C immediately twirled 25 again. A sleuth roulette player would have immediately jumped on this game, figuring it was a biased wheel in need of repair. In this instance it was hardly worth mortgaging the house. Single-zero never appeared again over the next seven hours of my shift, nor were any of the numbers in its wheel section coming up with abnormal frequency.
Dear Mark: You answered a question by stating that the most popular number played on a roulette wheel was 17 and reasoned that this was so because it was located in the center of the layout and everyone could reach it. I guess my point is that it is likely that other factors add to the "appeal" of 17 for the masses. I suggest that its popularity is based somewhat on the James Bond films where he bets "17 Black." Just a hunch, but I know many players who bet this way. Jimmy H.
Correct you are, Jimmy. Bond did enjoy both baccarat and roulette as a way to relax and unwind after saving the world. And yes, players drinking martinis, shaken not stirred, tend to follow his pattern of play.
Besides birthday and anniversary dates, many players choose numbers used in the movies, from record LPs (the Beatles; number 9, number 9, number 9), even after a player's favorite athlete. Popular in northern Nevada when I dealt the game was 16 Red, Joe Montana's jersey number and color.
Getting back to Her Majesty's favorite secret agent: The most popular number in the movies is not 17, even if it was a favorite of Ian Fleming's Bond, but 22. You'll see it played at pivotal points in "Casablanca," "The Sting" and "Lost in America."
Also of little note, 22, my personal favorite, was the first number called at Bill's Casino at south Lake Tahoe when it officially opened on July 1, 1987 at 7:01 p.m. And who (brag mode ON) called that first number? Yours truly (brag mode OFF). One player had a $25 chip on it and won $875.