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Amazing Roulette Player: You are player number 1245 Description: Roulette - When you think of gambling, what do you think of first? I think of the Roulette wheels at Monte Carlo.
Roulette
When you think of gambling, what do you think of first? I think of the Roulette wheels at Monte Carlo. How many movies have been made showing beautiful people placing bets on the layout and watching the wheel turn?
Roulette is really a very easy game to play. It requires very little skill, a little bit of knowledge of the betting options that are available to you, and special Roulette chips. The reason for the special chips will be discussed later in this chapter.
The Wheel
The wheel itself is a very carefully made, very delicately balanced wheel which is divided into thirty-eight even compartments, or pockets. Thirty-six of these pockets are numbered individually from one to thirty-six and are colored either red or black. There are eighteen of each color. The remaining two pockets are colored green and are numbered zero and double zero.
The Layout
To allow you to place bets, the casino provides a playing layout (see figure 8) with zero and double zero marked in green, and the thirty-six numbers marked in their respective colors, in three columns of twelve numbers each. Bets on this area are called inside bets. There is an area outside the thirty- eight numbered boxes which allows for betting on odd (all the odd numbers), even (all the even numbers), red or black (all the red, or all the black numbers). There is also an area for betting on the first, the second, or the third set of twelve numbers (one through twelve, thirteen through twenty-four, or twenty-five through thirty-six); the first or second set of eighteen numbers (one through eighteen, or nineteen through thirty-six); and even an area for betting on complete columns. Bets on these areas are called outside bets.
Terms
Did you happen to notice that in describing the betting and the payoffs I mentioned the layout, and outside the layout? Any bets made on the zero, the double zero, the numbers from one to thirty-six, or any of their various combinations are referred to as inside bets. Any bets made on the areas that are outside of the layout are referred to as outside bets. These terms are important to the novice, or small player. A Roulette table that requires a five-unit minimum bet will allow five separate bets of one unit each on any of the inside variations, but will require a full five-unit bet on any of the outside variations. The signs on the tables indicating minimum and maximum bets will stipulate this rule.
Bets and Odds
Unlike other games, Roulette odds are very simple and direct. To win on one whole number (straight bet), the odds are one in thirty-six or thirty-five to one—that’s the payoff. A two-number bet (split bet) carries odds of two in thirty-six, or seventeen to one—and that’s the payoff. Similarly, a bet made on three numbers (street bet) pays eleven to one, on four numbers (square play bet) the payoff is eight to one, and a bet on six numbers (line play bet) pays five to one. See figure 9 (the betting layout) to see exactly how to physically place the bets mentioned above.
The bets that are outside the layout, as mentioned previously, also pay in direct relation to the odds that they should appear. Therefore, if any one of the three columns is bet upon, the odds are one in three, or two to one, that a number will appear, and as such, that is the payoff. Also figured at two to one is the dozens play which allows for either the first, the second, or third dozen numbers to pay off at two to one odds. The even money, or one to one bets are the first or the second eighteen numbers (low or high), the red or black numbers, and the even or the odd numbers. To see where on the layout these outside bets are placed, refer to figure 9A.
By the way, have you noticed that we only counted the numbers from one to thirty-six in our figuring? That’s how the casino builds in their edge which is approximately 5¼ percent. They hold out the zero and double zero for themselves. These two numbers are not used in establishing odds in the game. This does not mean that you can’t bet on either
zero or double zero. You can, and they pay back exactly like any of the other numbers. The casino even provides for
special line bet which plays the zero, the double zero, the one, the two, and the three, in combination, for a payoff of six to one. The casino just doesn’t count the extra two pockets into the figuring of the odds.
The New Jersey Option
When you play even-money outside bets in New Jersey casinos, you will only be liable for one half of your bet if either the zero or the double zero should appear. You only lose half the amount bet! You may remove half or allow the casino to ‘imprison” your full bet for one more spin. This is a big advantage over Roulette as played in Nevada, where the zero and the double zero are treated exactly like any other number, and, when either appears, all outside bets are lost. Most European casinos also give this advantage to the outside player. The French even have a name for this type of occurrence; it is known as En Preson.
Special Table Chips
Earlier, I mentioned that special chips were used in Roulette. The main reason for this is really very simple. Just imagine four different people placing a bet on the same number, and none o these bets is of equal value. Who gets what? Did you bet the one dollar, or the five dollars? To eliminate this confusion completely, most casinos manufacture wheel checks (chips) in various colors that are not like any other chips in the casino. Around the wheel, the dealer has many stacks of various color chips. He offers the player chips from one of the colors to play with and retains the balance of that color as stock with which to pay winnings. Casinos also stamp each chip with their own unique words or designs. This means that a chip may have the casino’s logo stamped onto its face, or a swirl design, or even “Roulette
for example, to indicate that the chip is for exclusive use on table 1. There are always many different-colored chips on a table which allow the dealer (croupier,) to identify the player whose bet it is. The color also identifies the denomination of the particular chip.
None of the chips on the table have any set value. You, the player, by informing the dealer at the time you purchase the chips, set the value of the chip. Unless the chip is for the minimum amount set by the table, the dealer will place a small marker on his stacks of the same color. This marker identifies the value of the chip when it is later redeemed. The dealer doesn’t care which player picks up which color. He only pays against the bets made, uot against the player. A fifty may mean 50 or $50; a one usually indicates $1, a five means $5, etc.
The smallest minimum chip value, at the time of this writing, can be found in the Silver jj,v CA ‘? L&c ‘?gas, vada. At this casino the player can bet as little as l0c on the inside numbers as long as he makes a total bet of fifty cents for a given turn of the wheel. Most Las Vegas and New Jersey casinos allow for 50 chips with a minimum of four units (a total of $2) bet. The islands in the Caribbean generally make up their own rules depending on the day of the week, their mood, etc. Afternoon stakes are much lower than eve- fling stakes. More often than not, the 50 chip is the rule throughout the islands.
These chips can only be bought on the table at which you are playing. Unlike any other game, in Roulette, chips must be redeemed at that particular table in the casino. Roulette chips from table 1, which you have valued at $1 each, are valueless at any other table in the casino. Don’t even try to take one home as a souvenir. You might make the dealer angry.
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