13. Wheels Within Wheels

The preceding chapters have emphasized how the normal "take" or steady percentage works constantly in favor of the smooth-running gambling house. For that reason it should be evident that where gambling casinos are legalized by state law, as in Nevada, and have sufficient patronage to more than meet expenses and taxes, the player will find that the games are run strictly on the level.

The same applies at Monte Carlo where the casino practically controls the destiny of the Principality of Monaco, on whose rocky soil the establishment is situated. As was stressed before, the very lavishness of the casinos, the extravagant entertain­ment provided for the guests, is proof that the money is flowing into the local coffers.

One reason why Roulette became so popular in such places is that the very cost of the equipment, its elaborate mechanism, the manner of its play, seem to eliminate all chance of chi­canery and thereby creates confidence. It would seem fantastic indeed to develop such a contrivance to prevent cheating and then make it all the harder by trying to play tricks with the thing.

However, Roulette wheels can be and have been gaffed for a very simple reason: The law of economics.

In places where gambling is illegal and operating on a "hit-run" basis before the law catches up with it, there is no reason to give the customer a fair break. He shouldn't even be playing the game, anyway. Similarly, when a gambling house is operat­ing on a temporary basis, or the customers are there for a very short stay, as at a convention, a quick cleanup may be the order of the day.

Why should quickie operators go to the trouble of setting up a Roulette joint? For the very reason that it gives their establishment a solid appearance and thereby gains the cus­tomer's confidence. How can a Roulette wheel be gaffed? In various ways, even in its manufacture, as with:

The Needle Wheel

This is one of the earliest as well as the most ingenious types of crooked Roulette wheels. Through pressure on a secret but­ton, tiny needle points come up in front of the red or black compartments, a different button controlling each group. If the needles block the "reds," the ball is deflected into one of the "blacks" and vice versa.

Some people claim that they have actually seen this "gaff" in operation. If so, they have wonderful eyesight and a still more wonderful imagination. It wouldn't be possible to spot the needle points while the wheel is still in rotation and once the ball is "pocketed" the wheel man releases the gaff.

That means the needles will be out of sight before the wheel stops. But the "needle" device went out of style with the in­troduction of:

The Electro-Magnetic Wheel

Here, every other pocket is backed by a small built-in mag­net, one set for Red, the other for Black. The operator uses a ball with a steel core when he wants it to hit a given color. This method has been elaborated so that different currents may be shot into different numbers, but Red and Black are the old standbys.

The story is told of a new casino operator who ordered a wheel from a manufacturer of such equipment and was astound­ed at its high cost. So he decided to operate his game on the level, thus eliminating the elaborate magnetic equipment. To his even greater amazement, the cost of an honest wheel was even more because it had to be specially built.

One way to check on a magnetic wheel is to get hold of the ball and test it with a small pocket magnet. But that still won't prove that the wheel itself is gaffed. The way to do that is to hold a small compass near the wheel and see if the presence of magnets influences it.

But before doing that, it's wise to have a few friends outside to catch you when the bouncers fling you out. By "bouncers" we mean the husky gents in tuxedos who stand around to hand the heave-ho to trouble-makers. After their treatment, you'll need your compass to find your way home.

But speaking of "bouncers," there is another kind that is used in:

Gaffing Ordinary Wheels

This type of "bouncer" is a wedge of thin, hard rubber that fits into the back of a pocket of a roulette wheel so closely that it can not be detected. Provided with a batch of such bouncers, the wheel man can slip one into any numbered com­partment that is getting too strong a play.

If big bettors are going after a particular color, High or Low, or anything else, their chances can be nicely curtailed by slipping in a few—but not too many!—bouncers in the back of the troublesome pockets. That's easily done, following each succeeding win and gradually the big money player's luck begins to dwindle.

That's why some players prefer to switch from one color to the other, or from any type of "two-way" bet to its opposite. But to understand that fully let us gather-

Around the Crap Table

In many localities the Crap Table has supplanted Roulette as the most popular game for two reasons: (1) It gives faster action, which the player observes, and (2) It gives better odds, which may be overlooked, yet is recognized unconsciously.

The reason it is recognized is that, despite the faster action, the player manages to stay in the game as long, or maybe longer, which is self-evident proof. But the one thing that no habitue of any gambling parlor wants is self-evident proof of any­thing. Otherwise he would go somewhere else.

Most persons are familiar with the game of Craps. For those who need a refresher, here are the vital points—and we mean points.

A player throws a pair of dice, two cubes, bearing numbers from 1 to 6 inclusive. If they total 7 or 11, he wins his bet, the throw being termed a "Natural." Should the dice add to 2, 3 or 12, it's "crap" and the shooter loses. He keeps the dice, how­ever, and is allowed another roll, just as with a "Natural."

What if he hits some other number, as 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10? In that case, the number becomes his "point" and he keeps rolling the dice in an effort to "make" that point by having it come up again. If it does, he wins. But now, the formerly lucky "7" is his bugaboo. When it pops up the player loses. That's called a "missout."

All this adds up to one important thing. When a player rolls the dice, hoping for a "pass" in the form of a "natural" or the "point" that he may be forced to make, the odds are slightly against him. As a result, the house can afford to let customers bet that the shooter will "Pass" or "Win." But they can't allow bets on "Don't Pass" or "Lose"—at least not without some pro­viso in the bank's favor.

So the green cloth layout usually says: "DON'T PASS-BAR 6-6" which means that a Double Six is a standoff, giving the house the edge it needs. This makes it a lot like Roulette. You can bet on "Pass" or "Don't Pass" just as you would on Red or Black, High or Low, etc. There are other bets at the Crap table, a whole flock of them, as you can see by studying the layout.

These vary, too, some—as used in so-called "gyp joints"— having stronger odds against the player. We won't go into those extensive details here as they'll gladly explain them to you when you join the throng at the crap table and you can check those details in a book on Dice. However:

It should now be quite obvious that a player can apply any Roulette system to Craps, as played in most gambling casinos. He can "double up" or try the "Labby" or anything else. So the data given in the previous chapters is just as useful here, where near-equal chances are concerned. Cognizance must be taken of the house limit and it may prove harder to keep track of the play but, otherwise, it's about the same.

An Important Difference

There is a difference, however, where safeguards to the player are concerned. The costly, elaborate Roulette wheel stands as a guarantee, not only that an honest house will adhere to its steadfast policy, but that the patrons won't get taken by any phoney business on the part of slick customers or the hired help.

It would be tough to introduce a gaffed wheel at Monte Carlo, though they say it has been tried. But switching in crooked dice at a crap table is simplicity itself, when done by an expert hand. The dice must bear the club emblem like the cubes in regular use, but those aren't always difficult to dupli­cate.

Roulette players long ago learned to guard against gaffed wheels by alternating their bets, say: Red, Black, Red, Black, etc.; or Red, Red, Black, Black, Red, Red, Black, Black-and so on. This, obviously, tends to even up, giving the player an equal chance as half the time he's on the "winning" color and on the "losing" side the other half.

Playing Hot and Cold

But it would be better to be on the winning team all the time. For that reason, canny Roulette players like to watch the play and see whether the other customers are favoring Red or Black. If the game is heavily "red" the smart player covers "black" on the assumption that should the wheel be gaffed, somebody will push the button that will ruin the majority of the customers.

The trouble is that crooked gambling houses have been known to employ shills, who bet heavily one way in order to get smart players betting the other way. This applies not only to Roulette but to Craps and in the latter game, there is always the chance that outsiders have switched in phoney dice against an honest house so the big play will denote the winning side.

That's why many persons play "Hot and Cold" in Roulette, Craps or any game where chances are equal except for the slight house percentage. With Roulette it would work as fol­lows:

A player watches one spin of the wheel. A red number wins. So he makes a play on Red. Suppose he wins. He plays Red again. This time Black wins. So the next play he goes Black. If Black wins again he stays with it. If Red wins he plays Red. Here is a specimen series of plays:

Wheel  Player
Red
Red                  Red
Black   Red
Black   Black
Red      Black
Red      Red
Red      Red
Red      Red
Red      Red
Black   Red
Red      Black
Black   Red
Black   Black
Black   Black
Red      Black
Red      Red

The Advantage to the Player

The player's advantage is simply this: If a series of one color occurs he will ride along with it. In the example given, by always playing the color that just showed the player won four Reds in a run of five.

Veterans of the Roulette table often wish they could tell when a long run happened to be coming up. They think how nice it would be to be playing Black when it occurs ten times in succession. If they play "hot and cold" as just described, they will be sure to hit every run, Red or Black both, except for the first play in any given sequence.

The same applies to Craps. Just substitute the terms "Pass" and "Don't Pass" for "Red" and "Black." Thus we dispose of the dice player's bugaboo of being on the wrong side during the heavy shooting. But remember: In playing "hot and cold" an alternating run like Red, Black, Red, Black, Red, Black, will mean a total loss.

In ordinary play the "hot and cold" idea is no better or no worse than playing one way all the time or following any ec­centric pattern that you wish. But the player who uses it will never get caught out on the proverbial limb if the Roulette wheel goes off balance or the dice begin to do funny flips.

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