Roulette Rule Sitemap

01. GAMBLERS LOSE - There is only one way of finding out how to win at any type of gambling pastime. That is to learn why gamblers lose. That's easily answered: They lose when they let themselves get hooked on the short end of any proposition, provided they stay with it long enough, which they usually do.

Looking at it from the opposite viewpoint, the gambler who can latch onto the long end of a proposition and stay with it should wind up a winner.

02. ROULETTE TABLE - The most fabulous as well as the most famous of all games of chance is undoubtedly Roulette. It has figured so heavily in fact and fiction that the very term "roulette" has become a household word in practically every civilized language. The game itself has gained acceptance in gambling casinos through­out the world, so that a knowledge of Roulette has become a "must" for every would-be patron of such establishments.

03. LUCK VERSUS LOSS - Contrary to popular misconception, the game of Roulette was not originated in Monte Carlo, the place that made it famous, at least in song and story. What is more, the Double Zero, giv­ing the house a higher percentage, is not an American innova­tion as most people think, but was customary before Monte Carlo became the great gambling center of the world.

04. DOUBLE-UP SYSTEM - When a player pits his wits against Roulette or any other table game like Craps or Blackjack, he must find some way to keep himself a business despite the constant tax imposed upon him by the house percentage.

That sounds impossible, but it isn't. Not that anyone should try to beat the house or, for that matter, gamble at all. Nobody should, because it isn't worth the trouble. It's like two salesmen each trying to sell the other something he doesn't need in order to make a commission.

05. MARTINGALE - The chart on the opposite page shows a sample of eighty plays on a Single-0 wheel of the Monte Carlo type. It will be used to illustrate the ins and outs of the various systems to be described.

This, however, should not be taken as a proof of any merit where those systems are concerned. It would require literally hundreds of such charts and reams of figure work to show any truly positive or negative results.

06. LABBY SYSTEM - The term "Labby" or "The Lab," as this system is some­times known, does not refer to laboratory tests to which it has been submitted, though it has probably been tried more often than any other system at the proving grounds of Monte Carlo. The word "Labby" is supposedly a nickname for a famous journalist, Labouchere, who used it to finance his visit to the Mediterranean's famous Rock.

07. OTHER SYSTEMS - Besides the Martingale, the Labby and their variations, there are other systems with elaborations that have attracted many players and are used to considerable extent. One group operates on the theory that any pair of so-called "Equal Chances," such as Red and Black, or Odd and Even, naturally tend to counter­act each other

08. ONE-ARMED - The "One-armed Bandit," as the modern slot machine is now known, is without a doubt the most brazen, flagrant de­vice ever produced to swindle the general public. From its very concept, this contrivance was geared to one purpose, that of acquiring the customer's money and at the same time providing ironclad protection for the owner.

09. SLOT MACHINES - As soon as slot machines attained their place in the American scene, people began devising ways to beat them; some fair, but mostly foul. The feeling was that the machines themselves were illegal; therefore, no action would be taken against per­sons who tried to rob them.

It was possible to tilt some nickel machines so that they would take pennies. This meant that the player only put up 20 per cent of the expected amount, giving him a chance of doubling his money even if the payoff was only on a 40 per cent basis.

10. SYSTEMS Vs SLOTS - Jimmy the Mooch had a sure way of beating a slot machine. He had to wait a long time to work it and it didn't bring him a lot of money, but what did come was better than 1000 per cent profit because he didn't have to invest even a nickel, though occasionally he did, to justify what he took.

His system was this. He waited until somebody hit a Jackpot. Once the wreckage has been cleared away, in the form of loose coins, including those that rolled on the floor, the machine is anybody's, as anybody will tell you.

11. ONE HIT SYSTEM - Some players say that a slot machine is "hot" when it de­livers several sizeable payoffs close together; they class it as "cold" when it shows a long series of misses, with few or small hits in between.

Such terms as "hot" or "cold" may apply to Roulette or to the Craps table, where a player has some choice regarding the way he bets his money. But with a slot machine it's a case of a player putting in what he has and taking out what he can get.

12. BLACKJACK - Players familiar with the grand old game of Black Jack as a back room pastime may be surprised to learn that it has be­come the only card game in many gambling houses and that in some, it has topped all other games in popularity. There is good reason for such surprise, as among old-line players Black Jack is known to be as deadly as its name signifies.

13. 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.

14. GAMES COMPARED - Mathematicians have made exhaustive comparisons of vari­ous casino games and they have uncovered the remarkable fact —yes, you guessed it!—that the odds always favor the house. Without delving deeply into dismal decimals, Roulette, as played in America, with its 0 and 00 is stacked heavily against the player to the tune of about 51/4% while the Crap table, with slightly less than a 11/4% disadvantage gives him a much better shake.

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