| |
|
|
|
| Directory Casino & Gambling |
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
Roulette,
Online Roulette |
| |
History
First, we are going to give you a history
lesson.
This is important to understanding this game. Enjoy the history
lesson and get ready to take a spin toward winning roulette.
Roulette is a fascinating game. It is the oldest game in modern
casinos. No one is sure of the exact origin of roulette, although
there are a number of popular myths. It seems reasonable that
some form of spinning wheel game has been played for centuries,
probably since the invention of the wheel. There are stories
of ancient warriors spinning shields on the tips of swords and
betting on the outcome. There are stories of Roman soldiers
turning chariots on their sides and spinning the upside wheel
to cause an event upon which to bet. There are other stories
of ancient Chinese playing a game similar to roulette, which
traveled to southern Europe through the silk and spice trade
routes made famous by people such as Marco Polo. The historical
record about such games is sketchy at best and these stories
may be just that, fanciful stories. Given man?s nature to bet
on events, these stories certainly could be credible. In all
likelihood, roulette was developed and refined over time, perhaps
coming from ancient roots such as those mentioned.
Roulette comes from the French word, roué, meaning wheel or
small wheel and the modern version of the game seems to have
been developed in France in the 17th century. In 1641, 18-year-old
French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal invented
a mathematics machine, which some claim to be the basis of the
modern roulette wheel. Perhaps Pascal?s most important contribution
to the game was another invention, the theory of probabilities.
He spent considerable time exploring the probabilities of random
events, a perfect description of roulette. The combination of
these inventions combined with the evolution of other games
of chance likely converged to form the basis of modern roulette.
One such similar game was called E-O for Even-Odd. It appeared
in Bath, England, beginning in about 1739. E-O players bet on
one of two colors. One color represented the even numbers and
the other represented odd numbers. This game was short-lived
and disappeared by 1820 with the introduction of the French
roulette. Refugees from the French Revolution brought roulette
with them as the fled to England. Roulette was preferred over
E-O because of the greater variety of bets it offered.
In 1765, roulette in its present form was introduced into Paris
through the efforts of a police official, Gabriel de Sartine.
De Sartine wanted a gambling game that would thwart the cheats
then plaguing the city. Roulette?s acceptance was immediate,
and its popularity continues to this day. Early-nineteenth-century
roulette had both a single and double zero, very much like the
wheels used in Las Vegas today. When the ball dropped into the
red single 0, all bets on red were considered bars, and no money
was won or lost. Conversely, when the ball landed in the black
00 pocket, all bets on black were barred.
In 1856, a joint stock company petitioned Prince Charles III,
the ruler of Monaco, for permission to build a casino. He liked
the idea of the potential tax revenues but doubted that the
venture would succeed. He finally granted his permission for
the construction of the casino, bringing gambling to Monte Carlo.
Francois Blanc was in Germany when he first heard of the Monte-Carlo
project. He was intrigued as gambling was being outlawed in
much of the rest of Europe. In 1863, he signed a 50-year franchise
contract and built the luxurious Place du Casino. His aim was
to build it in a way that would attract the richest members
of society. He also persuaded French authorities to build a
new highway to Monaco, and to extend the railway from Nice.
These innovations opened Monte-Carlo to the world.
Monaco grew into an extravagantly beautiful playground for the
world's wealthy and international sportsmen alike. Roulette
was very popular there and became a gentleman?s game.
Roulette sailed across the Atlantic to America in the early
1800s, first appearing in the French city of New Orleans. This
version of the game used both the single and double zeros. The
game quickly became just as popular in New Orleans as it had
been in Europe. 8
It was so popular, in fact, that the gaming operators became
greedy. Lacking the competition of the Blanc brothers, New Orleans
operators added rather than subtracted a zero. This third zero
position featured a picture of an American eagle and tripled
the house percentage over the single-zero game. The operators
also increased the wheel speed to three times the pace of the
leisurely 36 spins per hour of the game played in the European
casinos. The third zero put players at too much of a disadvantage.
The popularity of the game dwindled. The third zero was eventually
dropped and the game was revived.
One of the places it was revived was in the gambling houses
that sprang up in the mining camps of California during the
Gold Rush. Roulette is a popular game yet today in American
casinos.
In Europe the climate for roulette was somewhat different than
in America. In Europe it was a game played by the wealthy and
the elite. Gambling resorts sprang up wherever gaming was legal
and the privileged could play wherever they wanted. Competition
among the casinos was strong. Consequently, the game was changed
in Europe to increase the player?s odds and attract more players.
The 00, still found on American wheels, was eliminated. This
cut the casino margin by half. A further enticement was the
introduction of the ?surrender? or ?en prison? rule that cut
the casino margin in half once again.
In the Old West, roulette was the only game of its kind in the
gambling houses. Gaming houses were often tents that moved from
one mining strike to the next. Similar gaming houses sprang
up in the ?end of the line? railroad towns as the iron rails
stretched across the vast distances of the American west. Entertainment
opportunities for the miners and the railroad workers in those
isolated camps were few. There was little competition for the
casinos and the operators didn?t face the same competitive situation
as their European counterparts. There was no need to reduce
the house percentage. The 00 remains a part of the American
game even to this day.
The difference is in the numbers. The European game has 37 numbers
and pays up to 35 to 1. The American game has 38 numbers and
pays up to 35 to 1. By dropping the 38th number, the European
game reduces the percentage inherent to the house, or casino,
by half. In the European game, the inherent house percentage
is 2.7, while in the American game, with 38 numbers; the inherent
house percentage is 5.26 percent.
Actually, the house edge is not derived from the wheel having
a zero or double zero added to the other 36 numbers. The house
advantage comes from the casino not paying full odds on a winning
bet. There are 38 numbers on double zero roulette wheels; therefore
the proper odds for the game to be a break-even proposition
would be 37 to 1. However, the casino only pays 35 to 1 for
a winning straight up bet on a number. And on even money bets
such as red/black, odd/even and high/low the house should pay
you approximately 1.0135% of your winning bet instead of simply
paying you even money. This is how the house actually acquires
the edge that ultimately beats you.
Today both versions of the game can be found in the U.S., although
the American version is much more common. Roulette players are
well advised to play the European version of the game where
they can find it in a few American casinos.
This leads us to the very first strategy for roulette success
of this book. Play European roulette whenever possible. You
will win more. For the purposes of this book, however, we are
going to assume that we are talking about the American game
with 38 numbers. This is the most popular game played in the
U.S. and Canada. The strategies we are going to outline work
the same with either game. They work just as well with the European
version of the game and if you use them with the European game
you will win even more money than with the American game. Albert
Einstein was a mathematical genius and a master of probabilities.
Once he was asked if any roulette system would guarantee success.
?Yes,? the great scientist said, ?I know one and only one. Steal
the chips from the table when the dealer is not looking!?
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
