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Gaming Guru  The two roulettes21 May 2019
By Frank Scoblete There are two types of roulette games in the world, the American and the European. Strangely, the American double-zero wheel was created in Europe but is now considered fully domesticated, since it is used far more than any other wheel in the United States. Guess where the European wheel was created. The American wheel has 38 pockets for the ball to fall into with the numbers 1 through 36 along with a 0 and 00. The numbers are not on the wheel in numerical order; instead, numbers tend to be across the wheel from their neighbors. Thus the number 24 is almost directly across the wheel from number 23. Players have the choice of betting on individual numbers straight up, meaning right on the number on the layout, or on the outside proposition bets such as red/black, or on combinations directly on the layout, for example 2 and 3. If the player can reach all areas of the layout he or she is free to place all of his or her bets. If the player’s arms are not like Elastic Man’s then the dealer will place whatever bets the player may want that are out of his or her reach. The house edge on the American roulette game is usually 5.26% which means the players’ expectation is to lose $5.26 for every $100 that he or she wagers. Since there are 38 pockets the chance that a direct hit occurs is one in 38; that makes the odds 37 to one. In a fair game where the casino has no edge, the payout for a winning bet would be 37 to one but the casino can’t make a profit by paying out fair bets so instead of paying 37 to one, the casino pays 35 to one. If those are dollars, the casino is paying $35 instead of $37. Keeping two instead of paying that out gives the house its 5.26% edge. Just divide 2 by 38 and you get 5.26%. That edge will hold on all bets at the game except for two, which I will discuss next week. The European roulette game The European game was created – yes, yes, that’s right – in America! This wheel has 37 pockets, numbered 1 through 36 with a single 0 on it. The house edge is 2.7%, which is much lower than the American double-zero game’s 5.26%. The casino pays out 35 to 1 instead of 36 to one but since it only keeps one instead of two, the edge is lowered almost in half of the American game. Just divide 37 into and one you get 2.70%. Three changes in the house edge Although I will discuss all the betting options and their house edges next week, there are three differences from the norm, two on the American game and one on the European game. The American wheel has a combined bet called variously “the beast,” “the monster,” “the devil,” or “the five-number bet,” those numbers being 0, 00, 1, 2, 3. The house edge on this bet is a whopping 7.89%! However, in the American game if the casino allows “surrender” on its even-money bets of red/black, odd/even and high/low, the edge is lowered in half. Surrender occurs when the 0 or 00 hits and the casino gives back half of the player’s wager. The house edge is reduced to 2.63% on those three above wagers. The European game has something similar called “en prison,” where a hit on the 0 locks up the even-money bets on the above three propositions. The result of the next spin determines whether the bet wins or loses. That also reduces the house edge in half to 1.35%, one of the best bets in the casino! Next week I’ll go through the bets and edges at both games. All the best in and out of the casinos! Visit Frank’s website at www.frankscoblete.com. This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net. The methods to their madness14 May 2019
My wife has a (correct) theory about me. She believes that I believe that anyone who agrees with me is smart and those who don’t agree with me are (to put it mildly) not too bright. Actually, I think most people think this exact way. The dumbest guy at the bar hollering and arguing about his pet theory of ... (read more)
The gambling buffet7 May 2019
Casinos have great dining buffets. You can get all manner of ethnic offerings such as Italian, Southern, Chinese, Irish and Scottish, along with many other European and Asian specialties. Not every buffet will have every ethnicity's or country’s offerings, but tour the country as I have and you will eat – a ... (read more)
Some player superstitions30 April 2019
Humankind is a superstitious lot. There’s no doubt about that. Throwing salt over our shoulders if some it had spilled on the table or floor; not walking under ladders or stepping on cracks on the sidewalk. Look at the number of religions in the world over time, perhaps tens of thousands, all basically explaining everything but doing it differently. ... (read more)
Ask Frank: Spanish 21 StrategyHello there, Living in Canada, I find that the rules are more liberal here than at other casino locales, such as the dealer standing on all 17s for Spanish Blackjack. In your book, Armada Strategies for Spanish 21, there is only a strategy for when the dealer hits soft 17. I w... (read more)Ask Frank (Playing Winning Craps)Dear Mr. Scoblete: In your book Forever Craps, you recommend to play one Don't Come bet per shooter without odds in order to reduce your exposure to the house. I usually play at casinos that count the spread and odds. If I play one ... (read more)Bad Ways to Play Good Casino GamesYou've met this guy before. He's cantankerous, witless, and loud. He knows everything about everything when it comes to casino games. He's a self-made expert who knows more than all writers and mathematicians combined, and as he doubles on his thirteen against the dealer's ... (read more)The Craps to English DictionaryCraps is another country, a kingdom with its own mores, legends, myths, rites, rituals, superstitions and government. It also has its own language, much of it easily misunderstood as sexual or scatological references. For those of you interested in journeying to this ... (read more)Craps Crap and Craps Gold - Part 1What do the following sayings have in common? "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." "Better late than never." "High fences make good neighbors." "Always play the Pass/Come and take full odds." Answer: The above statements are true. Yes, some people might quibble and say that you can eat as ... (read more)Frank Scoblete |
Frank Scoblete |
