The Stanton Tweni Guide to Roulette Greetings, my name is Stanton Tweni. I am what some would call an expert in casino gaming. Personally, I think that’s an understatement – I am a casino gaming demigod. And I say this with no intention to come across as vain or condescending; please don’t get the wrong idea of me; I’m here to help you. The truth is that if you’re looking to learn how to play Roulette like the pros, you just have listen to what I gotta say. I’ve been doing this for years; I’ve played with the best and worst of them. I’ve drunk the most expensive champagne and hung out with chicks in skins and the ginchiest cats in town. If you ever hit the West side of Casino City and ask for Stan Tweni, chances are people will think that you’re connected, that you might be a made guy – that’s as far as gambling goes, of course. I’ve never been on the wrong side of the law … well, most of my life that is. When I was a kid my daddy owned an illegal casino past the freezer doors of our butchery. At the age of twelve he took me in there and that’s where it all started. First I fell in love with the card games like Blackjack. I had a knack for it and quickly learned how to count cards. Maybe I’ll let you in on card counting some other time – we’ll be talking Roulette today. Man, I know so much about that wheel… They say that gambling runs in the family and soon enough I was dealing in that casino of ours. I was even better than my pops. The cops gambling there adored me and never busted the place. My dad knew how to pamper them too and gave them the right house edges, the best in town. That and booze on the house. See, that’s one of the most important things you to have think about when you’re playing Roulette: the House Edge. But don’t worry about that yet; I’ll be explaining house edges a little later. Years after my dad had died of lung cancer I decided that gambling is what I should be doing full time. It’s the one true talent running through my veins. So today I go from casino to casino trying to break the bank. Believe me, I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error to get where I am today. My bankroll is a serious one; so much so that I can afford to lose now and then. That’s the thing: when you gamble you gotta be ready to take a hit. Then you try and come back with all you’ve got. You must never give up or allow yourself to tilt. I’ve learned a lot about tilting in poker and can tell you that it’s extremely probable to lose it all in a second. You gotta keep your cool and play to a system.
Roulette, like any other gambling game, is a combination of knowing the rules and gumption. The latter is about being solid as a rock and knowing what you want the outcome to be every time you place a chip on the table. As far as the former is concerned, it takes a little bit of reading and memorizing the basics before you can go out and play for real money. But trust me, Roulette is a much simpler game compared to other table games like Blackjack, Poker and Craps. In this guide I will be concentrating on the most important aspects of Roulette. First I’m going to give you a bit of a history lesson on where the game comes from. If you want to get good at something, you need to show appreciation for the subject. Ignorance is not an option. Not with me. I will then talk to you about the psychology of Roulette. Roulette is like a game show. When you’re sitting at home you seem to know all the answers, but as soon as you’re in front of a live audience and an unctuous host, the game changes for the worst: you begin stuttering, your mind goes blank and you get drenched in your own sweat. Then you lose all your money and you feel like a child who’s just lost his candy. It all really boils down to nerves – being calm is very important if you want to keep the money coming your way. After we have looked at how you can keep your nerves and money at bay, we will begin looking at the basic gameplay of Roulette and move on to the different types of bets you can make. Roulette is wonderful in that you can make a myriad of betting combinations. But in order to do so prudently, you’ll need to understand the odds at play. We will look at those too, after which I will teach you how to bet intelligently. For years now I’ve been researching some betting strategies that have proven to work in the past and warmly bid you to join me in looking at some of them. I hope this little guide is helpful. I have to be honest with you. I hate the fact that casinos brow-beat their patrons into believing that playing in their establishments is some sort of novelty. My idea has always been to try and get money out of them, regardless of how. And I’m not talking about cheating, but simply acquiring enough knowledge so that I can end up on a level playing field with the croupier or dealer. Trust me, it’s not that difficult. All it takes is the belief that that casino owes you and not the other way around. So let us begin with the history of this enjoyable game.
The History of Roulette – It’s all about the House Edge Blaise Pascal was hands down the architect of Roulette. He of course wasn’t looking to discover a new game of chance with which he could make some extra dough. Instead, in his endeavor to find a perpetual motion contraption, Pascal stumbled upon a wheel that could revolve for hours at end. Exciting! This was in the 17th century. Do you know what else was invented around the same time? Dom Pérignon invented champagne! Now that’s something that complements a game of Roulette, don’t you think? The king of all wines for the king of all casino games. Salute! Almost 250 years later, at the Palais-Royal, the well-known Parisian palace situated across the Louvre where many ‘sophisticated’ orgies took place, Roulette made its gambling debut. At that time, the game was a mixture of the Italian games Biribi and Hoca. The game had also welcomed influences from up north in England. The English games that played their equal part in the development of Roulette were Roly-Poly, Hearts, E.O. and Reiner. In 1801 in the writings of Jaques Lablee, the writer describes the game as one containing two reserved slots for the bank: a zero and double zero pockets. This has a lot to do with the house edge. Since this is the second time I have mentioned the house edge, it is probably wise to go right ahead and tell you what it actually is.
The House Edge The house edge (also known as the house average) is the advantage the house has over the player. In other words, it is the probability the house has of beating you. This probability is expressed in a percentage. The house edge is determined by the amount of nonblack/odd and non-odd/even pockets found on the roulette wheel, or in other words, the amount of zeros found on the wheel. As said earlier, Jaques Lablee noted that the first Roulette had a single zero and a double zero. This particular combination of zeros gave the house and edge of 5.26% and meant that the house had an extra 5.26% chance of beating the participants. This brings us to the history of the single zero game and it’s lower house edge.
Louis and Francois Blanc In 1843, in the German town of Bad Homburg von der Höche, or just
‘Homburg’ (not to be mistaken with Hamburg), two French brothers by the name of Blanc came up with a version of Roulette that contained only one zero. This lessened the house edge dramatically to 2.70% and made Roulette even more popular with 19th century gamblers.
Growth in Popularity In the 19th century, Roulette spread all over Europe and America. The American version kept to its roots and continued brandishing its zero and double zero pockets, whilst the single zero game became the preferred version in Europe. Remember when I told you about my dad offering patrons the best house edges in town? Well, he always had the single zero roulette spinning in our illegal casino, unlike all other Casino City gambling establishments. Like the Blanc brothers, we were at the top of our game. The interesting thing about having a smaller house edge is that the casino still always wins. But don’t worry, there are still tricks to getting enough playtime to beat the game. It’s all about patience, knowledge and understanding a few of the betting techniques. Sometime during the 1860’s, the German government abolished all forms of gambling, which meant that the Blanc brothers had to close shop and relocate elsewhere. They set their sights towards the Côte d'Azur and Monte Carlo where they established the world‘s most upmarket gambling destination. In only a few years, Monte Carlo, with the help of the single zero game, became the place to be, luring the Europe’s upper crust to its luxurious gambling palaces. By the way, did you know that the sum of the numbers in roulette amounts to 666, making many regard Roulette as the Devil’s game. Believe what you will, but I personally have no qualms playing the game, devil or no devil. So, by reading the history of Roulette, we can make a couple important conclusions.
1. Never play American Roulette! The house edge is unfavorable and stands at 5.26%. Roulette alternatives that you should look at are French and European Roulette. 2. If you cannot find a single zero game at your local casino, simply play online. You can find some great online destinations by visiting casinojones.com. I have some very helpful blog entries over there too that you can use to enhance your casino knowledge. 3. If you’re scared of the devil, you shouldn’t be gambling!
Alright! Now that you are acquainted with the fascinating facts of the history of Roulette, let us talk about how you should prepare yourself psychologically when you go to a live casino.
Be Cool Anything in life tackled anxiously is a train smash in the making. You gotta be a cool cat if you wanna win, and if that means popping a Valium until you find your feet in the casino environment, then you just might have to do it. But calmness also comes with experience. If you have never played Roulette for real money before, it is only natural to freak out a little. As you play more and more, the less nervous you’re going to be. Nervousness also comes when you’re not prepared, so make sure you memorize everything I’m talking about here. It’s not a lot to remember, so don’t worry. Print this guide for when you’re not at your computer.
The Stink Eye Man, I love the stink eye! I use it when the squares at the table start taking liberties and get cheeky. Some players think they own the place and that their presence is more important that yours. When this happens, all you gotta do is tilt your heard to the one side, make your eyebrows into a ‘V’ and stare at them like Bob Niro just drank a phial of vinegar. Showing the rest of the mopes who’s boss will give you confidence to be a winner!
Alcohol As much as like to have a glass of champagne, I’ve learnt that getting inebriated is generally a very bad idea. If you can’t think straight, how are you going to play to one of the systems I’ll be showing you shortly? Having a few drinks is okay, but if you find yourself slurring and losing your balance, it’s time to wave for a cab and go straight home. The worst thing in gambling is when you wake up in the morning and all you cash is gone. Knowing when to stop is a problem for most gamblers and alcohol makes you think that you’re invincible. Well, you’re not, and casinos love a drunk!
Play your game Mimicking other players’ playing style may just be the worst thing you
can do. That’s because a lot of the time most players don’t know what they’re doing. Even if they seem to be winning, you should be comfortable with your own game-plan and stick to it. Playing another’s game means that you will often slip into a rut of chaos and eventually lose your money. The trick to being a successful Roulette player is to bet small and play for long. But this requires concentration and a whole lot of patience, so arm yourself with enough to last a lengthy session. Alrighty. I’ve just about covered all the psychology of playing at a casino. You can think about the aforementioned demeanors before you play any game at a casino and not just Roulette. It is now time to get to the nitty-gritty of Roulette and namely how to play the game. Let us start with the Roulette table and move on to what you can do with it.
The Table
The roulette table is simple to understand. As you can see, the table is divided into a few sections. The Roulette wheel section is the first of these. This is where the croupier spins the ball, which itself determines the winners and losers. The Inside Layout of the table is basically the numbers layout. As you can see, the Roulette table offers the numbers 1-36 and a 0 in the French and European versions – a total of 37 numbers. The American version will have an extra double zero pocket on the wheel and
inside layout, making a total of 38 numbers, and as discussed earlier, a damaging house edge. The Outside Layout is all bets situated outside the inside/numbers layout. The bets include odd or even bets; red or black bets; first 12, second 12 and third 12 bets; and 1 to 18 and 19 to 36 bets. French Roulette is essentially the same as European roulette, except it will also have an area of betting known as French Bets. We will take a closer look at French Bets when I give you an account of each betting possibility on the table.
Rules and Gameplay Roulette is an odds game, meaning that each type of bet will pay differently. The rule is simple: the more specific or narrow a bet, the more money you win. This means that the most lucrative win in Roulette is if you bet on a single number. This bet pays at 35 to 1 odds. Every other bet will have smaller payout but the odds will grow in your favor.
Playing a game of Roulette Buy Chips When you easy. Just Make sure the dealer
get to a Roulette table, you need to buy chips. That’s give the croupier you money by placing it on the table. that you do not put your money on a betting space as might think that you are placing a wager.
The chips that you receive from the croupier will be color-coded. This way the croupier will know who the winners and losers are after each round.
Placing Bets
After you have received your color-coded chips you can begin playing. You can place bets by yourself throughout the Roulette layout. You will also be permitted to place Call and Announced bets, which must be communicated to the dealer. I will cover these bets in the bets section of this guide. If you want to bet on a space that is occupied by another player’s chips, place your chips on top of the other player’s chips. There will be no confusion come payouts as each player will have his/her own color-coded chips.
Spin, Bet, Spin, No More Bets
A round of Roulette goes as follows: the croupier will spin the wheel in one direction. Sometimes the wheel is connected to a motor so the croupier won’t have to fulfill that duty and so that the velocity of the wheel remains constant. Players will then make their bets along the table’s layout and will usually be given sufficient time to do so. I’ve had many altercations with croupiers for not giving players enough time to make their bets. If you feel like the croupier is rushing the game, you can ask him to take it easy. The croupier will then spin the ball in the opposite direction to that of the wheel’s spin. Soon after he’ll call, “No More Bets”, which means that player will not be able to place more chips on the table. The ball will eventually land in one of the pockets and the winners and losers will be determined. It’s a simple as that!
Roulette Bets As discussed earlier, the Roulette table is divided into three major betting areas: the Inside Layout, The Outside layout and French Bets area. Let us now take a look at each and its associated bets individually.
Inside Bets The Inside Bets layout is not my favorite because it is quite difficult to complete wins. Nonetheless, let us take a look at how you can place wagers on the Inside Layout.
The Straight-Up Bet
The most basic of all Roulette bets, the Straight-Up bet is possible when you place you chip(s) on a number between 0-36. This bet pays 35 to 1.
The Split Bet
This bet is a two number bet. You can make a Split Bet by placing you chip(s) on the line separating two numbers. The Split Bet pays 17 to 1.
The Street Bet
Street Bets are three number bets and pay 11 to 1. They are placed on a horizontal line on the table’s inside layout.
The Six Line Bet
Also referred to as the Double Street Bet, the Six Line Bet is a
wager on two adjacent Street Bets. This bet is therefore a wager on six numbers at a time. Place your chip(s) on the line separating two streets and the line separating the Inside Layout from the Outside Layout.
The Trio Bet
This bet is only available for French or European Roulette and always includes the zero. Trio Bet Possibilities: • 0, 1 ,2 • 0, 2, 3
The First Four Bet
Also known as the Basket Bet, the First Four Bet is again only available on French or European Roulette variations and uses the first four numbers of the Inside Layout: 0, 1, 2 and 3. This bet is essentially a corner bet that utilizes the zero.
The Double Zero Basket Bet
These bets are almost the same as Basket Bets but are only possible for the American double zero Roulette version. You can place your chips on the border of the three numbers you want to wager on. The • • •
Double Zero Basket Bet possibilities: 0, 1 and 2 0, 00, and 2 00, 2 and 3
Top Line Bets
This is another bet only possible with American Roulette. This bet works when you place your chip(s) at the corner of the 0 and 1 or the corner of 00 and 3, and includes the number 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3.
Outside Bets These are the bets I like to play because they go hand in hand with the Martingale Betting System that I discuss at the end of this guide.
Even or Odd Bets
This is a bet that is placed on either odd or even numbers and pays even money when a winner.
Red or Black
Read/Black wagers are identical to Even/Odd bets and pay even money.
1-18 and 19-36 Bets
Here you will be betting on either half of the Inside layout excluding the zero. Remember, this is how the house maintains its house edge.
Dozen Bets
If we divide 36 by 3 we are left with three dozens; 1 through 12, 13 through to 24, and 25 through to 36. These bets pay 2 to 1, double that of first three Outside Bets we just looked at.
Column Bets
These bets are placed on the three columns of 12 numbers and pay 2 to 1 as with Dozen Bets.
A Summary of the Inside and Outside Bets and their Odds and Payouts: Type
Placement on Layout
Payout
0
0
35 to 1
00
00
35 to 1
Straight Up
Any number on layout
35 to 1
Row bet
0, 00
17 to 1
Split
Any two numbers
17 to 1
Basket Bet
0, 1, 2; 00, 2, 3 or 0, 00, 2
11 to 1
Street Bet
Any three horizontal three numbers (e.g. 13, 14, 15)
11 to 1
Corner Bet
Any four neighboring numbers
8 to 1
Top Line Bet
0, 00, 1, 2, 3
Double Street / Six Line Bet
Any six number on two horizontal 5 to 1 rows
1st Column Bet
1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34
2 to 1
2nd Column Bet
2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35
2 to 1
3rd Column Bet
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
2 to 1
1st Dozen Bet
1 through 12
2 to 1
2nd Dozen Bet
13 through 24
2 to 1
3rd Dozen Bet
25 through 36
2 to 1
Odd Bet
All odds
1 to 1 (even)
Even Bet
All evens
1 to 1 (even)
Red
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36
1 to 1 (even)
Black
2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11,13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 33, 35
1 to 1 (even)
1 through 18
1, 2, 3, 4, …, 18
1 to 1 (even)
19 through 36
19, 20, 21, 22, …, 36
1 to 1 (even)
Call Bets or Announced Bets Call bets, also known as Announced Bets, are Roulette wagers where you literally ‘call’ or ‘announce’ your bet to the croupier. These bets are fundamentally cash bets and bypass the chip acquiring stage. Instead, what you need to do is announce the bet and show the croupier your cash. The croupier will then make the wager for you.
French Bets If you inspect the numbers of the roulette wheel, you will notice that the numbers are not sequential but in actual fact quite chaotic. French Bets are therefore bets that take up sectors of the Roulette wheel and not sectors of table layout. Here are the three separate sectors that you can bet when you opt to play French Bets:
Voisins Du Zéro (Neighbors of Zero) Voisins Du Zéro series: 19, 4, 21, 2, 25
22, 18, 29, 7, 28, 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32, 15,
Number of chips required: 9 Placement of chips: • 2 chips on the trio of 0, 2 and 3 • 1 chip on the 4-7 split • 1 chip on the 12-15 split • 1 chip on the 18-21 split • 1 chip on the 19-22 split • 2 chips on the 25-26-28-29 corner • 1 chip on the 32-35 split
Orphelins (The Orphans Bet) Orphelins series: 17, 34, 6 and 1, 20, 14, 31, 9. Number of chips required: 5 Placement of Chips: • 1 straight-up bet on 1 • 1 chip on the 6-9 split • 1 chip on the 14-17 split • 1 chip on the 17-20 split • 1 chip on the 31-34 split
Le Tiers Du Cylinder (Thirds of the Wheel bet) Le Tiers Du Cylinder series: 27, 13, 36, 11, 30, 8, 23, 10, 5, 24, 16 and 33
Number of chips required: 6 Placement of Chips: • 1 chip on the 5-8 split • 1 chip on the 10-11 split • 1 chip on the 13-16 split • 1 chip on the 23-24 splits • 1 chip on the 27-30 splits • 1 chip on the 33-36 split
Jeu Zéro (Zero Game) Jeu Zéro series: 12, 35, 3, 26, 0, 32 and 15 Number of chips required: 4 Placement of Chips: • 1 chip on the 0-3 split • 1 chip on the 12-14 split • 1 chip on 26, straight-up • 1 chip on the 32-35 split
Betting Systems Okay, now that we have looked at all the important bets you can make when playing Roulette, it’s time to find out how you can manage your money wisely. As I said earlier, Roulette – like any other casino game, except maybe for some Video Pokers – will always offer an unfavorable house edge, which means that you will always loose in the long run. Unless of course if you play bit by bit, wagering small so you can buy yourself some time to get lucky. Unfortunately, Roulette has a lot to do with luck in contrast to games like Poker and Blackjack. Managing your money wisely means playing to a Betting System which will allow you to know exactly where your bankroll stands at any given moment. Betting Systems are also important in that they are conjured in such a mathematical fashion that they always make your losses back. However, the one thing that makes Betting Systems difficult to use is that Roulette tables will always have Table Limits, which means that players won’t be able to bet past a predetermined monetary limit. For example, a table limit could be set at $1000 – any bet above $1000
will not be permitted by the croupier. This, however, shouldn’t be a problem if you’re betting small and if you’re prepared to spend more time playing. Let us now take a look at my favorite three Betting Systems that have helped me build one of the most authoritative bankrolls in Casino City. I generally use these betting systems on even payout bets and so should you. You will see that using betting systems on anything either than 1 to 1 payout bets will not make up your losses. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about. So it’s advisable that you use these systems on bets such as Red/Black, Even/Odd or 1-18/19-36.
The Martingale Betting System Despite the fact that everyone says that this system is dangerous to use, I still like using it when I’m betting small. When using this system, you have to double your wager whenever you lose and start over again after you eventually win. One thing that is needed when using the Martingale is a hefty bankroll. How the system works: • • • • • • •
Bet Bet Bet Bet Bet Bet Bet
1 credit – lose 2 credits – lose (running total of losses 3) 4 credits – lose (running total of losses 7) 8 credits – lose (running total of losses 15) 16 credits – lose (running total of losses 31) 32 credits – win at even odds! 1 credit again and double until you win.
The Martingale system is ideal for online casinos because their minimum betting limits are usually set at 1 credit, which means that you can double your bet quite a few times until you win. There is of course a risk of not attaining a win for a long time (where the ball lands on black 20 consecutive times, for example, and you’re betting on red), but this is the risk of gambling. Should you hit a streak of bad luck, it should eventually turn around and favor the system.
The Fibonacci Betting System This system is a little less aggressive than that Martingale. Here you’ll pair numbers to come up with the next in the sequence.
Example of the Fibonacci sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89 The system when playing Roulette: • • • • • • • •
Bet 1 credit – lose Bet 1 credit – lose Bet 2 credits – lose Bet 3 credits – lose Bet 5 credits – lose Bet 8 credits – lose Bet 13 credits – win! Start again at 1 credit
The Labouchere Betting System In this system you get to pick your own sequence of numbers – anything from the top of your head. Here is one such random sequence of numbers that I have come up with: 5, 6, 12, 15, 20 What you need to do first is add the first and last numbers of the sequence: 5 + 20 = 25. You first bet will therefore be 25 credits. If you win, you must cross out the 5 and 20 from the sequence. Your new sequence will now be 6, 12, 15 and you next bet 21 (6 + 15). If you lose, you must add 25 to the end of the sequence. In a losing instance, your next bet will be 5 + 25 (the new number of the sequence) = 30. There you have it – everything that you need to know about Roulette. Try memorize everything I have talked about (it’s not much) and you should be ready to take on the casino. Remember, don’t be afraid to use the stink eye when in unpleasant situations and always be on your toes. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll make a name as I have. Be sure to check out some of my other guides at CasinoJones.com! I wish you the best of luck.
Stanton