Golden Rule #1 – Budgets

I usually play two sessions per day at the tables and when visiting Vegas we are there for three days – that’s six sessions that each need a budget.  I bring $100 bills with me in my pocket.  I don’t use ATMs – they are one-armed bandits for the banks.

My budget is straight forward, 100 minimum bets per session.  If each minimum bet is $5 then each session needs $500 or for six sessions then $3,000 for the visit.  So my Bank Roll (BR) is $500 cash in 5 $100 bills that I take to each session; the remaining funds are in the room safe.

Roulette moves slow when compared to Black Jack – Craps might be even slower but depending on how many dealers at the Roulette table 2 to 3 minutes is required from spin to spin.  That’s 20 – 30 spins per hour or 3.5 to 5 hours of playing Roulette with every spin a loser. (I’ve never done that but I’m sure someday it will happen)  I play 3 to 4 hours per session and then leave for a meal or a show.

It’s important to view the BR as NOT your money but the casino’s money – please think about that; the BR is theirs.  It’s your job to win back as much as you can during that session using that money.  If you run out of money you leave the table and think about what you could have done different so that won’t ever happen to you again.  You DO NOT go get more money – if you do that means you have a gambling problem and not a cash flow problem.

It’s important to realize that you have 100 minimum bets at your disposal and that’s all.  That concept frames just about everything else while gambling during that session.

When you approach the Roulette table you throw down $100, and your rating/awards card, and ask for a color (color of your chips)  ask to be rated and the pit boss will wonder by and log you in to rate you – it’s important to do that .  You DO NOT throw down $500 and ask for $5 chips – you want $1 chips – this is VERY important as you will learn later.  The other $400 is in your pocket and hopefully will not leave your pocket during that session.  Always get the minimum chip and have a stack of 100 of them in front of you.

If you run out of chips you throw down another $100 and ask for 100 more chips; you do this until you have no $100 bills in your pocket.

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Golden Rule #2 – Chips are tools too

I use my chips to help me with my betting systems; most gamblers seem to use their chips to constantly shuffle them in their hand making an annoying noise.

I have 3 groups of chips:

  1. My betting stack which is 100 or less chips
  2. The profit stack
  3. The chips that help me keep track of what’s happening

100 chip stack area

When I first sit down and get my initial stack of 100 chips they go into this area.  That’s 5 stacks of 20 chips and the stack can be less but never more than 100 chips.  All bets come from this area.

Profit stack area

Every time I win a spin and there are more than 100 chips in the 100-chip area the excess chips, my profits, go into the profit stack area.  Once chips enter this area they never leave – these chips go towards the next vacation to the casino or a 6-star restaurant or world class entertainment that night – thanks to the casino.

System work area

These chips come from the profit stack area and are used to keep track of what system is doing what.  Any chips in this area, at the end of the session, go back to the profit stack area.  I usually have 2 or 3 systems running at the same time and with that and the long time between spins I need help keep track of what’s going on.

Warning: don’t ever use paper and pencil at the Roulette table – the folks who do are tin-foil hat type of people; totally insane wackos.

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Golden Rule #3 – Play Conservatively

What does it mean to play conservatively? Well to me it means that I risk my money on the lowest risk bets and risk the casino’s money on the highest risk bets; I guess you probably have your own definition, but that’s mine.

Has anyone ever told you that?  Well why not?

Just this simple fact eliminates 50% to 75% of all the Roulette systems out there – they are risking your money when they should be risking the casino’s.  Here’s an example:

You bet the table minimum on Red and Black shows up – you lost $5 let’s say.  You decide to use the Martingale money management technique to make up for the loss and make $5 for you.  You now bet $10 on Red again – Black shows up.  You then must bet $20 and pick Black – Green 00 shows up.  You then must bet $40 and pick Red – Black shows up.  You are now down $75 and you were trying to make $5 – this is not smart, it’s dumb.  This is Negative Progression – risking more and more of your money to make peanuts.

Why do gamblers use Negative Progression?  Because they believe in the Gambler’s Fallacy – they believe that if they lose a spin then the odds favor them in the next spin.  As you hopefully now know the odds for Roulette are posted and NEVER change under any circumstances.

Some folks argue that using a Positive Progression is Gambler’s Fallacy too – that a trend has started and you are assuming the odds favor you now.  That makes no sense since all we are doing in a Positive Progression is taking the pit bosses money and throwing it on top of our normal bet; we are not assuming anything.

You will not believe the number of gamblers, systems, and chat rooms who do this most stupid thing. Any website or system or gambler that believes in Negative Progression, risking more and more of your money to make a few bucks, is a loser – and they probably have an attitude that they know what they are doing and are successful Roulette players – they are fall on their face losers.

You bet table minimums with your money and the sky is the limit using the casino’s money (working profits)  This is called Positive Progression – if there is a secret to winning Roulette it’s Positive Progression – you use profits, the casino’s money, to place risky bets.  I don’t mean adding profits to the same bet and system but playing a simultaneously more risky system that has much higher rewards.

Like I said, by only playing conservatively, you eliminate 50% to 75% of all Roulette systems out there – no need to even look at them since they are built on faulty logic – Gamblers Fallacy.

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Golden Rule #4 – Don’t Use Frankenstein Systems

There is NO single Roulette bet that wins time after time – if there was, Roulette tables would have been thrown out into the streets at all casinos hundreds of years ago.

Many gamblers fall for Gambler’s Fallacy and so do a lot of gamblers believe that taking a bunch of parts- bets, techniques, and systems and combining them will magically result in a winning Roulette system – they believe that the sum of the parts will exceed the best individual bet; they believe Frankenstein lives.  This is, of course, another fallacy that many gamblers fall for. Sadly many gamblers fall for both the Gambler’s Fallacy and the Frankenstein Fallacy at the same time and are doomed to a lifetime of losing at Roulette and hating every moment of it.

I view Roulette as using different betting strategies to do different things, the worst thing you can do is to combine multiple bets/techniques/systems into one bet – the result will be no better than the best bet and is dragged down by the worst bet within the system; the sum of the parts is a Frankenstein system.

Using this rule you can easily eliminate 20% or so of all Roulette systems out there – if they create a Frankenstein system with parts of other systems this is a sure clue that the gambler has fallen for the Frankenstein Fallacy.

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Rolette Rules and odds

American Table

European Table


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both wheels, and thus table, have numbers 1 – 36 in the same position and color.  Obviously the American wheel has the extra 00 making the wheel have 38 slots versus 37 for the European wheel.

Inside Bets

Inside bets are made by placing chips within the 1 – 36 grid and include:

  • Straight-up – place chip on a single number in the grid to bet on that single number
    Payout: 35 to 1;

  • Split – place a chip on the line between adjoining numbers to bet on both numbers.  eg 22/23, 32/35
    Payout: 17 to 1;

  • Street – place a chip on the line at the edge of a 3 line row to bet on all three numbers. eg 31/32/33
    Payout: 11 to 1;

  • Corner – place a chip on a line intersection to select all 4 surrounding numbers. eg 17/18/20/21
    Payout: 8 to 1;

  • Six Line: – place a chip on adjoining streets to select all six numbers. eg 16/17/18/19/20/21
    Payout: 5 to 1;

  • Trio or Basket – place a chip on the intersecting point between 0/1/2, or 00/2/3 or 02/00
    Payout: 11 to 1.

Outside Bets

Outside bets are made by placing chips on the bet options outside the 1 – 36 grid and include:

  • 1 to 18 – place a chip on the  1 – 18 bet box (Low)
    Payout: 1 to 1;

  • 19 to 36 – place a chip on the  19 – 36 bet box (High)
    Payout: 1 to 1;

  • Red or Black – place a chip on the red or black diamond bet box
    Payout: 1 to 1;

  • Even or Odd – place a chip on the Odd or Even bet box
    Payout: 1 to 1;

  • Dozen Bets – place a chip in the ‘1st 12′, ‘2nd 12′, ‘3rd 12′ bet boxes
    Payout: 2 to 1;
  • Column Bets – place a chip in the space indicated above as ‘2 to 1′ to bet on each column on numbers
    Payout: 2 to 1;

Please be aware that many casinos have BOTH an inside and outside minimum/maximum bet limits.

Chip Covers Term Pays
1 number Straight Up 35 to 1
2 numbers Split Bet 17 to 1
3 numbers Street Bet 11 to 1
4 numbers Corner Bet 8 to 1
4 numbers Four Bet 8 to 1
6 numbers Line Bet 5 to 1
12 numbers Dozen Bet or Column Bet 2 to 1
18 numbers Red/Black, Even/Odd or Low/High Bets 1 to 1
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Free Bet Coupons

I get coupons books from various casinos each month that give me a free bet at a table game.  The Roulette table is the place that I always use my coupon.  I’m not suggesting you do it but I do and the reason is that you can take that $5 coupon and make a lot of money out of it.

One of the coolest things I’ve ever seen gambling was when a guy came up to the Roulette table, gave the dealer his $5 bet coupon and reward card and asked that the $5 bet, which was the table minimum bet, be placed on #19.  The dealer did so and the wheel spun out #19 – the guy won $175 (35 to 1 payoff).

The guy then left the $180 on #19 and the wheel spun and spun and spun.  You guessed it, #19 came up again and the guy won $6,480.  He tipped the dealer $100, took his winnings from the pit boss, and asked for an escort to the cashier’s window where he got a check and left the casino; he told us he was done gambling for that day.

You do what you want but I do what that gambler did – I take my bet coupon to the Roulette table and ask the dealer what number he likes and bet my $5 or $10 or $25 on it – I always take big risks with the casino’s money and not my own; that’s one of MauiSunset’s Golden Rules.

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Roulette – 666 the Mark of Pascal

Roulette was created by Blaise Pascal, around 1655 as a perpetual motion machine project – somehow that seems fitting.  It has been played in its present form since 1796 when it was introduced in Paris. Roulette is the French word for “small wheel”.

If you add up the numbers 1 – 36 the total is 666 – somehow that seems fitting too.

In the 216+ year history of Roulette there has never been a documented case, one reproducible, of Roulette being “broken” – beaten. This is why casinos have Roulette tables and machines – it is a HUGE money maker for them. So if your goal is to break Roulette you can forget it; all you can expect to do is not get beaten up badly by Roulette and sometimes Pascal will smile down upon you.

Let me repeat that – Roulette is a money maker for the casinos and no human being has ever “broken” Roulette and there are no super-secret methods to consistently make money playing Roulette.  ALL the Roulette systems for sale are con jobs – you can spend all the money you want and you won’t find a steady, reliable, way of beating Roulette; if there were such a system the casinos would throw the Roulette tables in the Dumpster tonight – all of them.

Name one game that is beatable on a regular basis in ANY casino?  There are none.  EVERY game in the casino is designed to be fun to play and make a fortune for the casino.  You were expecting something else?

I can save you lots of money and aggravation by telling you the truth – Roulette is entertainment and with a little luck you can be profitable that day.  However, the longer you play Roulette the more the odds will catch up with you and you will be a net loser.  That’s the truth; Roulette is gambling and not investing.

So the idea is to have fun and try to lose as little money as possible while you guzzle down free drinks, stay at the casino’s hotel for free, eat free buffets, and spend any money won while gambling to enrich your adventure at the casino.

There is no better feeling than having a lucky day at the Roulette table and that night eat at expensive restaurants and watch world class entertainment – all on the casino’s money.  Of course when Lady Luck kicks you in the stomach you eat at Mickey Dees and watch a rerun movie on TV.

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Who is Maui Sunset?

Sunset at Ka'anapali Beach Maui

I’m a retired Aerospace Engineer living in St. Louis, MO.  I’m not really retired since I spend 12 – 14 hours a day designing, building, and marketing websites – this is a sample of my work.  I make my money by attracting readers and sell advertising space.  Trust me, no Roulette system seller is going to advertise here.

I like to gamble, I’ve gambled all my life on all kinds of things – self employment, stocks, rare coins, real estate, and other investments.

I am NOT a professional gambler, I don’t sell anything related to gambling, nor do I endorse any gambler, system, or casino.  I have NO ties to anything do to with gambling and I don’t make a penny from the gambling industry.  You won’t find me hawking gambling devices, systems, or programs.

I found myself visiting many Roulette websites and many were hawking products in a round about manner, these websites are infested with insane folks who dominate the forums with all kinds of insane ideas and never prove they know what they are talking about.  They use the forum as self medicating therapy at our expense.

I’m going to give you the truth about Roulette – it’s my experience and opinion and some will like this approach and some will not – that’s up to you.

So the big question – do I make money playing Roulette?

Let me answer this the way, I will challenge anyone boasting of their prowess at beating Roulette – if you boast about making money playing Roulette I will challenge you to prove it or I will take down your posts.  So in my case all I will say is that I enjoy playing Roulette and keep playing the game.

I am a problem solver – not a world class gambler.  My job here is to remove all the BS, smoke and mirrors, and hucksters from Roulette and supply you with tools and techniques that hopefully will make playing Roulette more pleasurable than what it is now – that’s my only promise here.  I will be ruthless, to the point of hostile, to keep the hucksters and stupid ideas out of this chatroom.

I hope you enjoy the ride…..

No BS at this website – none, zip, zilch – just math and logic.

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Can Roulette be Beaten?

Einstein said it best:

“You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it”

What did Einstein really mean?  I can only guess buy my guess is that the odds and the payback make Roulette a winner for the casino every day.

I agree.

Does that mean that you are doomed to lose money every time you play Roulette?  No.  It means that the longer you play Roulette the more likely you become a net loser at the game.

So what does that mean?  I don’t believe there are professional Roulette players who make a living playing Roulette.  I believe that you can have a fantastic time at the casino, playing Roulette, and when you account for free hotel rooms, free meals, free drinks, and the thrill of playing Roulette you will find it great entertainment – who knows you might have a fantastic evening and walk away with a larger bankroll than when you started the evening.

I also believe that all those Roulette systems and devices for sale are totally worthless to you the consumer who bought them.  People selling these systems are con artists – they make their money not playing roulette but by playing you.

Can I prove any of this?  Sure, the odds and payouts and rules for playing the game don’t allow for ANY scenario where you can make money consistently.  The simple fact that EVERY casino that has ever existed for the past 200+ years has Roulette tables and electronic games means that the casinos view Roulette as a very profitable game for their casino.

Why on earth play Roulette then?  It’s a fun game to play, and if you don’t do stupid things and play conservatively you can have a great time at the Roulette tables.

To those folks who disagree with me the burden of proof rests on your shoulders……

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Roulette Methodology Defined

The “meat and potatoes” of this website will be the 300 – 500 Roulette systems I have found on the internet and other venues.  Throughout all the 300+ systems presented here I used a methodology to dissect them and rank them – this is what I did.

Roulette can be broken into two major components:

  1. Casino side – Roulette the game
  2. Player side – A system to play Roulette

Casino’s side

Roulette has three parts to it:

  • The rules to play Roulette with payouts
  • The posted odds
  • Random numbers generated

The Roulette rules are posted in thousands of websites and well known.  Each casino uses the rules it wants to run its Roulette tables.  Usually the only difference, from casino to casino, is how 0 works.  For this website 0 is like any other number 1 – 36.  00 is exactly the same, any number 1 – 36.  0 is NOT even, it is green, not Red or Black, and it is NOT low; same with 00.  Payouts for various bets are well defined and every Roulette dealer knows them and can tell you if asked.

The odds for Roulette are well know and published on thousands of web sites.  Generally the Roulette dealer has no idea what the odds are.  These odds apply ONLY to the current spin.

The random numbers generated from a Roulette wheel or RNG are random – the next number to show up has absolutely no dependency on past numbers spun.

Player side

The player gets to create any kind of system they want but it must, of course, follow the casino rules and payouts, accept the odds, and the random numbers generated.  You get to do:

  • Create ANY set of rules to run the system
  • Create your own odds
  • Generate your own set of predictions

System Rules dictate how you view the casino’s rules, odds, and payout amounts.  You can mix and match the casino’s rules and come up with your own version for your playing.  i.e. you don’t have to view each spin as a unique event but it can be part of a much larger sequence of many spins.

You can create your own odds but they must be based upon the casino’s odds for any one spin.  For example if you want to say that two spins define you basic system element then the odds are combined and the odds of a Red showing up twice in a row are 1/4 (ignoring 0 and 00) instead of 1/2 as it is in one spin.

You get to come up with your prediction of what the next number spun will be, since you don’t know what the Roulette wheel will actually spin.  This prediction can be derived very simply or very complex, but you have control over that prediction.

As I examine each of the 300+ systems I will break each system into these components so you can quickly compare them to each other.  I will indicate the system’s strengths and weaknesses as I view them.

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