| This promotion struck me as having the potential for being especially intriguing for followers of the school of thought known as "dice control", the belief that shooters can master the ability of physically controlling the roll of the dice through hand and arm movement to decrease the possibility of rolling sevens. In last week's column I stressed the importance of declaring your independence from slots on your casino adventures in an effort to become a well-rounded player who seeks to derive the most fun and value from the money you allocate for gambling. Today we'll take a look at roulette, the best "breakaway" game for slot players to try. There's no strategy, no peer pressure, and the game progresses at a leisurely pace. The game of roulette isn't nearly as intimidating as craps. There's a good chance you may even have played it at home with a miniature plastic version of the roulette wheel and a felt layout. The basic premise of the game is picking numbers, or guessing red or black or odd or even. Today we'll take a look at Roulette with an emphasis on the wide variety of bets that are available to you. For openers, let's make it clear right off the bat that the house "vig" in roulette is about 5.25 percent. That's because in addition to numbers 1 through 36, including an equal number of blacks and reds, the American roulette wheel has two green slots marked "0" and "00". You'll see how that factors into the scheme of things as we describe the different kinds of roulette wheel wagers. When you walk up to a roulette wheel and decide to play, place your money on the layout. The dealer will give you non-negotiable casino chips with which to play. Every person at the table plays with different colored chips so that the dealer knows who's who when it comes time to make pay outs. At most Chicago-area riverboat casino destinations, the value of the chips is one dollar each. Therefore, a $20 buy-in will give you 20 roulette chips with which to play. When you are finished playing, just tell the dealer you wish to "color" your chips. He'll bring them in, count them, and give you negotiable casino chips that you may in turn redeem for cash at the casino cage. Most the games at Chicago-area casinos are $10 and $15 minimums, but occasionally you'll find a $5 game. In Las Vegas, fifty-cent games are quite common, especially in locals-oriented establishments. Here's how the game is played: Once everyone has placed their bets, the dealer gives the wheel a spin and then sends the little roulette ball spinning in the opposite direction the wheel is turning. When the ball finally slows down, it'll eventually drop into a numbered slot. The dealer will mark the corresponding number on the layout and proceed to collect losing chips and then pay out winning wagers, if any. One word about roulette etiquette: Do not make any new bets or collect your winnings until the dealer has removed his marker from the layout! If you attempt to do so, you'll be given a friendly reminder that it's a no-no. Once he removes his marker from the winning number, that's the signal for the table to start placing their wagers on the next spin. If you make a nice score at the wheel, it's a nice gesture to tip the dealer a buck or two. Just toss in a couple of your colored roulette chips, and the dealer will convert them into negotiable casino chips and drop them in the "toke" box. Now let's check out the types of roulette wheel wagers: STRAIGHT UP: A bet on one number. If it hits, you'll be paid 35-1. Since there are 38 spots on the roulette wheel, the true mathematical pay out is 37-1, but here's where the casino takes its unbeatable edge. SPLIT: A bet on two numbers that pays 17-1. STREET: A bet on three numbers that pays 11-1.Visit any casino in the Chicago-area and the evidence is clear: Slot machines, both the traditional reel variety and the new wave of multi-line video version, dominate the gaming inventory. Actually it's the same story in Las Vegas, only the casino and hotel destinations there have such gigantic floor space that they can afford to have more table games. Slot machines are the "cash cows" of the casino industry. All of the marketing energy, direct mail solicitations, and product research and development revolve around them. |
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