Poker Winner Blog

Players have a wide range of bets to choose from. The highest paying bet is to predict which number the ball will land in. Since there are 33 numbers on the wheel, this is also the most risky type of bet. The bets with the least risk (and the lowest return) are the even chances: bets on whether the ball will land on red or black, or on an odd or even, high or low number.

Although the betting layout looks complicated, placing bets is quite simple. To bet on individual numbers the chip is placed directly on top of the number. For two adjacent numbers on the layout, placing a chip on the middle of the line that divides them makes the bet. A bet on red or black, high or low, even or odd is made by placing a chip in the corresponding box on the betting layout. Read the rest of this entry »

French roulette, the predecessor of the American version, is mostly played in European casinos and is dealt in French. Although the equipment and language used differs, it is in principle the same game as American roulette, although it is played more slowly.

French roulette is played on a table roughly twice the size of that used for American roulette. The betting layout differs, the numbers are arranged in a random order and there is only one zero. Each table has two dealers and a chef de table (inspector) who are seated around the wheel. The dealers move the chips around using a long stick, called a rake. Players bet by throwing their chips to roughly the correct place and the dealers then line them up using the rake. Read the rest of this entry »

Apart from roulette, there are other casino games that are played using spinning wheels. These echo the original fairground wheel of fortune that is the forerunner of today’s mechanical games. They are all games of chance, relying more on luck than on skill.

Boule

Boule is found mostly in French and Swiss casinos. Like roulette, players bet where a ball will land on a spinning wheel. Instead of being divided into sections, the boule wheel has a series of indentations which are marked with four sets of the numbers one to nine. The ball used is much larger than that on roulette. Bets include single numbers (en plein), the colours red and black, high and low numbers, and even and odd numbers. Read the rest of this entry »

Another Englishman who had success on the roulette tables at Monte Carlo was Joseph Hobson Jaggers, a worker at a textile mill in Bradford. With his experience of the textile industry, he knew that wooden spindles were subject to wear and tear. On a visit to Monte Carlo in 1873, Jaggers was interested in the mechanics of roulette wheels. He realised that if the spindles of the roulette wheels were worn, the wheels would not be perfectly balanced. This would mean that some numbers would come up more often than others. He theorized that if he could find such a wheel, he could develop a system for winning. Read the rest of this entry »

Games of Chance and Skill

Casinos offer a choice between games of skill, where the player can affect the outcome; and chance, where players have no input and rely on luck.

Games of chance include roulette, slots and punto banco. Once players have decided what numbers to play there is no further action to take.

Poker and blackjack are games of skill. As players make all the decisions about taking cards, they are able to use their intelligence to win. With games of skill, a combination of knowledge and experience can make the difference between winning and losing. Read the rest of this entry »