Roulette Roulette advantage play and cheating

cyph

Trusted Member
ROULETTE
Roulette was introduced to the casinos of Paris in the late 1700s by a police lieutenant who believed the game was immune from cheating. When it reached the United States via New Orleans, the first variant featured a 31-number wheel with numbers from 0 to 28, a double zero, and an eagle. To create more player interest and bigger payoffs, the operators kept adding numbers until they reached todays format/

The early hand carved bowls, sunken wheel heads, and double-sided oilcloth layouts were a beautiful sight to see, but the modern wheel is no slouch, either. Quality materials, state of the art manufacturing processes (including computer numerical controls), innovative track, apron, deflector, pocket, and cone designs, plus theming options, automatic chip sorters, and winning number displays have all contributed to a safer, more efficient, beautiful piece of casino equipment.

The double-zero game remains the favorite here in the states, while the single zero is the norm abroad. Each game features a different sequence of numbers. The European numbers appear haphazard, while the American wheel follows three parameters: consecutive numbers are located opposite each other, numbers of the same color'alternate between odd and even, and most pairs of consecutive numbers and/or same colors total 37, with two exceptions.

You will find the occasional single-zero game in a few Las Vegas properties in high limit pits. Some clubs like to offer the game as a marketing ploy, but it generally never lasts. Atlantic City offers
 

cyph

Trusted Member
the single-zero game with surrender (even money bets lose half when the single zero hits).

In regard to game protection, past posting remains the most common method of cheating the game, as its one of those scams that even when you know exactly how it works, the better crews still get it on. The exploitation of biased wheels is also a well-known advantage technique. Although the industry has many safeguards in place, the play can surface at any time.

Some of the most fascinating approaches for beating the wheel are visual prediction (a legitimate advantage strategy), and its counterpart, the use of hidden roulette computers to predict the outcome '(illegal in any jurisdiction with a device law). Albert Einstein once said

fepTfee--ow(y way to win any money at roulette ffifthe player steals chips when the croupier isn’t looking.

With ideference to Mr. E, the facts will prove otherwise. We willfhave to take a scientific B&tour to discuss the particulars, but when were through, you 11 have a greater appreciation for both the. technical and physical [aspects of the game.

Finally, the game is home to two of the most' heatedly debated piutopicsT—section-shooting' and 'dealer signatures'. We'll provide the facts, and conclusive proof, that Both skills'are classic examples of gambling folklore.

PAST POSTING

The most common approach for .cheating the wheel is past posting', that is, betting omthe winning inUmber after the ball has landed. The angle is|well known to virtually all gamers. For those who have dealt the game, they have probably been the victim of this scam at least once in their career,-whether they know’it or not.

Just knowing how a scam works doesn't stop your game from getting beat. Roulette&as some built-in blind spots that can make it difficult for the dealer to see [everything. .When players on the uh&ide of the table lean forward to make bets, they create blind spots on the inside ^corner. When players next to the wheel head lean toward the lower end of the game to make bets, they create blind spots'--on the outside corner. In no game do the normal actions of certain players impede the dealer's view as they do in roulette. This is the very foundation of most past posting scams, turns playing the role of the typical player. They can block the dealer and bet late, and it looks natural—and it happens all the time. Also, Waving off "no more bets" doesn't stop the past poster, nor does the modern reader board when it displays'no more bets" three or four revolutions before the ball lands. Past posters fully intend to bet after the ball lands, and they will do everything they can to make it appear that the late actions of the turns mirror those of the typical novice or-tourist.

There are numerous setups and approaches with this scam. Here are a some of the most common.
 

cyph

Trusted Member
Solo Past Posting
This first technique is straightforward and relies on the cheater s ability to react faster than the dealer. Standing on the corner or end of tne game, the past poster makes a series of bets as the ball is spinning. The moment the ball lands, here come another series of bets with the first bet past posting the winning number. The past poster fully expects the dealer to no bet' one or more of his latter wagers, but if he's fast, he may get away with his first bet, the only one that matters.

The moves are done with both hands, the right hand slightly in front of the left, which holds the intended bet. The first two bets are made simultaneously. The cheater past posts with the left hand as the right hand bets, and continues to bet, forcing the dealer to focus on the right hand (Fig, 2),



With many- techniques the'cheater is-tiying to avoid all movement after the ball lands. To past post the outside wagers, these cheaters have been knovyn to use props in an attempt to hide their actions. Examples include,roulette,scorecards, cocktail glasses, and cash. With a check,concealed underneath the prop, the past poster gets as close to the even money bets or columns as possible. When the ball lands, it takes little movement to drop the check arid past post.

One past poster could flick a single high denomination check onto the winning column. With action on the columns, other players bets are used as a backstop. The past poster hides a high denomination check under both hands in a prayerful position, and rests them'a few inches behind the column betting space. If the bet wins,' the front of both hands rise slightly off the table as the right thumb flicks the high denomination check into the existing bet. There is no late or noticeable movement of the hands, the check just seems to appear. The check doesn't move very fast, andatjonly travels a few inches.
Team Past Posting

The biggest advantage of more than one cheater on the same game is the ability to block or turn the dealer.
 

cyph

Trusted Member
One of the most sophisticated procedures used by professionals features a very clever angle. A high roller sitting next to the wheel head is betting high denomination checks. A few of these checks are handed off to a runner who secretly walks them around the table to the past poster playing the inside corner. A turn plays in between the past poster and the dealer. When a number hits in the bottom part of the layout, the turn bets late, blocking the dealer. The past poster comes down with the high rollers color on the winning number, then continues with a bet or two of his own. The high roller sits innocently next to the wheel. With no late movement or action on his part, past posting seems impossible. All one sees is the routine awkwardness of one small player betting late.

^ /Sometimes the past poster will bet the high rollers color on the bottorn of the late bet with his color on top. This seems to cinch, psychologically, any possibility of impropriety on the part of the high roller. If he did past post, how did his color end up on the bottom of the bet?

! When ^professionals scam with this approach, any dealer, regardless of experience, can get beat. To nail this scam, it takes a dealer who is (1) aware of the technique, and (2) has the experience and skill to memorize, when warranted, all bets made on the lower part of the layout, The best crews, however, have a way of sniffing out dealers with far lessfqcus and attention.

I For an offbeat variation, the cheater past posts with his elbow or forearm. He's still doing all the work without turns, but he uses a claimer to help frame the scam. A high'denominationcheck is slid slid under the forearm. After the ball lands, the; player reaches ‘ out with checks in handand starts to bet. The forearm slides the hidden check onto the black oSred betting space,fbr“example, as the past poster continues to bet. As the dealer reacts to the late bets, another player, standing behind and holding a handful of black checks, claims the winnifig bet; '



Some crews prefer to past post the game after the dealer marks the winning* number. As the 'dealer sweeps the layout, he will generally case the outside bets first, and' hasn't yet focused on the inside wagers. He will often turn completely from the action to pull stacks from the bank to pay the outside bets. As he turns away, the winning number is past posted. This could be a straight up bet,
 

cyph

Trusted Member
split bet, or even a corner bet, To past post a straight up number, the cheater lifts up the marker, caps the bet, and replaces the original bet and marker!

In another variation, a player conceals three $100/checks under some bills. As the ball lands, the cheater past posts any betjonj the outside in the same action of reaching across the layout to buy in. The buy-in is small, perhaps $40 comprised of many sm^l bills;;but the late bet is $300. In;(his scenario, the past poster uses a claimer, standing behind him with black checks in his hand, to accept the winning bet. When most dealers pick up the action and react, all they see is a small player buying in.

Losing Bet Switches

The following scam, although not truly a past post by definition, is a close Cousin What makes the approach sp unique is that the crew past posts a losirig betl Now there's an interesting twist.

The scam begins with making a bet consisting of oiie high denomination check hiding!under; smaller denomination checks, for example, a purple ($500 check) Under three^ $5 xH’eckis. By a^lin|; and heeling the uppermost checks towards the dealer, it can be difficult for the dealer to see the bottom check. If the bet goes unnoticed, the trap is setifas $500 on the outside should be called out by the dealer. If the bet wins, a claimer from behind the game, showing off plenty of pUrples, brings the dealers attention to his bet. When the $500 check is discovered, suspicion is sure to follow, so surveillance may be called. There’s nothing to see! The bet. is legitimate, !and was made longbefore theball landed.

If the bet loses, a switch takes place. One ;cheater| with plenty of cover from the turns, blatantly switches the original bet for four $5vCne|ek|| The CTe^i-b'l^pi^P;

This may seem like an; amateurish apprOach, for^l^at:ing the giame, something you would only see from low-end desperadoes. Not according to a revealing book, American Roulette (Richard Marcus, 2003), whose author claims that his crew, won mUlions wqrkingiitKis scsm^ amohg othersi They were even able/to work the scam with/chocolates'H $5,000,checks)jB|

For another variation, very similar to the money switch described in the craps chapter, the cheater plays cash on the outside. If the bet loses, the cheater picks up diebet in disgust and throws it to the dealer as he walks away. 'Under coVer '/of these actions he copsthe lion/s share of die bet. Two ; packets of cash are generallyifplded in half and,placed,together to facilitate palming the big money packet should the bet lose. The scam may also be attempted by betting one packet of money secured with a rubber band, then switching it for another packet, complete with rubber band.

OUTSIDE BALL MANIPULATION

There have been a few novel attempts to influence the balls action from the'player's side of tHe'taWei None, however, have met with great success.
 

cyph

Trusted Member
Table Manipulation

Bumping the wheel head after pulling the dealer to the bottom of the layout has been attempted. A crew might bet a sector surrounding the double zero. As the ball makes its last revolution or two, and approaches the double zero, bumping the wheel head may dislodge the ball, giving the cheaters a better chance to catch the sector. Leaning into the table, then stepping back quickly will also rock the table almost imperceptibly, and may also impact the balls departure from the track. I've even heard of one group that literally lifted the table a half-inch, then dropped it as the ball passed certain sectors.

I The crew 'employed a football player who was able to lift the table with his thigh alone. He would drop it onfcpmmand, when signaled by his partner standing over by the wheel head. The drop was intended to shake the ball from the track.

These scams may have a greater chance of success with tilted wheels, one where the ball exits the ball track at the same point. Now the crew knows where the ball will exit, which makes it much easier to know when the ball will exit. Hoping to find a tilt is not an option for some, so some cheaters have attempted to create it. Leaning into the table or moving the table legs-may create a slant off the horizontal plane. Others have attempted to slide foreign objects under a table leg, and then remove them after the play.

To (appreciate the effect of such a minor tilt, try this. TEne next time you have a dead game, place a chip under the wheel head and give the ball a few turns. The consistency with which the ball will fall from the highest point on the track is eye opening—it doesn't take much. Anticipating the ball's exit point is half the battle in these scams.

Steel Core Balls

This is the impromptu version of the juice wheel' (magnetic roulette wheel). A steel core roulette ball can be manipulated by one or more magnets hidden on the players. The scam almost always requires inside collusion to help get the gaffed ball into play, otherwise a crew might have to wait forever for-the ball to accidentally bounce out of the wheel, giving them the opportunity to switch it. The magnets can be concealed on the arm, belly, in special vests, or hidden in a pocketbook. .With the right magnet, a player standing close to the wheel head can brake the ball as it comes around the ball track approaching a sector being bet by the crew. The goal is to abruptly slow the ball down enough so it falls from the trade

One hustler concealed the magnet in a cast. One day, as he moved in close to the 'wheel/ the < ball hit the rotor and bounced wildly into the air. Sure enough, the ball went flying for the magnet and stuck to the cast. Quick thinking on the part of the cheater made :it-look like he had just caught the ball. It's an amazing story, but it pales in comparison to one I recently heard. During a spin, the gaffed ball suddenly broke apart into more than a few pieces and splattering all over the wheel head!

Permanent magnets are very powerful today, but portable electromagnetic systems are also
 

cyph

Trusted Member
a possibility. They would require a power source, and clever concealment, but an electro-magnetic system is a superior approach for the simple reason that the maignetic field can be more easily manipulated via; remote control. They can be turnedpffi and off instantly, an obvious advantage, whereas a permanent magnet must be moved, close to the wheel, and then quickly moved away to achieve the same result.

Many ^casinos employ small compasses built into their roulette tables, but they are easy to circumvent. One magnet could be attached to the table beneath the compass. This magnet holds the compass needle in place, preventing it from registering the very small magnetic field transferred to the steel core ball. Another way to check the ball for a magnetic field, is to use the small portable ball fester, available from rriost^asino suppliers.

Attempts at manipulating a steel core roulette ball are not exactly dated s’carris/ JusOafew months back an overseas headline read:

Casino Gang used Remote-Controlled Roulette Ball to win £250,000

;f£Police in Austria are lookingfor a gdng^pjwdh£2^,00p*o^^^^^^Mlm^heelbyr^

’reusing a remote-controlled ball The casino in Velderi in the somjfiofjhe country isvdr;yingt^M WWestablish how the gang managed to swap the normal roulette batlMm

^SPolicefearthegroup;mdylhave,^^^no^tha^dnce^^rimDuimE^Plcs^^tJ^J^m^S

; was uncovered when a croupier saw the ball stickjdMcufflink when he reached across thejtabl&SBS Video Surveillance is said to show two members of the five-member gang operating the roulette ball controls as another placed the, bets.-^w^Mj^^^^^^^^ja-try

The casinocompany is to install magnetic field detectors at all their outlets and the ;-J ball used

the power from an’electro-magnet near the table, the gang would have been able^to’pullipr . push the lwtl^^ards'th^tiumbersj1^^win’j^ing,ond^

Unusual Cheating Devices

Some of the most unusual cheating devices ever conceived were designed to manipulate the ball from the outside, One crew was known as the soda straw team. They built a cocktail glass with a small hole near the base. A plastic straw was connected to the hole, which ran vertically lip inside theglass. As the cheater stood close to the wheel head and apparendy sipped his drink, he was forcefully blowing intothe straw and attempting to blow the ball off the track.

Another crew was wired up with a compressed air system. The unit pocketbook with a small hose running down her sleeve. By directing the arm at the right angle and activating the system at the right time, she was also attempting to influence the’ ball with air.
 

cyph

Trusted Member
A ball knocker is one of the rarest of all cheating devices. The gaff also hides in a womans pocketbook. Standing next to the wheel head, she presses a lever which shoots out a very thin length of steel filament (so thin that you wouldn’t see it out of the corner of your eye) over the rim of the wheel. The end of the wire is curved into a hook shape, and can be manipulated to knock the ball off the track before snapping back into the purse.

P These scams arid devices are the reasons behind many clubs opting to use acrylic domes on their wheels.

DEALER / AGENT SCAMS

Roulette is vulnerable to some unusual variations of the classic dealer/agent scam, and they can be , especially (dangerous.

Dealer Past Posting

As the ball is about to land, an agent hands the dealer some'checksto bet near the top of the layout. The agent mumbles some numbers and the dealer calls out, "Bet " The dealer starts to make the bets keeping one eye on the ball. Should a number hit in the first twelve numbers, the dealer can easily past post the winning number under the guise of helping the player.

L\ Perhaps the most direct method possible occurs as the dealer stops mucking and waits for the > ball to land. The dealer eyeballs an agent's color in the muck and picks up the marker. When the ball lands, the marker is slid onto this check (from the miuck) and directly over to the winning number in one quick, fluid move.

This next scam is exceptionally subtle, and has fooled many knowledgeable gamers. A player bets the columns. Most of the time, his bets are down in plenty of time, but occasionally he seems to be betting as the ball lands. He’sits on the end of the game, he caririot see the wheel, he cannot see *| the winning number, and he's not working with any other player. But he is defihitely past posting the game. How can this be done?

The title of this section gives it away. The , dealer is the weak, link. When the ball lands in the inside column (3,6,9,12...), the dealer looks into the wheel head foran extra second and signals the agent to bet with his left hand. The signal can be the slightest movement of the hand, and only one signal is required since only one bet is made—the inside column.

What makes this angle so difficult to detect is that we never know exactly when the winning v, number registers to the dealer. With plenty of cover bets from the past , poster and perfect timing, you're looking at a very clever twist on j.'classic scam.

This time, the dealer marks the winning number, and begins to muck a few checks as he contemplates the payout, The extra second or two enables the dealer to muck and conceal a high |
 

cyph

Trusted Member
denomination check in his right hand. Then, in an apparent effort to clarify the payoff, the dealer moves back to the winning bet, the left hand lifts the marker, and the right lifts the bet while dropping the hidden check to the layout. The dealer immediately puts the bet back, heeling the high denomination check from the other checks. It appears that a high denomination check was on the bottom of the winning bet, and the dealer has separated the colors to facilitate the payoff, a very common action (Fig. 5 to 7). I



Procedures often mandate that the dealer mark the winning number with the palm up (a countermeasure designed to help stop some of these scams), but techniques exist to circumvent this procedure. For example, the dealer can pinch a check behind the hand, clipped between the last two fingers, as he marks and caps the winning number.

Now the scam still works, even with an open palm and a dear acrylic marker. This technique often requires a setup. The dealers agent is a nickel player. Only after the other players have bet, will the agent splatter many nickels on the top of their straight-up bets. Now, when the bet is capped, from a surveillance perspective, it doesn't look

like a nickel check just appears. The winning bet Fig. 8 - Past posting with palm up and open! started with a nickel check on top, and ended with two nickel checks on top.
Dirty Stacks

Another common approach when dealers work with agents is a very old scam known as 'pushing dirty stacks'. One method has an agent playing dollars. After a losing spin, he buys in for another $100, which is five stacks. After putting the hundred dollar bill on the wheel rim/ the dealer pulls four stacks from the bank, and mucks the fifth stack on the spot along With a handful of $25 checks. Some

 

catmandoo

New Member
Can anyone help with Interblock Organic 00 American Roulette Machine ? Real wheel real roulette, just automated.

Thanks,
Cat
 

catmandoo

New Member
Finding an edge or way to beat this machine. I have been playing these for a long time, but no luck in finding a way to beat them.
Any ideas would be helpful.

Thanks, Cat
 
I would start by researching the manufacturer;s claims about this model wheel. These auto wheels usualy have bult in features to make winning harder. Sometimes bad design can make spins more predictable. It might pay off to learn more about what the designers say about it
 
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