There are many ways to exploit a series of spins to make money at roulette. Every system ever devised was the work of someone hoping to take advantage of a series of numbers that through chance or wheel bias occurred more often than simple mathematics would predict.
The main objective of each roulette system is to make money. However, the house retains the edge on every spin, and every spin is independent of the last, so in the long run, each numbered pocket will occur as the winning number an equal number of times.
Except for those few players who religiously increase their bets during good streaks and drop their bets to a minimum during the lean times, even system players eventually have to replenish their bankrolls.
But what if you knew generally where the ball was going to land even if the wheel was structurally sound and had no bias?
Dealer Error
Dealers are taught to be productive for the simple fact that the more spins per hour, the more money the casino will make. So the more efficient a dealer is, the faster they will finish clearing the layout, paying the winners, and getting the roulette ball into the next spin.
However, it’s the very fact that a dealer is so efficient and so precise that can actually help you win more often – their precision can be exploited. It’s their ability that is an error in the players favour.
Many players write down each spin of the ball and keep track of what numbers hit and what sections of the wheel seem to be hot or cold. From this they decide which system they have in their arsenal might be good to attack the game.
Casinos have also help with this by displaying the last dozen or more spins on a digital board. They do it because it stimulates action, mostly from players hoping to go with hot numbers, colors, or sections – or those playing the opposite and betting on those that haven’t been seen for a long time.
Dealers get into a habit of keeping the wheel going at a continuous speed, and a well-conditioned wheel maintains that speed. Also, dealers tend to spin the ball at the same speed, getting the same revolutions on every new spin.
Count the Revolutions
To beat the wheel by clocking spins, you start by actually counting the revolutions of the spinning ball, every spin. An average dealer may get 27 to 29 revolutions per spin before the ball loses enough momentum and falls to the pockets. An average dealer wont’ help you.
A methodical dealer with plenty of spins in their background is likely to spin at an even more regular pace. They may get 28.5 revolutions 90% of the time. That’s what you want to see – regularity.
Where Does the Ball Drop?
Watch the wheel to see what the number is that passes by as the dealer releases the ball. For simplicity’s sake, let’s say you are playing on a North American wheel with a zero and a double zero, and the dealer releases the ball just as the zero passes by. Then, 28.5 revolutions later, the ball hits the pockets right at the double zero.
The ball’s going to bounce around quite a bit, depending on the speed of the wheel, the composition of the ball, and the tightness of the frets (the wooden partitions surrounding each numbered pocket). If the wheel is especially fast, the reaction of the ball striking the frets may be too strong to gauge with any accuracy where the ball will actually land. But you can learn all this before making a single bet.
Fortunately, the ball is likely to take a similar number of hops before settling into a pocket each spin. Did you see how far the wheel continued spinning before it stopped? After more spins you’ll likely see a pattern develop. If you don’t, you’ll have to settle for one of your other systems, but if you do, now’s the time to exploit that pattern.
For example, if the ball bounces several times and the wheel continues a spin and a half before the ball settles down, you can conclude that on at least a semi-regular basis the ball will land near the number where the dealer released the ball – 30 spins earlier. Your kill zone may be a baker’s dozen numbers: half to the left and half to the right of where the ball was released, plus the actual number itself. When your dealer is consistent, you’ll have an excellent chance of getting close to the winning number much of the time.
Patience and Speed
You need patience to perfect your own ability to clock the number of revolutions the ball takes before gravity takes over, and the average bounce and number of additional revolutions before the ball settles. You’ll also need to see the numbers on either side of the release point and get your bets down quickly.
The easiest way to practice is to see and memorize just a couple numbers around where the release point is and bet that group of four or five numbers. Most of the time the release and settle points won’t be a perfect 30 spins away, they may average 31 and a quarter spins and you’ll have to figure out just where that section of the wheel is and what numbers it contains.
While that’s not easy, the more you practice and play the quicker and more accurate you will become. Just as a dealer becomes more accurate with each spin, you’ll become more accurate with your predictions.
Practice will never make perfect with a wheel spinning one direction and the ball spinning another, but you just need a tiny edge to offset the advantage the casino has.