Roulette at the casino Can you beat the house?

Millions of people throng casinos all over the world, the more popular ones like Vegas, Reno, Tahoe and Monte Carlo have stood the test of time; also which must be mentioned,  filthy ‘underground’ establishments with equipment which barely survived World War II.

Instead of elaborating on too many, let us concentrate on Las Vegas – the city which never sleeps and if requested (and have the resources), you can arrange for private gambling games in the comfort of your USD 15, 000 per night suite.

A brief history of Las Vegas before we get to the juicy parts.

And when I say brief, I do mean it. No talk of Frank Sinatra’s alleged mafia connections, or even the lions parading menacingly in the reinforced glass cages that would make President Obama green with envy.

In prehistoric days, after the Cretaceous and Jurassic eras of course, Nevada was basically an inhabitable, essentially a quagmire of water and plants. Subsequently, a group of enterprising individuals transformed this barren wasteland into what is today – a one stop destination of decadence, broken dreams and unlikely millionaires. (think The Beverly Hillbillies)

As a result of God-like ambitions and the will power of Zeus himself, Las Vegas today is the number one haven for those who seek to be anyone but themselves.

Enough said.

Back to our main topic, gambling is the main poison and Roulette the Absinthe supplier. Obscure minions disguised as cocktail waitresses, dealers and showgirls exist for one purpose only – to abscond with all your meager possessions, even the shirts off your back.

But that stop us in the least? Hardly. We walk into the lair willingly with pockets filled with hope and not much else.

The first casino providing Roulette, ‘King of the Casino’ games is debatable. Perhaps it started simultaneously.

Playing Roulette in a casino is akin to placing bets is like predicting the weather; anything can happen. Being a ‘spectator sport’, all you need to do is place your bets on the numbers you want, the dealer does the rest. You of course, are not allowed to place your chips once the wheel spins. (Vanna White would not look at this kindly).

Another myth which shall be debunked here – apparently, there are certain wheels which are defected, making it work predictably. No casino in their right mind would let this happen. The second this malady is detected by the thousands of eyes and camera equipment surreptitiously placed, the wheel will be immediately replaced. Tough luck folks.

Each Roulette play is actually random, and previous plays have no merit at all, because the wheel is not human and has no memories. For instance, if red came up 10 times, does not mean that the next one will be black. The casino is only playing you for a fool, what with the lighted board to indicate which numbers have been played. How many of you are familiar with the laws of ‘Independent Trial’ No hands up? Figures. This is done so that the casino ‘psyches’ you into believing that the numbers lit will not come up again, and you will bet on other numbers, and sadly, lose your mortgage.

My advice is, IGNORE the lights. Order more free drinks, which will calm your nerves and make a mad dash to the nearest ATM.

Never stay at a Roulette table for long, the odds are just going to be stacked against you. But I must also asay in all fairness, that it is a fun game, but not to be taken too seriously.

Scout the more modest casinos where the bets can be as little as 2 dollars. That way, even your capital if you lose after playing 5 times, you just end up parting with a small amount, but if you win (yeay) using your measley 2 dollars, you walk away with a double.

Roulette should be fun. Play not to expect to win and envision a Bentley, do it to get your creative juices flowing, who knows, your next endeavour might just prove fruitful.

And always put aside some money for food and gas, or bus fare just in case. Rich people handing you 1, 000 dollar chips only happens on the big screen., unless you accost one on the way to the parking lot and use your water-gun to scare the living daylights on him.

Watch out for the bodyguards though, they will most definitely not be shooting at you from a Toy’ r Us squirt bazooka.