What is Roulette?
Roulette is a game of chance, where player only controls his betting, but not the game itself. Despite this, many players over the years tried to build a roulette strategy that will overcome the house edge.
Strategy Systems
- Martingale:
One of the most widely used roulette strategy that has numerous variants is Martingale betting strategy, according to which, a player betting even money bets must double his bet each time he loses, so, when he finally wins he receives back the money he have wagered plus the sum of his initial bet. The theory is perfect, but in practice it does not work. Casinos have betting limits, and when the bet reaches the high limit, it can not be doubled anymore. When the player wins, he wins little money, but when he reaches the limit and loses, he loses a lot. - Jaggers:
Probably the most successful application of a roulette strategy took place in 1873 in Casino Monte Carlo. Joseph Jaggers, an engineer, broke the casino bank, predicting the mechanical performance of the wheel. Since then casinos monitor the performance of their wheels and periodically realign and rebalance them. Joseph Jaggers system was based on the fact that roulette is not perfect and the ball is more likely to fall in certain numbers. - C Shannoin:
In 1961 Claude Shannon, a mathematician and computer scientist built a computer that using a similar theory, could calculate the probabilities. - Eudaemonic Pie:
Thomas Bass, in his book Eudaemonic Pie describes the exploits of a group called Eudaemons, who in the late 70s used computers in their shoes to win money in roulette. - Jaggers:
In the early 90s Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo developed a computer algorithm that allowed him and members of his family to win over one million dollars playing roulette in Casino de Madrid over a period of several years. This case reached a court, which ruled in favor of Gonzalo Garcia Pelayo. - Sector Targetting:
Another trial took place in 2004 in London. A group of player used mobile camera-phones to predict the outcome of roulette. The technique was called sector targeting. The court once again declared them innocent, because their technology did not affect the outcome of the game and could not be called cheating.