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By Jacob Kanzen

Award winner

The questions are repeated for quick reference.

1. True or false?
On a double zero Roulette wheel when you place a one-chip straight-up bet (a single number bet) and you win, the Casino pays 35 chips and you get to keep your one-chip bet, total 36 chips. If the Casino paid 37 chips plus your bet, total 38 chips, there would be no Casino advantage despite the presence of the two zero slots (0, 00) on the wheel.

1. Answer: True.

Provided the casino also pays the outside bets accordingly. See next question.

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2. True or false?
If you place 18 chips:

a) All on Black even-money bet
or
b) One chip straight-up bet spread on each of the 18 Black numbers (there are 18 black numbers in total)
and a Black number wins, you would collect 36 chips, your win and your winning bet. In both cases you collect 36 chips.

2. Answer: True

They are two equal bets:

Case a) An even-bet win is paid an equal amount, that is 18 chips, plus your winning bet 18 chips = 36 chips.
Case b) A straight-up bet is paid 35 chips, plus your winning bet 1 chip = 36 chips.

So, wherever you place your bet you are always betting on numbers. If you placed 12 chips on a dozen-bet (outside bet) or placed 12 straight-up bets on each of the 12 numbers represented by that dozen, in either case you would still collect 36 chips if any of those 12 numbers wins.

The 'outside' bets are just short-cuts to betting on a group of numbers.
* Except for the five-number outside bet: 1, 2, 3 and the two zeros, 0 and 00.

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3. True or false?
On a double zero Roulette wheel in one cycle (38 spins) if you bet one unit on Black even-money-bet all the time, in theory:
a) You would win 18 spins and lose 20.
b) The Casino would gain its 5.26% advantage on the 18 winning spins only.

3. Answer: True

The 38 slots of the roulette wheel are made up of 18 Blacks, 18 Reds and 2 Greens (0, 00):

Case a) 18 Blacks = 18 wins, 18 Reds plus 2 Greens = 20 losses.
Case b) The casino gains the advantage by paying the winner less than what it should. Therefore, you need to win in order for the casino to deduct its 5.26% advantage thus the advantage gain can only take place on the 18 winning spins. On the losing spins there is nothing to pay, therefore no 5.26% deduction, no casino advantage gain.

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4. True or false?
Adding zeros to the Roulette wheel is the only way for the Casino to gain an advantage and that is the reason they have been added.

4. Answer: False

The zeros have been added to the wheel to keep the payout 35 to 1, which is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 and 18, which are the possible betting combinations on the roulette table (Except for the five-number outside bet: 1, 2, 3 and the two zeros, 0 and 00.).

The casino could still gain a two-chip advantage by paying 33 to 1 (total 34 including your bet) by using a wheel with 36 numbers and no zeros, but then they will need to use fractions of chip values when paying out some of the bets. This would be time consuming and confusing.

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5. True or false?
The Casino advantage at Roulette is in the reduced payout taken only when you win. When you win the Casino wins. The Casino takes 5.26% (or 2.7% for a single zero wheel) of your win each time you win and only when you win - wherever you place your bet.

5. Answer: True

When you win the casino wins.

Tip: For an efficient betting strategy aim to win more money in fewer winning spins.

Big tip: Don't challenge the mathematical advantage of the casino. You cannot eliminate or change it and you don't need to. It is not your adversary unless you choose to make it that way and you will lose - slowly but surely. It is relatively small considering the sums of money that can be won or lost in a very short space of time. Think of it as a necessary and acceptable contribution or a tax towards paying the cost of the gaming equipment and salaries of the casino personnel. Remember, you pay it only when your bet wins.

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