THE ZERO OF ROULETTE: Helper or Foe?
If you guess whether the next roulette number is black or red, you will get odds of two to one. The profit would be the same when answering the question whether an even or an odd number follows. You can guess which third of the 36 possibilities the ball will land in. Then logically you will get a three to one rate. If you are even more daring and decide to aim for the exact number, then on success you will get your chips multiplied by 36. It all sounds perfectly logical. You get what the math gives you. But not quite…
Because the roulette numbers are up to 36. But in number they are 37. Sometimes even 38. The reason is colored in green. And it is the casino's biggest helper. She is his guarantee. With it, if you cover two opposite statements (ie say even or odd), you will at best blow your money. At worst you will lose them…
Your profit will always be considered as if it is not there. It is the only number that is in the green sector. All others are black or red. This means that the chance of the ball hitting the green sector is very small. To be absolutely points, the chance percentage is 2.7% or one in 37. But this turns out to be absolutely enough for the casino to gain an indelible advantage over you. Even if you guess what will fall, you will never get what you earned from a mathematical point of view. Credit for this goes to French twins Francois and Louis Blanc, who added the zero in 1842. You can thank them…
What has been written so far applies to European roulette. It is very similar to the French one. If you play American, your disappointment will be even greater. In it, the possible sectors are not 37, but even 38. The only, but very significant, difference is that a double zero (00) sector also appears in it. This increases the casino's chance of winning and decreases the player's. Or to put it another way, the bank's insurance is at a higher rate because it jumps to 5.25%. Either way, the difference in your chance of winning isn't significant. If you have a day, you will win. But it is enough for the bank to make sure that it will be profitable in any case. Maybe not exactly from you, but it will be…