5 comments about The Roulette Formula: How to Predict the Exact Number.

1. There is no fluff in this book. The Roulette Formula requires intense concentration. It's like learning a new language. Like anything else in life, to be the best you have to practice.
   
   I have read most of the popular roulette books. Nothing comes close to what Kimo Li has to offer.
   
   I have read his book several times. I have practiced the movement of chips from one number to another until it became second nature forward and backward. I have memorized the numbers on the entire American roulette wheel. In a spit second, I can lay chips onto the layout with decisive speed and conviction.
   
   Why? Kimo Li's strategies require discipline. The player must have the speed and accuracy of placing of chips on pre-determined numbers.
   
   His secret is summed up in three words: Hemi, Bow-Tie, and Nuke.
   
   These are three roulette ball movements that determines where the ball is going to fall.
   
   The work is hard. But the reward is great.
   
   Predict the exact number? Absolutely! END16 (that translates to Red 7, straight-up)



2. This book is very technical but offers no specific playing strategies.
   
   First, the author divides the wheel into 6 sections ("global pie" chuncks.) Then, he illustrates various patterns on the betting layout to help visually memorize where numbers and sections are on the wheel (not necessary because you can look at your own notes when you're at the roulette table.) Then, he reverse-engineers the numbers on the wheel to show various mathematical relationships between numbers in their arrangement on the wheel. If this is not useless information, then the author fails to convey what value there is to it (all I could keep thinking, as I read and re-read this part of the book, was... "SO WHAT??") Then, he presents another set of sections called "Global Stars", which are non-connected, symetrically opposed numbers on the wheel (rather than blocks of numbers like the "pies.") Finally, he concludes that when a single Global Pie merges with a single Global Star, the exact number is predicted. Yes, obviously, if you can predict the right star in the right pie chunk, you get the right number, but he doesn't tell you how to DO that.
   
   The jist of his methodology seems to be that by observing where the ball is landing (into which global pies and stars), one can predict where the ball will fall next, by tracking the "ball movement." The movement of the ball is analyzed by observing if the ball is doing a "hemi", a "bow-tie", or a "nuke", which refer to the ball landing in pie sections that are adjacent to each other, or opposite each other, or somewhere in between.
   
   The author gives no examples of how a playing session might go. There are no example sets of spins, showing what you would bet on next and why, nor will you find any explanation of what exactly constitutes a trend, and how you should bet on it. If there is any value to this book, it will be up to the reader to extract it and work out his own system for utilizing the information presented.



3. It fail to deliver ANYTHING!! The author just describe the location of number on the roulette table and that is it. All rubbish theory never show HOW to play systematicaly. It worth no CENT at all.



4. the author has done a great job of analyzing and sequencing the #s but does not give any clue how to utilize the information for betting .I am sure he has some ideas.DR ZIDEHSARAI



5. This is a very helpful book for understanding the game of roulette, although, I believe it will prove more useful to an experienced player, rather than a beginner. A welcome addition to any gambler's library!

1 comments about Roulette Odds and Profits: The Mathematics of Complex Bets.

1. I NOTICE THAT THIS BOOK IS PRESENTLY NUMBER 14 IN SALES ON AMAZON
   IN IT'S CATEGORY. The author is obviously a very learned mathematician, and very, very eager to not only present her theories, but also to aid her readers in using them to win at roulette.
   
   The problem that I have with this book is that I am NOT a learned mathematician. The farthest I have gone in math is taking the NY State Regents in High School algebra. However, I have more recently taken the "Tickle" intelligence test, and come out with the designation of "visual mathematician." I suppose this means that, depite my present academic limitations, I do try. I have an interest (a burning and very deep and great interest), in winning at roulette....but I kind of get out of my depth after page 13!
   
   (On page 13, however, it is very nice for me to find that my own idea ---that roulette is the easiest game in which to calculate possibilities, and that card games are the hardest in which to calculate possibilities -- is given credence, by being stated, right there in print, by this expert author!
   
   But I do not (even) know what the algebraic symbols, which look like a
   "U" and a "U" turned upside down mean. They are not explained....obviously the author thinks them them so elementary that no explaination is necessary. Perhaps if I had been able to take Pre-calculous and calculus in college, (which I had to leave before I could take these courses), I would be able follow at least a bit further in this book. These algebraic symbols, (which I at least recognize to be algebraic symbols), begin to be use on page 15. And these, and many other algebraic symbols, appear throughout the rest of this volume....with no explainations of what they mean, for us simpler folk who have not been able to study calculus or even pre-calculus. (This brings to my mind a rather astute black high-school student I saw once on TV. She was being interviewed, and mentioned the fact that on her final exams, there were questions about Mozart. She said, "I would have known the answers if they had taught me about Mozart in school. But they didn't teach me anything about Mozart in school.")
   
   The author of this book does recommend another book, "Understanding and Calculating the Odds", which is stated as being "a beginners guide", for
   "those interested in improving their probability calculus skills and figuring out correct probability results for any game of chance." It is not mentioned...but this book is also written by Catalin Barboianu.
   It has received several good reviews on Amazon -- but the reviewers here, too, bewail the unnecessarily complex sentence structure and language used in this book, (and in her "Roulette Odds and Profits", as well.) Ms. Barboianu has written several other books on probablity in gaming, as well, which are also available on Amazon. I can only wish that these books had been labled as something like: "Probability in Gaming
   -- Book I, Book II, Book III", and so on....so a reader would know which books to buy first!
   
   The author obviously knows her stuff....well! However, I doubt whether
   anyone who has not taken at least pre-calculus, (or perhaps, who has not at least taken Calculus I), can understand much of what is in this book, Maybe this is the most advanced book Ms. Barboianu has yet written, and I should have started with the book "Understanding and Calculating The Odds"
   -- which I did not know was a pre-cursor, and more elementary starting point, to this book, before I read about it here. However, the author's florid, and very academic style of writing, do give me pause -- and makes me afraid that the same, sadly convoluted writing and explanatory style will occur in this first, more elementary book as well. Unfortunately,
   it appears, KNOWING about a subject, and being able to TEACH it to others, so that even the most non-learned amongst them can understand it,
   are definitely two different things. This is truly a pity here....because I realize the author knows a lot, and really wants her readers to understand an profit by it.
   
   For those who REALLY want to UNDERTAND the game of Roulette, I recommend JOHN GOLLEHON's 'CASINO GAMES', (which I have also reviewed for Amazon.) Mr. Gollehon jhas a background of being a teacher, and an engineer...he writes amusingly, and truly enables the reader to understand how to play the casino games he writes about. The complex mathematical statistics and probabilities presented in Catlin Barboianu's "ROULETTE ODDS AND PROFITS", the book being reviewed here, are not present in Mr. Gollehon's book, (or, I should say, bookS....as he has written several other books, almost as good as "Casino Games")....but he does let you understand how these games are played, so that you can develop your own theories and systems.
   
   Reading "Roulette Odds and Profits", however, is a distinct privilege. It is an "Escoffier" of roulette books -- very, very complex, and -- depending on the extent of a reader's mathematical background -- easy, somewhat diffficult, or very difficult to understand and put into practice -- and profit. (For those unfamiliar with the name "Escoffier",
   the article in MSN's ENCARTA encyclopedia on "George Auguste Escoffier" begins by stating that he was "a master of the 'haute cuisine' style of French cookery originated by Marie Antoine Careme, 1784-1833.") For myself -- though most women in my family are great cooks -- I am more of the "semi-home-made" (like the FOOD NETWORK show of the same name), style of cook. And, I suppose that goes for my
   study of roulette, as well. I am totally fascinated by theories of
   mathematical probability as they apply to roulette....but, sadly, seem to
   be incapable of understanding the majority of them -- at the time being, anyway. For those, like myself, who do not have a background in calculus, (or even pre-calculus), I sadly cannot recommend this book. It's like a brilliant diamond tiara, costing millions of dollars, that one cannot afford. For us, books like John Gollehon's many great titles, (and also GAMBLE TO WIN, ROULETTE, by R.L. Ellison -- reviewed, as well, by me for Amazon), are more than adequate. (But -- using principles within these two books alone -- and my own theories based upon them -- I find can easily make at least $200 a day in roulette practice. And winning money in roulette is the real aim here, not understanding complex mathematical permutations....isn't it?)
   
   Still, the brilliance of the mathematics of 'Roulette Odds and Profits', and its author, Catalin Barboianu, beckon. Anyone happily wearing a rhinestone tiara will still always dream of wearing one made of diamonds.
   (Sigh.....)

5 comments about Gamble To Win Roulette.

1. book is written in very interesting way, so you keep reading, it also has some nice examples, teaches caution, but I am not sure if it is practical. well at least with me all this tactic will apply only if your minimal bet per number equal minimal bet per table and bets on red, black or any other groups bet is equal to 5x minimal table bet. And at tables where minimal bet is 25 $ you need to sit at table with about 1500 in your pocket and ready to gamble all those.
   bottomline, I can not regret the purchase, but I did not win money either. :)



2. This book had some legitimate advice for roulette. I would recommend it.
   
   I would also recommend
   
   beawinner dot bravehost dot com
   
   Excellent advice for roulette



3. This book and Ellison's magic "system" is not based on any scientific explanation. Author himself doesn't know how his own system works but he saw it working !! If you buy this book, you start losing money on it even before you start playing the roulette !



4. Yes....or rather, no. This book will NOT teach you the ultimate system to win at roulette. Perhaps no book or other method will. Howewver, THIS BOOK DID GIVE ME SOME METHODS I HAD NVER HEARD OF BEFORE, (ONE IN PARTICULAR, THE 'SESAME STREET/GROUND COFFEE' METHOD), WHICH HAVE NADE NE MORE MONEY, ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, THAN ANY OTHER ROULETTE METHODS I HAVE FOUND ELSEWHERE. ONE DOES HAVE TO MASTER THE SOMETIMES DIFFICULT IDEA OF 'STOPPING WHILST ONE IS AHEAD'....ALWAYS GOOD ADVICE, ESPECIALLY IN GAMBLING. So, this book WON'T make you a multi-millionaire(ess)....but you can use the ideas presented TO WIN A BIT MORE THAN MOST PLAYERS DO....AND NOT JUST ONE TIME, BUT WITH ABOUT 80% CONSISTANCY.....I F...YOU STOP WHILST YOU ARE AHEAD! (In my own experience, at lest, anyway). i also found Mr. Ellison's book aninteresting read....with some very good advice, and also some
   delightful humour! (Humour...see the advice he gives if outer-space aliens suddenly invade the casino you are playing at...whether it be an on-land casino, or one that is on-line!
   (Chuckle : )
   
   I am not that good at following other people's instructions,
   unless they are very good, natural-born teachers. So, sadly,
   Mr. Ellison's 4-point method was lost on me, though I tried
   hard to understande it. However, he does mention three "quad"
   bets to use together, They are illustrated...so even I could follow this! I did win a bit when I played these three together....so Mr. Elison DOES have something there!
   
   There is a method in this book which I will call "The Sesame
   Street Method", so as not to give it away. (The name of this method contains the name of one of the 'Sesame Street' Muppets!) And you'll recognize it, once you see it in the book. It could also be called "The GROUND Coffee-Drinker's Method"....(the emphasis on the word "GRIND" is another clue
   as to its real name. (Buy the book! You'll recognize this method's real name almost instantly! THIS METHOD...AND/OR MY OWN VARIATIONS OF IT....HAVE MADE ME MORE MONEY, CONSISANTLY, IN ROULETTE THAN ANY OTHER METHOD, OVER TIME! READ ABOUT IT AND TRY IT!!!!!!! : ) Mr. Ellison did NOT invent this particular method....but it is the first time I have seen it
   described -- obviously it is not as well known as the Martingale or the D'Lambert methods, (also covered in this book, as are all the other basics)....but it works MUCH better
   than either of these well-known methods, and I am grateful to
   Mr. Ellison for putting it in his book. With surprising modesty, (all the more so, because he has his own "quad" method to discuss in this book), Mr. Ellison calls this "Sesame-Street
   Coffee" method, (by another name, of course) 'the only method that will really work." (!) This is NOT a method that Mr. Ellison has invented....but he does discuss it, though very few other books do, and I'm very, very happy that Mr. Ellison has made mention of it. Because I've now tried it -- and yes, it does work....eventually...MOST of the time. JOHN GOLLEHON, another favourite gambling author of mine, said it best, (to paraphrase): to really gamble well, do it JUST ONCE. Then take your profits, (no matter how small), and DON'T GAMBLE EVER AGAIN! Great advice, but, of course, no one follows it,
   (myself included). For Human Greed is a great ally of all casino owners!
   
   In sum, this book offers explainations of several other systems, besides the author's own original one. The aforesaid,
   "Sesame-Street, Coffee-Lover's" method is, by any name, a pretty good system, all things considered. Mr. Ellison's own "quad" system certainly bears looking into as well. All in all, a very well-written, informative and witty book. Reading it, one can tell Mr. Elison takes the game of roulette seriously...but does not spend all of his time gambling. He plays, but is not overly greedy. A good example to players of roulette, and all other, casino games!



5. I bought this book because it was the first book I have seen that DID NOT promote a SYSTEM to beat the tables. I have used the techniques in the book and was using them even before I bought it. The techniques work - not all the time because NOTHING ever does - but they do work. Read this book and learn about what really happens at a roulette table and what you should be looking for. I think this book has a ton of knowledge to offer. If you are looking for a "system", please, give it up. Find books and teachers that offer knowledge and techniques to win - systems never do. Remember - everybody has a system but noboby is rich - interesting - hmmm.

5 comments about Beating the Casinos at Their Own Game : A Strategic Approach to Winning at Craps, Roulette, Slots, Blackjack, Baccarat, Let It Ride, and Caribbean Stud Poker.

1. Beating The Casinos At Their Own Game is a book you should consider if you'd like some help playing at the casinos. It's a well, written and nicely illustrated 278-page gambling guide with instructions for most of the games you'll find at any casino. The author, Peter Svoboda, knows his math because he has the credentials: a degree in both mechanical and civil engineering.

   You'll find casino basics in chapters 1 and 2 including some history, odds of winning and losing, what the casinos do to get you there, the house advantage, advice on managing your money and when to quit. And if you have a gambling problem, Peter will direct you to the right place. Chapters 3 through 13 list rules of the ten most popular casino games, with playing strategies and some betting systems you can try. The illustrations will help you learn the games and the math listed will explain the odds and probabilities of winning.

   Peter includes some known strategies for Craps, Roulette and Baccarat. So, if you're inexperienced at any of these games, you can take an expert with you to the casino. Peter also presents some of his own winning systems.

   If you've never been to a casino, but think you might want to try some of the games offered, I'd recommend studying this book before you enter. It has all the basic playing information you'll need to improve your chances of winning...




2. This is the first review I have written on Amazon. I felt compelled to write this to keep unsuspecting people from purchasing this book. I do not know the author, I am not an author, and I have no interests in whether this book does well or not. I am simply giving my opinion.

   Simply put, my problem with this book is that it is full of incorrect statements and poor advice which completely ignores probability theory. For example, on roulette, Mr. Svoboda actually says, "The house will always have a 5.26% edge, but you can increase your winning probabilities by playing it smart." What?!? When I read that, I knew he had a very weak grasp of probability theory. It is impossible to change the odds in roulette; they are fixed. You are always at a 5.26% disadvantage, no matter what your betting strategy is. Period. I suggest you run away from any book that asserts otherwise.

   The surprising thing is that in several parts of the book, Mr. Svoboda agrees that the casino has an advantage over the player in the long run. However, to overcome this, he recommends that players play in the short run! I couldn't believe that an engineer, and someone who supposedly understands mathematics and probability, would actually write such completely incorrect information. True, in the short run you may win, but odds are that you will lose. The percentage disadvantage you face does not change.

   Over and over, Mr. Svoboda asserts that his strategies increase your chances of winning. How can you increase your chances of winning if the odds against you are fixed? For example, after several pages of detailed and complex tables and charts, Mr. Svoboda admits that his craps betting strategy gives the house a 2% advantage. Yet he still advocates following his strategy, saying that you just need to know when to walk away when ahead. What he fails to mention is that you will be behind more often than you will be ahead.

   In games of chance and independent trials (such as craps, roulette and keno, to name a few), the house has a fixed percentage advantage over the player. This is a proven mathematical fact. There are no betting systems or strategies whish can change this percentage advantage. The only thing a player may do is bet slowly and bet the minimums in order to decrease the rate at which he loses. Gambling at these types of games should be viewed as paying for entertainment, not investing, as Mr. Svoboda suggests.

   Casinos love people with systems. Why do you think companies choose to spend $1 billion to build a new casino? Because they know that system betters will come in and lose more than that. Casinos exist because they make money for their owners. I had thought that with the advanced level of gaming theory available today, that books which advocated incorrect probability theory would become a thing of the past. Then I read Mr. Svoboda's book and realized I was wrong.

   On the plus side, the book does clearly state the rules of the games and the odds of winning. It has very pretty and colorful charts and tables. As a rule book, it is very good. However, as a strategy guide, you are much better off ignoring this book. Mr. Svoboda's assertion that "this book will help you learn how to level the playing field...and gain a return on your investment" is false. This book does not tell you how to even the odds against the house. The only return on investment you will get by following the advice in this book is negative.




3. I browsed through this book at the local bookstore. All I can say is don't take any pointers from this guy. He says before placing bets on "any craps", you should wait until the die hasn't produced craps for atleast 18 rolls???? He says after this the probability of any craps showing is 88 %. What is this all about? The truth is the odds of rolling craps is the same (11 %) regardless of how many times it's been rolled in the past. If you already own this book, I suggest you take your loss and throw it away.



4. Once I picked up this book I knew immediately I would breeze through the explainations easily. The text was well done and very readable = the charts, graphs and diagrams all came at the right time. The tid-bits about Mr Svoboda's experiences were fun to read, But.. most of all I was able to acquire a grounded knowledge of how to approach the games at any casino! Can't wait for the next book to come out from Mt Svoboda!! His knowledge and skills at communicating the nuances and the details of each game were very evident! Fun and easy lessons!!



5. I bought this book before heading to Vegas mainly because I wanted to brush up on the rules of blackjack. I was only going to have 4 hours there so i didn't want to waste any time getting ready to play. I found the second chapter and other sections that describe how things work in casinos (where to get your chips, what hand signals to give the dealer, etc) useful in keeping me from wasting time when i got there. The rest of it was worth reading to learn the rules of the games and to get me thinking about probabilities.

   Unfortunately, the logic's not always there and sometimes the data are wrong.

   Some examples:

   In the roulette section, he recommends that if you are going to bet on a single number, you should pick one that hasn't shown up in the past 20 spins. This, after explaining how a lot of people keep gambling on the faulty premise that if something hasn't happened in a while, it's likely to happen, and after describing bias in roulette tables, which would make a number more likely to re-appear if it HAS appeared multiple times before.

   In the blackjack section, I re-calculated the probabilities for each of the tables that he has in there, and while most of his numbers are right, some of them are off by as much as 5%. True, my numbers could be wrong, but since i wrote a computer program to do it (meaning that it did it consistently for each test), why would it be right for all but one value in the table? More likely, they are hand-copying or editing errors.

   I wrote software (yes, i'm a geek) to play the game, implemented his suggestions one by one, and played 100,000 hands with each to see what kind of improvement each one made. The fact is, if you play your hand just like the dealer (hold at 17+, hit below), you will win 48% of the time, lose 43% of the time, and push 9% of the time. If you implement all of his strategies, you will win 48% of the time, lose 43% of the time, and push 9% of the time (yup! exactly the same!). What's important turns out not to be how you play the game (in most of the strategies, you are trading busts for losing hands and vice versa), but how you BET. Using his doubling and splitting strategies lets you hang on to your money much longer before going broke (sometimes twice as long). In the blackjack section, he doesn't spend much time talking about betting.

   Lastly, and this applies to blackjack again, he claims that the casino's main advantage in blackjack lies in the fact that "the players must choose before the dealer whether or not to draw more cards." While it's true that you could play a lot better if you could see the dealer's cards, that is not what gives the casino the advantage. Remember, the dealer is basically a human machine -- it hits at < 17, holds at 17+. The dealer does not have the benefit of seeing EITHER of your cards, so that can't be the advantage. The casino's real advantage is that the player has one more losing condition than the dealer has. That condition occurs when both the dealer and the player bust. Other than that, if the player played exactly like the dealer, they would both do exactly the same. You cannot overcome this handicap. If you play conservatively such that you do not bust (which is where most of Svoboda's recommendations lead you), the percentage of hands you lose because the dealer has more points than you will go up.

   That's about it for now. Just wait till I read the other chapters, though!

5 comments about American Roulette: How I Turned the Odds Upside Down---My Wild Twenty-Five-Year Ride Ripping Off the World's Casinos (Thomas Dunne Books).

1. While I am not sure how much of the book is poetic license, the author does a great job of describing his career as a casino cheat - down to the exact moves. What makes the book great is that you begin to really get a feel for what this life was like. While on the surface his life appeared glamorous, the work seemed to be constant stress. (you'll have to read the book to see why)
   This book was almost as good as "Bringing Down the House" - just as well written, but the schemes themselves were slightly less interesting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in gambling and/or casinos. For those that don't, I would not suggest this book.



2. This book tells the author's story of how he lost everything he had gambling, took a crappy job as shill--promoted to baccarat dealer--at the Four Queens in Las Vegas, and then had the opportunity to join a group of gambling cheaters and thieves. The cheating moves described in the book are mostly "pastposting"--placing high bets after the outcome is known by swapping in a new stack of chips for the ones previously bet. The trick is that high-value chips are concealed underneath low-value chips, and the cheater often has to issue a "claim" by pointing out to the dealer that he's been underpaid for the bet. The book begins and ends with a move he calls the "Savannah" which is an opposite maneuver--a high bet is placed, with the high-value chips concealed by lower-value chips, and if the bet loses, the high-value chips are pulled off. With that move, the winning bets are legitimate and surveillance tapes show that the high-value chips were there all along.
   
   The group also would occasionally make money with other scams, like "railing"--stealing directly out of the chip racks of their fellow players. They also narrowly avoid getting involved in a card-marking scheme, violating their own rules of not using any specialized equipment that could be incriminating.
   
   The book is most interesting for the characters involved and how they dealt with "steam" from the casinos when they caught on to what was happening.
   
   The author appears to have no guilt or remorse for his actions on the grounds that casinos are regularly "stealing" from people every day (though that certainly doesn't justify the thefts directly from other gamblers, and ignores that gamblers are willing participants who know the odds are stacked against them).
   
   I read _Bringing Down the House_ about the MIT Blackjack Team about a year and a half ago, and the comparison between the teams is interesting--the MIT team's methodology was far more sophisticated (and wasn't technically cheating), but both had to use similar psychological techniques.
   
   It's surprising that the casinos didn't come up with better countermeasures quickly (a rule that there are no payouts for high-value chips not announced in advance, for example), but I find Marcus' overall tale quite plausible, in part because of the factors he points out in the last few pages of the book--"practically all casino jobs are monotonous" (p. 369). The boredom results in lack of attention and the jobs' high turnover results in inexperienced people up against very experienced cheaters.



3. As a big fan of caper movies and con stories (Ocean's 11, The Thomas Crown Affair, Catch Me if You Can), I can enthusiastically recommend American Roulette.
   
   Richard Marcus (most likely not his real name, in fact, the name is the same as that of the actor in a TV series called The Pretender) tells of his successful career as a casino cheat. He started as a garden-variety gambler, lost all his money, found himself homeless in Las Vegas, and became a blackjack dealer.
   
   Marcus was recruited by a well-to-do casino rip-off gang and rose to the top over the years. He tells great stories about which casinos the gang hit, how they engineered the con, the trouble they ran into, and how they were nearly caught several times. The gang even made their way to casinos in Europe and Australia, although their base was in Las Vegas. The opening of casinos in Atlantic City and across the U.S. made for some easy pickings as well.
   
   American Roulette is not an instructional manual on how to scam the casinos. In fact, as Marcus points out, even if you were to learn the mechanics and technicalities of the scam, there is something more basic to the success of the con game and that is being cool under pressure. These characters are glaciers.
   
   American Roulette is a terrific read, and would make a fantastic movie.



4. Very entertaining book. Just reading it, I could feel my adrenaline level rise. It felt like I was there in the casinos, trying to avoid the watchful eye of the security cameras. If you liked Bringing Down the House, I think you'll like this book too.



5. I can see how this book got five stars across the board. I could not pout this book down. It was a fast paced read. I never heard of past posting until this book came out. It is interested to read the authors progression into the cheating schemes and how the schemes are improved over time. I highly recommend this book, especially for those who don't like to read or don't know how to read.

5 comments about Casino Gambling : A Winner's Guide to Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and Casino Poker.

1. I found this a delightful book. It's very easy to read, covers all the major games, and contains lots of practical, useful advice.

   And at less than $20, it's excellent value for money.

   My only criticism (a very minor one) is that the Roulette section focuses mainly the "double-zero" wheel, used in the USA. The "single zero" wheel used in Europe and in Australia, doesn't get much coverage.

   However, this is a minor issue. Overall I found this an excellent book, containing a wealth of useful advice.




2. This book helped me incredibly understand the odds and help beat the casino at their games. I recommend it.



3. This book is great, it's very funny and will provide many laughs. Unfortunately, if you are looking to read a book on how to gamble well, this is not it.
   
   This book states how to beat Craps (controlled rolling of the dice to land on certain numbers), Blackjack (taking advantage of non-random shuffling and finding groups of high and low cards), and Roulette (watching for a zone on the wheel where the ball repeatedly falls due to the dealer throwing the ball with the same speed).
   
   These methods of how to beat the casino are all completely irrational, unattainable, and at times just plain ridiculous.
   
   If you could beat craps by controlled throwing of the dice, don't you think the casinos would recognize this and change their dice rolling procedures. To avoid having controlled rolls is the exact reason is why they make you hit the back wall in the first place.
   
   If you could beat roullette by taking advantage of dealer memory, where they always throw the ball with the same speed and therefore produces certain zones on the wheel that are hit consistently, don't you think the casino would recognize that certain numbers hit more frequently and change their procedures. The obvious fact that the Author fails to mention is that in order for this method to work, the dealer would always have to throw the ball with the exact same speed and he/she would always have to release it at the exact same spot on the wheel...which is nearly impossible or at least so low a percentage, that I would not bet on it!
   
   The Blackjack stategy is the only one that even resembles rational thought, but even this method of taking advantage of non-random shuffling and finding pockets of either high or low cards and then increasing or decreasing your bet accordingly fails to mention one obvious fact. Even if you do see pockets of high or low cards, you never know how big the pocket is...you could see two hands of all high cards, change your bet accordingly, then the next hand could change to a pocket of low cards.
   
   In summary, this book tells you how the Author consistently beats the casino using these methods...I think the Author needs to realize that he is just getting lucky using his less than scientific systems. If you want to read a book on how to gamble well you should pick one that explains how to minimize your losses, by decreasing the house edge. At least find one that is non-fiction!



4. I looked at this listing and found that the description was for the "paperback" version. Well this book, "Casino Gambling: Winning Techniques for Craps, Roulette, Baccarat and Blackjack" (C)1982-3 is said to contain chapters with silliness like how to control dice and spot a roulette wheel. That description is NOT for this book! It is for a book called "Casino Gambling : A Winner's Guide to Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and Casino Poker" (C)2000. The newer book lists several authors. The added sections must be from the new authors and account for the lame "beat the system" advice. The 1983 book is very solid with excellent math and logic only! It tells you up front that you can't get an edge on a casino but shows you exactly what the house edge is on every single bet. This makes you an informed consumer at a casino. Such a book is refreshing in a sea of books about gaming that purport to give you a "secret" to gain riches. HA! The best you can do in a casino is either get up early and stop, (but you could also get down early) or play smart and loose small amounts slowly while enjoying the game and maybe some free drinks. If you want to learn to play casino games and want the straight info about the risks of each play, this book is perfect. If you want to hear a fairytale about how to "beat the house" look any ware else. PS this book IS paperback as well. ISBN: 039950656X



5. This is a great just basic book I wouldnt say it goes into any great detail just give you the basic understanding of the games and where your odds a probably better at making money. But in reality the house always has the advantage your almost better off going the first minute you get to vegas take all your money right to the roulette table and go black or red if you win take the cash and enjoy the rest of your trip not gambling!

5 comments about Spin Roulette Gold.

1. The reviewer from Malaysia didn't understand a fundamental princple of roulette. If the wheel is random there are NO WINNING SYSTEMS. Scoblete explains that in the book and takes a look at all the most popular betting systems that have been developed to beat the game. None work in the long run on random wheels as he shows clearly. However, this book does have winning strategies in it; and it does show how to maximize comps as well. You just have to realize that no reputable author is going to sell pie-in-the-sky winning systems for a random wheel. But Scoblete does the next best thing. He shows you techniques for discovering biases, dealer signatures, big numbers, sector shooters and the like. This is a really well written book and it has thousands of actual-roulette spins recorded so you can play your system without actually risking money. This is a great book.



2. I've read eight books so far on roulette and this is the best. Scoblete clearly lays out all you need to know about the game, including why systems that have been touted for years just don't work. He demonstrates clearly how to get the edge using certain techniques and how to reduce your exposure to the edge using other techniques. The writing style is very good.



3. For all you good people out there who are looking for information on how to win at Roulette, this book will give you some good ideas on how to look for bias wheels and play dealers signature. Frank shows you how to play a system called the double dynamite system which works very well specially on older wheels. What I liked most about this book is the fact that it gives you actual recorded spins to test out your systems on. I have used his spins to develop systems. Excellent book. The only thing that I was dissapointed with this book was the fact that he did not explain about how to use visual ballistic techniques. I would advise to buy both this book and Chris Pawlacki book get the edge at roulette as he goes into detain about visual wheel tracking techniques.



4. What the author doesn't adress is this book is today's reality:
   
   - Casino's have become very well organised multinational businesses, they are not longer ruled by the mob as in the beginning days.
   
   - Now, suppose you are running a casino, and you would KNOW for certain, if you let your gambling equipment run without maintenance or statistical analysis, some experienced high roller gamblers could step in, and rob your casino for millions of dollars.
   
   - These days, I can tell you first source as my friend is a dealer, all roulette wheels in respectable casino's are statistically monitored with software. So at any time the casino has far more statistical data to watch for bias, more data than at any time a player could collect. As any serious statistician will tell you: the larger the statistical data, the more dependable any conclusion one might make. If a player would observe let's say 100 spins to determine bias before playing this is FAR TOO SHORT to seriously determine bias. I would suggest to serious gamblers they buy a decent statistics book in stead of this.
   
   - Now suppose the casino security (and they have a lot as any casino visitor knows) notices there is a bias. Well, what would they do, would you think: just let the wheel continue to turn or close it down for maintenance or simply (because they have more than enough money coming in) replace it?
   
   This book is written for a time when casino's were ruled by the mob and only thought of making money in the short time. If a reader would be making conclusions to look and play a wrongfully as 'biased' identified wheel, he will loose a lot of money because he is explicitely betting against the law of large numbers (which is the mathematical law that the MIT students used in Blackjack). Or in other words: these days the probability one is playing a balanced are far greater than it would be a biased wheel, in the last case the law of large numbers and probabilitytheory can increase your chances.
   
   Nice to have in your roulette library, but of no practical use these days.



5. First of you would be hard pressed to find a biased roulette wheel these day's operating in a casino. Moreover it is obvious from reading this book Sclobete is not a roulette player. The systems in this book like the Martingle and the Grand Martingale are nothing new and the casinos make plenty of money from systems like these. I give this book 1 star because I can't seem to find a lower rating put on this book.

1 comments about PROBABILITY GUIDE TO GAMBLING: The Mathematics of Dice, Slots, Roulette, Baccarat, Blackjack, Poker, Lottery and Sport Bets.

1. Lots of annoying liitle typos in the math chapters. I can live with those, the math is correct. HOWEVER, the chapter on roulette is completely incorrect. The author assumes a 40 to 1 payoff on a single number wager but the actual payoff is 35 to 1. This is an eggregious error. Virtually every computation and scheme in that chapter is bogus and totally misleading. The author goes so far as to providing winning schemes. The rest of the book is now suspect. I don't have the patience to verify the other chapters so BEWARE!

2 comments about 40,000 Spins: Cluster Progression Roulette.

1. Well written and instructional book on how to play Roulette. After reading the book, I played JR's system and in my first session won over $400. The illustrations and stories in the book make it an easy read. It is fun to walk out of casino with money in your pocket. Accolades to the author!



2. This is nothing more than a progressive betting system (chasing losses). Such methods have been around since roulette was invented and they don't work. The author even compares himself to Edward Thorp, whose book (beat the dealer) caused casinos to change the rules of Blackjack and implement counter-measures against the card-counters.
   
   No such counter-measures will be necessary for roulette with the publication of this book.

5 comments about Get the Edge at Roulette (Scoblete, Frank. Get-the-Edge Guide.).

1. Pawlicki's style stands out for its scientific approach and honesty. Yet it is entertaining thanks to anecdotes and historical primers sprinkled throughout the text.

   He is faithful to the scientific principle of theory and verification. He delves in a fair bit of statistics to develop expectation values for winnings and confidence levels for a given strategy. With all theory, his text is not a theoretical one, he gives very practical advice. He's not trying to play psychological games with the reader, but is honest in explaining the skill level required for the various strategies he presents. As any well researched, scientific text, he cites relevant literature and gives references.

   The author understands the kinematics of the game of roulette, although readers with a college-level background of mechanics may notice the author's imprecise use of terminology. That does not deter from the author's argument though.

   The book starts off with a review of the historical origins of roulette and goes quickly into the wheel layout and betting baize. He teaches how to find your way around the wheel and how to cover sectors with a minimum number of chips, "sector slicing." He picks up this topic again later in connection with dealer signatures and presents an easy-to-learn but powerful way to cover quickly every quadrant of the wheel.

   His discussion on "mathematical" playing systems and why they fail is elucidating yet not really novel as the fact that the house enjoys a negative edge when the player bets on random outcomes is common knowledge.

   The guts of Pawlicki's book center on "physical" aspects of the game--a variety of factors that can produce non-random outcomes or give a predictive edge to the player. The power of its message lies not in any single technique but in a toolbox of strategies that each can apply to different conditions, such as wheel watching, biased wheel play, or dealer signatures. He carefully gauges each technique by the skill level required to apply it, by the edge it provides to the player and by the assumptions underlying it. A little bit of player and casino psychology will come handy in the heat of the battle.

   This book has something for everyone: the aspiring professional player, the occasional system player or the recreational player.

   My first reading on roulette was a chapter in Jerry Patterson's "Casino Gambling." While interesting and a useful overview of strategies in various casino games, Patterson frequently baits the reader with information that is consistent but incomplete and then refers to his (probably expensive) gambling classes. In this, Patterson's book remains ultimately dissatisfying. If your interest is in roulette, buy Pawlicki's book. You get much more information and without the rhetoric.




2. Let's set the expectations first:
   1) This book clearly says why you should not play roulette (because it has a house edge of 5.4 % or so).
   2) Reading this book will not make you a skilled wheel tracker. You will lose even after reading it.
   3) Predictive play and finding delayers' signatures are very hard (if not impossible) for rookies like us so don't expect any miracle.
   
   Still this is by far the BEST book I ever read on this subject.
   It covers some very interesting topics such as
   1) Wheel tracking / bias tracking
   2) How to find out dealers' signature
   3) Sector slicing and other betting strategies
   
   Author is very honest to accept that casino has a big edge on this game and overcoming that edge over the time is impossible.



3. First of all, it is true that the house has a big (> 5 %) edge in the game of roulette IF the results of the spins are truly random.
   
   It is also true that the results of a roulette spin are depenedent upon the actions of a human being. Furthermore, it is also true that a roulette wheel can never be perfectly balanced nor stay perfectly balanced while in use. Given these facts, it follows that the results of any particular roulette spin will not be completely random. As Pawlicki explains very well in this book, it is this lack of complete randomness which might make it possible to predict a roultette spin with enough confidence to overcome the house edge. The trick is to, first, recognize a wheel/croupier combination that is producing results that are predictable enough to be useful, and second, to use that predictability is such a way that you can overcome the house edge.
   
   No, you will not be able to implement Pawlicki's strategies immediately. Like anything else in life, they require skill, concentration and practice. If it were easy to do, then ANYBODY could do it and the casinos would change the game so that it would be significantly more difficult for the player. However, to say that it is impossible to overcome the house edge under any circumstances is patently false. It can be done if you can find a favorable wheel and croupier and if you can take advantage of that. Pawlicki gives a number of examples where he has done just that. If a wheel/croupier combination is producing results that are very nearly random however, then no, you cannot beat the house edge over time no matter what.
   
   It is true that this book does not cover random play, nor should it. If you're intent upon playing a wheel that is producting nearly random results, then you're going to lose and there is no sense discussing any stratgies for such play.
   
   Pawlicki makes one other salient point. If you do happen to beat the house you will eventually draw the attention of the pit boss and the casino will try various things to "discourage" you from winning, such as changing balls or reversing the rotation of the wheel. In such situations, it's probably best to take your winnings and take a walk. The last thing that you want to do is alienate a croupier or a casino, else you'll always get special attention whenever you visit that casino. The trick is to try to win while keeping as low a profile as possible.



4. excellent book.....
   few months ago i was trying to develop a part time source of money.........and now i have developed it......just bcoz of this book...thanks a lot DOCTOR SPIN......!!!!!!!![...].



5. This is a good roullete book, have alot of winner systems in long term,
   i want more information about the writer to contact him.
   Uchimata