All right, for this week’s take on roulette, I’m going to take a trip down memory lane. That’s right, and while I’d never advocate for anyone to cheat (at roulette or any other game in a casino), it’s always interesting and usually amusing to break down how the cheaters try to get ahead.

In the game of roulette, both the player and the casino have taken their shots at cheating a game that, in my opinion, can’t be “beaten” any other way. Some favorites?
The rigged wheel comes to mind as the oldest trick in the roulette book. What easier way is there for the casino to make money then to roll out a rigged wheel for the suckers to take to? This worked fairly regularly up until 1931, where new laws make it clear you could lose your gaming license if your equipment was seized and found to be less than on the level. And since the places were and would continue to make good money by offering a legit game, the rigged wheels all but disappeared faster than you can “Always bet on black.” Thanks, Wesley.

Magnets is another fun casino cheat. Of course, in order for magnets to have any affect, you’d need a ball with a steel inside. This was used a little more selectively than the rigged wheel, and would simply allow the casino to “guide” the ball to a less than advantageous area of the wheel for the players. See what you could’ve learned how to do had you stayed in school?

On our end of the wheel (the player), late betting is still being used up to this day. Unless there’s a rule in place of no betting after the ball has been spun, you can count on someone trying to slip in a late bet. In that split second where the dealer is looking at the wheel before shifting his or her eyes back to the table, a clever rouse is to slip the bet in – after the wheel has stopped, of course. I always found this to be a difficult task to begin with. There’s so little to time to pull this off even if you knew where you’d be placing your bet. But to have to wait until the number is set, THEN place your bet, all before being seen…that’s a talented cheat right there.

And, to close, the most desperate attempt to cheat is to tamper with the wheel, including such things as putting glue in the pockets to affect the bounce of the ball – although I don’t know how they can count on any less randomization this way, anyway.

So, word to the wise, if a pit boss comes around looking for a cheat, make sure you wash your hands between sessions.