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I was gambling in Havana, yeah I took a little risk
by anna at 06:43 PM on August 18, 2004
Golden Palace.com hates us. We're smalltime gamblers who risk pittances.
We're constantly cashing out small winnings and then calling about where our check is. Lately this has been a problem because we moved and got new email accounts that don't work. They've required that we send them bills from the old house, bills from the new house, front-back copies of IDs, debit cards, bank statements, corneal scans and a DNA sample. At last they've sent what's been accumulating in our account all these months. We can now pay for those handsome side and coffee tables we've been eying. Well, actually using as we bought them on credit.
At first I was leery of online gambling. How do you know it's not rigged? How do you know they'll pay you? What if the casino just disappears? What recourse would you have? And many of them are a scam. Golden Palace is not. It rocks, providing us with a steady if modest stream of income. And it's going nowhere.
I know what you're thinking: nobody wins at casino gambling. Au contraire, anybody can. Here's how: Don't play slots or any complicated games you don't totally understand like blackjack, bacharat or craps. Play roulette. Play it smartly.
Back when I had a physical presence I used to frequent casinos. I hated all the smoke, nervousness, security and surly dealers. I hated seeing old people toting their pathetic plastic coins tubs around. I hated they way they force you to bet more than you want and on every spin. And I was always puzzled by the reckless way these grim-faced people play. They get a stake and start spreading chips all over the board, numbers and random side bets alike. Every spin they'd win something, get a little thrill and soon be back at the ATM. This will never work.
You need to understand that each roll is an independant event. This means there's roughly an equal chance of any given number coming up each time. But the one thing you do know is that it will only be one number.
There are 36 numbers on the board, plus either one or two 0s. Online, you can find European games that only have one 0. Go with that. Still, if you do hit a number they'll only pay you 32-1 at best. This is the house's advantage that you need to turn against them. The way to do this is as follows: Put in enough money to tide you over. Decide on an average bet (no minimum online! Debit cards accepted!) and stick to it. Your stake should be 30 times that amount or you'll get wiped out before the system has a chance to work. As you start playing with house money gradually increase your total bet. Once you've doubled your money, which you will, cash out and demand they send your check immediately.
Pick one number each roll. Keep an eye on the ticker that lists the recent ones and pick the same ones. Every table tends to cluster around certain parts of the board. But here's the key: Correlate your side bets (which actually have better odds---1st 12 actually pays 2-1, eliminating that extra 4 point advantage they have with the numbers, for instance) with your chosen number. Pick the 12, pick the rows, pick the colors, odd/even, it doesn't matter. Just be sure they all tie in with that one number with no exceptions.
Other players will no doubt hit more numbers but they will never receive the full 32-1 (plus all the side bet payoffs) due to their wasted bets on other numbers on the same spin. And when your number does hit, you will often receive 65-1 once the side bets are included. This gives you a chance to get up on the house temporarily. Also, the side bets will keep you afloat as you wait for 2-3 numbers to hit. Once they do, hit the cashier button and laugh all the way to the bank.
Golden Palace will come to hate you like they hate us.
Gamble responsibly. Drink like Paula Poundstone. But leave the kids out of it.
comments (16)
Anytime Anna. Road trip?
by Ezy at August 18, 2004 10:40 PM
You can figure out a gambling system, but can't figure out how to use the extended entry? And when you finally learn how to use the extended entry thing, you still refuse to use it?
Forget systems, or gambling responsibly - why gamble at all? Why not just tell everyone to throw their money in the garbage? Why not just spend $40 to take the family to see Catwoman? Why not give your money to me? Seriously, why not give your money to me? I run this site with money out of my own pocket, and all I ever ask is for someone to buy me crap for my birthday of Christmas. Well, my birthday was months ago, and I've got months to go before Christmas. So, instead of spending money on gambling, or expensive coffees and shampoos, or feeding that Sudanese adopt-a-child, why not buy me something off my amazon wishlist. If you are just going to throw your money away anyway, why not throw it away on a slightly less bad way?
by mg at August 18, 2004 11:13 PM
Anna, You need to draw a diagram for me so I can see what you are talking about. ;-)
by MrBlank at August 19, 2004 12:50 AM
Anna, this looks alot like the roulette system I read once in the book of Hoyle. Is that where you got it?
by Philville at August 19, 2004 1:34 AM
I'm game Ezy. But the other problem is the drink problem, you know. As in they won't bring you any unless you tip her $5.
MG, really I do agree. But this can be amusing. As for extended entry, Linz made it sound like it was right there; just start typing. It isn't. Do I need to "customize display of this page?"
Blank you know how much trouble I have with that sort of thing.
Phil, no. I've devised this one myself. Which is to say my son the mathemetician did the math, mostly.
by anna at August 19, 2004 7:39 AM
Anna, it is right there. I am not savvy at all, and I probably wouldn't have ever found it if Ezy hadn't shown me. But look, right below the box you normally type your entry in is another box that can be typed in. This box says Extended Entry. Anything typed or pasted in that box will be viewed only when the reader clicks continue. Personally I think it would make more sense if that box was called "Continued" but it's not. Just give it a try. Don't be afraid. You could even go back to modify this entry right here: cut the majority of the text out of the regular spot and paste it into the Extended Entry box DIRECTLY BELOW.
Effenheimer needs to learn this as well, especially because it would hide his terrible formatting issue from the front page of the site. You know, come to think of it, I didn't have Eff on my bad sam lovin list, and I think he's gotten a rawer deal than Snaggle.
Mg, you boyscout, I think Anna's point is that this system always works, so he's not throwing money away.
by Linz at August 19, 2004 9:17 AM
by Linz at August 19, 2004 9:29 AM
Roulette, like other games, is a losing proposition. Period. There are all sorts of betting tricks you can do to help even things out, but you can never quite break even odds-wise (which isn't to say that you can't win often or come out ahead often).
Anyway, the system you were talking about, where you look at what numbers are coming up and then bet on or close to them, that actually works better in a real casino than a virtual casino (is Golden Palace all simulated, or is someone putting information online from real tables?).
See, your average croupier (especially those salty old guys who've been around for a while) gets kind of bored standing throwing the ball in day in and day out, so a lot of them start working on accuracy and precision. They develop what's called a 'footprint.' Many of them take pride (and tips, if that's allowed at the casino) in being able to hit or hit near the same number two throws in a row. The size of the footprint is how close they can get.
As you can imagine the pit bosses are not thrilled by this practice, as it stacks the odds closer to or even slightly in favor of the players. That's the main reason that they have those lightboards with the numbers sticking up off the table. It's so the pitboss can watch and make sure that the croupier isn't throwing into a footprint.
That probably doesn't make a lot of sense from my brief write-up, but you can find a decent discussion of footprints and neighbor betting (capitalizing on footprints) here. Their site is hella slow, but if you're patient, there's some interesting stuff there.
by Mike Sheffler at August 19, 2004 3:05 PM
I've been in a casino only twice, both times I stopped in on the way to somewhere else. The first time I decided to spend whatever was in my pocket, about 6 dollars. Once that was gone, I left. The other time, we agreed to spend $20 each. My friend lost all her money in 30 minutes, while I managed to nearly double mine. And then we left. I can certainly see how someone might get addicted to gambling, but I just don't see how it might be a source for consistent enjoyment.
by mg at August 19, 2004 3:51 PM
I will be bold and try it Linz. Mike, that is true. But my wife thinks that online, the computer tracks your favorite numbers and makes sure they don't hit often. So following the pattern from the ticker makes more sense than selecting them yourself. But that's not the main thrust of my method, it's the tie-in between side bets and one, only one number per spin. That and getting out quickly, like MG did. Gambling isn't for addicts or compulsive sorts.
Now I will go and donate all my blood to the Red Cross (latest conversation-stopper I heard.)
by anna at August 19, 2004 6:27 PM
*sigh* Such a poor non-examiner he is. Although as he said, it isn't just there. You must click a link that takes you to a "customize this page" screen, and then hit the extended thing. Sadly, he couldn't find this link.
by Ian at August 19, 2004 6:41 PM
The default is for the box to be there. If it isn't there, that means at some point in the past he custimized the box to go away. So Anna, you did this to yourself.
As I am both compulsive and addictive, I can say gambling isn't for me. But seriously, who isn't compulsive or addictive?
Anna - I think it'd be illegal for them to track a players favorite number and program the software not to hit those numbers as often. For it to be a game of chance, it has to be chance. That being said, if anyone has any experience programming they would know that even the best random number generator algorithm will not generate a perfect spread. Certain numbers will pop up more often - either because the math is written a certain way, or the computer doing the math does it a certain way. Something about floating point numbers and such, which someone can look up if they really care. Just think about when you put an CD changer or MP3 player on shuffle, how often the some songs will seem to play. All you have to do is figure out the pattern.
by mg at August 19, 2004 11:18 PM
All I have to do is figure out the pattern... hmmm. Actually I think Nan's a little paranoid about all this. She's sure the slots notice when your account is low on cash and throw you a bone to keep you playing and solidify the addictive nature of playing those damn no-armed bandits.
by anna at August 20, 2004 7:52 AM
Blank, about that diagram. Click Mike's link and then page down to the article about "mathematical systems." These people must have really lost their minds.
by anna at August 21, 2004 8:54 AM
AMBIGOUS COMMENTS. Please explain
Your comment in picking a number making sure you keep an eye on the ticker that lists the recent ones (your are talking plural here). the ticker lists about twenty numbers, which number do we pick? you need to be more specific here and when you pick a number do you stick with it or do you have a system where you pick the same number thats comes up on the ticker each time.
by Ray at January 3, 2006 7:51 PM
Hi guys. Really neat. Nana will get a kick out of it when I show her. http://alprazolam.gottaoh.com
by Phill at January 26, 2006 2:30 AM