roulette: neighbour bets

"I don't believe it! Impossible."

Those are the politer comments I hear when I tell people that dealers can and do make a difference to the outcome of a spin. "BS! It's random!"

I disagree. Ever since my book Roulette-Playing to Win was recently published, this single topic has attracted more interest than any other. Before I started playing roulette seriously around twelve years ago, I would have agreed. The wheel spins one way, the ball the other. The slightest variation in speed or place of release of the ball can send the next spin to a very different part of the wheel. But I am beyond being convinced now - I know that many dealers, though by no means all, can influence the outcome. But the metal baffles or strikers round the wheel do mean that even the best-intentioned dealers can get it wrong. Equally, they may be fearful of reprimand from the Pit Boss or higher if they go too far to help you.

So what are we talking about? Strictly, a neighbour bet is backing five numbers next to each other on the wheel e.g.: 15, 34, 22, 5 and 17. In the UK where call bets are common, the dealer places such bets on the racetrack. This is an oval shaped ring marked on the green baize. For example, a bet might be called as "22 and the neighbours by five." This would mean that the player wanted five pounds on each of these five numbers. In Las Vegas, the Mirage has a racetrack now on it's 25 dollar minimum table. This table has the single zero and if zero strikes, outside bets lose only half. This is a great deal and mirrors casinos in the UK and much of Europe.

Even if there is no racetrack, you can place the five chips yourself on the layout, backing them with any sum subject to the table minimum. This is an ideal bet if the dealer is into a trance and is spinning into these numbers as a signature spin. It is an excellent bet if the dealer is trying to help you by going for a repeat. The winning bet if 22 hits with one dollar on each of the five numbers is: Stake x 35 minus 4 losing chips = +31.

Even the worst spinner in the world spins repeats as a random event anyway, so after 22 has hit once as a winner, you should always add to your stake for the next spin. If the dealer is friendly and appears keen to help and / or to receive your tips, make clear you hope for a repeater (ain't nothin' sweeter!). Personally, I would then place something on the two numbers either side as well

I used the word strictly earlier to define the bet as being on five numbers. A dealer who did well for me and who received generous tips along the way told me he wanted a landing-strip of seven or eight numbers. Some dealers call it their footprint. Anyway, I took his advice, covering seven adjacent numbers and until the Pit Boss had him taken off after I started staking twenty-five dollars on each of the numbers (having increased from only 2 dollars), this genius touched down as precisely as a jet on autopilot.

In France, where the dealers are greedy for tips, the older heads are amazingly accurate, spinning slowly to boost their modest salaries. In the better casinos in London, I have found that even though tipping is banned and so the loyalty of the dealer cannot be bought, many of the older / more experienced dealers do spin neighbours. In some cases, this is down to a signature spin but some take a pride in accuracy to relieve the boredom of spinning for hours each day.

I spoke to a sharp guy of about thirty-five who told me he loved predicting where the next spin would land. He was unable to deliver a neighbour bet by intent. His signature spin was about 25% too long so that the ball landed predictably but not close to the previous number. That is equally useful - and indeed is better because to Inspectors and Pit Bosses, it is less obvious from the number boards that the dealer is spinning into a footprint than if the last six numbers have been 34, 17, 22, 22, 5 and 34.

One reason why most players do not believe the concept of neighbour or signature betting is ignorance! Their idea of five close numbers is 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. These are scattered round the wheel and are not neighbours at all. To read a number board and interpret what is happening is essential. It means knowing where the numbers are on the wheel. From this you can spot the repeats and near repeats - but gradually you will pick out the more obscure footprints where the ball will land in a different but predictable part of the wheel each time.

In my next article, I shall develop this theme by explaining what to look for when choosing a dealer, a table, a ball and wheel to help. Las Vegas is full of talented dealers who can help. There is more to this than random selection of the first table and dealer you see. Watch this space!

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