Roulette: A behind the wheel breakdown
Look beyond the familiar layout of a roulette table and you'll find an intriguing blend of physics and electronics that keeps the game moving.
The wheel that never seems to slow down does not run on a motor; it uses bearings machined to such a fine tolerance that it can spin several minutes on a single push. A tiny camera mounted above the wheel monitors the winning number and transmits the data to a screen that posts statistics about "hot" and "cold" choices (the stats are meaningless, but the display looks cool).
An optical reader able to detect differences in color automates the sorting of chips, relieving the dealer of that chore.
Such devices are among the behind-the-scenes touches that enhance a player's visit but seldom get attention. Some gizmos speed the game up, which means more opportunities to bet.
That's an obvious enticement for the casino. If you were overseeing a game that gives you a 5.26 percent advantage on every spin, wouldn't you squeeze in a few extra rounds each hour?
Despite the house edge, many gamblers enjoy the extra playing time as well. They come to the casino for action and fun, not to watch a dealer stack chips.
Rivers Casino, tantalizingly close to the Trib newsroom, agreed to show Player's Advantage how a few common devices work. While not all casinos use the same equipment, gamblers will find versions of these in most places they visit.
Table Games Shift Manager Mike Chapman said the roulette wheel is rebalanced each time its table opens. The wheel has red and black slots numbered from one to 36, plus two green slots -- zero and double zero. Useless fact: The numbers add up to 666.
Chapman said the wheel sits on a pylon, which rest on a single low-friction bearing. Low-friction bearings around the wheel allow it to spin.
The wheel will spin "quite a long time" on a single push, Chapman said, but the dealer will alter the spin each time she picks up the ball. The wheel goes counter-clockwise, while the ball travels clockwise along a track above the wheel. Regulations require the ball to spin around the wheel at least three times before falling from the track, but Chapman said most dealers use enough oomph that it makes 20 to 30 revolutions.
All those factors, plus the design of the wheel, ensure a random outcome on each spin, Chapman said. The numbers on the wheel follow the same pattern in every American casino, he said. He described it as a "crosswise" pattern, with one and two opposite each other, as are zero and double zero, and so on. High and low numbers are scattered evenly around the wheel.
Above the wheel, an electronic screen shows which numbers and colors have hit in the past few spins. A small camera built into the screen looks down on the wheel and displays the winning number by capturing an image of the ball in the slot.
The screen also shows the "hot" and "cold" number for the past 1,000 spins. While visually appealing, the display cannot give any real hint about what number will come up next. That's because what happened on the last spin -- or the last 1,000 or 10,000 spins -- has no effect on the next one. Each of the 38 slots in the wheel has an equal chance of being the one where the ball winds up, regardless of what happened before.
The chip sorter, which sits under the table, is a nifty time-saving device. Each roulette player uses a different color of chip, so players and the dealer know whose bet is whose. On tables without a sorter, the dealer pushes losing bets to the side, then sorts and stacks the chips manually.
With a sorter, the dealer sweeps losing bets into a plastic chute built into the table. The chips tumble past an optical reader able to distinguish between the various colors. Blue chips are directed into one tube, brown ones into another and so on. The sorter even kicks out chips in handy stacks of 20 for the dealer to return to the table.
Exclusion benchmark
The Gaming Control board said this week that it had received its 2,000th request for a problem gambler to be put on the self-exclusion list. People on the list may not bet, join a players club or get comps in a Pennsylvania casino. Violators are subject to arrest. A ban may be for one or five years or a person's lifetime. For program details, visit www.pgcb.state.pa.us .
Money trail
For the week ending Jan. 23, the state's 10 casinos grossed $37.6 million from slot machines, on bets totaling $480 million. That's down from a gross of $43 million in the comparable week last year, when nine casinos were open. The state takes 55 percent of the slot machine gross in taxes. Since the fiscal year started in July, the statewide payout rate is 90.34 percent. For every $100 bet, the machines returned an average of $90.34.
Last week's gross slot machine revenue for Western Pennsylvania casinos:
- $4.18 million: Rivers, on bets totaling $52.8 million. Payout rate since July: 90.24 percent
- $3.62 million: The Meadows, on bets totaling $47.8 million. Payout rate since July: 90.28 percent
- $2.4 million: Presque Isle in Erie, on bets totaling $32.1 million. Payout rate since July: 90.32 percent.
Question of the week
The blackjack dealer accidentally skipped me. She caught her error just as what would have been my first card — an Ace — went to the next player. What's the rule?
Unfortunately for you, the other player keeps the Ace and you're out of the hand. Gaming Control Board rules stipulate: "If no cards are dealt to a player's hand, the hand is dead and the player shall be included in the next deal." A board spokesman said the dealer may not "back up" a card once it's exposed. Hope you had better luck the rest of your session.
