(From _Rogues and Vagabonds of the Race-Course_.)
The thirty-six divisions of the English roulette-table into which the
ball falls, are thus designated:—
Two Crowns.
Two Feathers.
Three Yellows.
Four Blues.
Ten Reds.
Fifteen Blacks.
The odds laid are— The proper odds being—
Against Crown 12 to 1 17 to 1
„ Feather 12 to 1 17 to 1
„ Yellow 8 to 1 11 to 1
„ Blue 5 to 1 8 to 1
„ Red 2 to 1 13 to 5
„ Black 1 to 1 7 to 5
Any one not acquainted with the roulette man would almost marvel that
with such immense odds in his favour, he should think it necessary to
cheat; but to cheat is his delight and recreation.
The man who enters the roulette-tent on the racecourse, should he be the
only _bonâ fide_ player, may well leave all hope behind. Supposing that
he commenced playing with the determination of losing a certain sum
only, he would save himself trouble by paying down that sum then and
there.
True, if several are playing at the same time, he does stand a chance; a
poor one, perhaps, but yet he may win considerably—for however sharp the
man at the wheel may be, he cannot fleece everybody at once. If anything
delights the roulette man, it is to slay his victims one by one; for
where there are many playing, some shrewd man is sure to place his
sovereign or two exactly opposite the large stakes; and should he vary
this amusement by an occasional half-sovereign on zero, when heavy
stakes are on the black and red, he becomes an intolerable nuisance. In
this game the ball can be made to fall into zero at will, and very often
into any other number. Should a heavy stake be placed on red, it is any
odds on black turning up, and _vice versâ_; and should, as is often the
case, a large stake be on both red and black, provided there is no stake
on zero, then zero will inevitably turn up.
On examining a roulette wheel, it will be found, probably, that the
brass partition on one, and often on each side of zero, can be drawn out
slightly, thus causing a projection. We say probably, for in case of any
untoward event, a perfectly fair duplicate movable bottom, with which
most tables are provided, will be substituted for the unfair one with
marvellous rapidity.
Supposing that the man at the wheel wishes zero to turn up, by the same
movement with which he starts the wheel to the right, he dexterously
pulls out the brass partition on the left of zero, causing a projection
which, in the rapid rotary motion, escapes notice; he then carefully
sends the ball in the opposite direction, which, as it encounters the
projection, jumps forcibly, making a peculiar clicking noise. As it
lessens its speed the jumping becomes less violent, till, at last, the
ball has not impetus sufficient to clear the projection; it therefore
calmly “refuses,” or, in other words falls into zero “dead beat.” Of
course, the same principle holds good conversely, for by drawing out the
other partition, or by turning the wheel to the left, it is a moral
impossibility for the ball to rest in zero.
To stand a chance, then, the player should _never on any account stake
until the ball is fairly in play_.
The clever way in which the partitions are restored to their proper
places is worthy of notice. After the ball has fallen into the desired
place, but before the wheel has ceased to revolve, the roulette man
places his hand, apparently with the intention of stopping the wheel,
but in reality so as to make each partition, as it passes his finger,
strike up against it. Those that have been pulled out are thus driven
back again.
There is another way of preparing the table, bungling and apparent; but
it is only attempted upon the intoxicated and very inexperienced young
men.
In this case, though only one or two of the brass partitions can be
pulled out, on _the left_ of the crowns, feathers, yellow, and blue, the
partitions were all fixed projecting more or less, so that no sleight of
hand was at all necessary in the manipulation of the wheel; for when it
is turned to the right, and the ball of course thrown in the opposite
direction, the ball must necessarily fall into one of the
above-mentioned divisions; but, on the other hand, were the wheel turned
to the left, red or black would necessarily turn up.
If the roulette man cannot by this system, as he can by the other, turn
up what he likes, he can, at all events, prevent anything turning up
that he would lose upon.
Roulette is considered vulgar compared with 30-and-40 (Trente et
Quarante), otherwise Red and Black (Rouge-et-Noir).