Roulette Quiz
by John
Grochowski
Attention
players: It's Roulette Quiz time. In this spin around the
wheel, let's test your knowledge of
the game, its history and the odds.
1) Roulette in its modern form dates back to:
A
Baden-Baden
in the 1500s.
B
Paris
in the 1700s.
C
Las Vegas
in the 1900s.
2) The most important difference between American and
European roulette is:
A
There are more bets available in Europe.
B The
U.S.
wheel is more finely balanced.
C
The European wheel does not have 00.
3) The roulette wheel has numbers arranged:
A
So that consecutive numbers are
approximately opposite each other.
B In
numerical order.
C
In numerical order, except that 0 and 00
are opposite each other.
4) At the roulette table, roulette chips have a value:
A
Of $1 each.
B Of
$5 each.
C
Determined when you buy them.
5) The house edge at American roulette:
A
Is higher than at most table games.
B Is
lower than at most table games
C
Is about the same as at most table games.
6) The house edge at roulette comes from:
A
The presence of zero and/or double-zero.
B Numbers
occurring less often than by
random chance.
C
The skill of the dealer in landing the
ball in numbers with no bets.
7) Placing a split bet on zero and double-zero in addition
to other wagers:
A
Decreases the house edge.
B
Increases
the house edge.
C
Makes no difference on the house edge.
8) The house edge on single-number bets:
A
Is higher than on even-money bets such as
red/black or even/odd.
B
Is lower than on even-money bets such as
red/black or even/odd
C
Is the same as on even-money bets such as
red/black or even/odd
9) If double-zero has come up the last three spins
in a row,
the next spin is:
A
More likely than usual to be double-zero.
B Less
likely than usual to be double-zero.
C
About as likely as usual to be
double-zero.
10) If some numbers consistently occur more frequently than
expected by random chance, this:
A
Favors the house.
B Favors
the player.
C
Makes no difference.
Roulette
Quiz Answers:
1)
B. Paris in the 1700s. Modern roulette wheels, complete
with alternate red and black slots with numbers, have been traced to Paris
in 1796.
2) C.
The European wheel does not have 00. The standard
European wheel has only a 0, with no 00, while most American wheels
have both 0
and 00. That leaves the American wheel with 38 numbers – 1 through 36
plus the
two zeros, while the European wheel has only 37 numbers --- 1 through
36 plus
0.
Calling them “American” and “European” wheels does not mean
you can’t find double-zero wheels in Europe
or
single-zero wheels in the United
States,
by the way. But in the U.S.,
double-zero wheels far outnumber the single-zero versions.
3) A.
So that consecutive numbers are approximately opposite
each other.
It's not perfect, but the attempt was made to place
consecutive numbers opposite each other. Check out the numbers around 0
and 00.
Zero is flanked by 2 and 28; on either side of 00 are 1 and 27.
4) C.
Determined when you buy them. One color of roulette
chip can have several different values over the course of a day. I
might buy in
for $10, and tell the dealer I want 25-cent chips. After I leave,
another
player might buy in for $50 and request $1 chips, and another might buy
in for
$500 and want $10 chips. The dealer keeps track with a marker
placed atop a
chip of the designated color.
Take caution. Since roulette chips may have several
different values over the course of the day, they may not be redeemed
at the
cashier's cage. Redeem for regular casino chips before you leave the
table.
5) A.
Is higher than at most table games. The house edge on
most bets at American roulette is 5.26 percent. That's much higher than
the 0.5
percent against a blackjack basic strategy player, 2.5 percent against
an
average blackjack player, 1.17 on baccarat bets on banker on 1.41
percent on
the pass line at craps.
6) A. The presence
of zero and double-zero. The house pays
all bets according to odds that would be accurate if there were 36
numbers on
the wheel. But with 0 and 00, there are 38 numbers. True odds of
winning a
single-number bet are 37-1, but winners are paid only 35-1.
7) C.
Makes no difference on the house edge. The house edge
applies to 0 and 00 just as it does to any other bet on the wheel. If
you place
single-number bets on 2, 14, 29 and 36, each with a house edge of 5.26
percent,
and add a split bet on 0 and 00, which also has a house edge of 5.26
percent,
the house edge on your total bet remains 5.26 %.
8) C.
Is the same as on even-money bets such as red/black or
even/odd. On an American wheel, all bets carry a house edge of 5.26
percent
except the five-number bet on 0, 00, 1, 2 and 3. On that combination,
the house
edge is 7.89 percent.
The European wheel, with no five-number bet since there is
only one zero, has a house edge of 2.7 percent on all wagers. On
even-money
bets, European casinos often offer an “en prison” rule. If you bet on
red, for
instance, and the ball lands on 0, you don’t lose the wager. It’s
placed in
prison. Then, if red turns up on the next spin, you get your wager
back. That
cuts the house edge to 1.35 percent, putting single-zero roulette
alongside the
better bets in the casino.
9) C.
About as likely as usual to be double-zero. Past
results do not affect future outcomes. Unless you've stumbled on a
biased
wheel, double-zero has a 1 in 38 chance of hitting on every spin,
regardless of
what's happened before.
That’s where many roulette systems fall down. Players who
believe that a number that has come up several times recently will stay
hot,
players who believe it will turn cold … or players who believe a number
that
hasn’t hit in a while is “due” to come up --- all will be ground down
by the
math of the game in the long run.
10) B.
Favors the player. If some numbers occur more often
than by random chance, and the player knows about it, the player can
adjust
bets accordingly. That’s the last thing the house wants. As long as the
wheel
is balanced and shows no bias to certain numbers, the house can rely on
collecting its 5.26 percent on a double-zero wheel or 2.7 percent on a
single-zero
wheel.
A bias in the wheel opens the door for a sharp player to
take advantage, as in 1873 when English engineer Joseph Jaggers found a
biased
wheel in Monte Carlo.
His $325,000
in winnings would be a tidy sum today, but they were astronomical in
1873.
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