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Casino game that hasn’t been the target of a casino cheat or scam.

There are simply too many people with dreams of easy money, and as the old adage goes – “Why rob banks? Because that’s where the money is”.  The exact same truism can be applied to casinos.  The following article is not meant as a guide to teach you how to cheat at roulette but to make you a better informed players so you can spot cheating if and when it is occurring.  Remember, if someone is cheating the house they’re also cheating everyone else at the table including you.

Wheel Tampering

Every roulette wheel must be balanced correctly in order to insure that the chances of the ball falling on any of the numbers are truly random.  If the wheel is off base then certain numbers will come up more frequently than others, crooked dealers will sell this information to gamblers looking for an edge.  However, casino pit bosses are always on the lookout for people who seem to be winning a bit too easily, and usually catch these crooks in a matter of hours.

Ball Tripping

A more traditional way of cheating at roulette is called “ball tripping”.  In this scam the player and dealer collude together.  Before the game the dealer drills a tiny hole into the roulette ball and inserts a pin that pops out when hit in just the right spot.  By placing a special lever under the tab7le the pin can gain traction on a predefined section of the roulette wheel thus increasing the chance of the ball falling into a small section of numbers.  Most dealers who try this get caught easily because they are tampering with casino equipment and are found out by fellow coworkers

Take the Money and Run

One of the most common casino cheating methods that can be applied to any game is also applied to roulette casinos. With the “take the money and run” scam a player bets normal amounts of money for an hour or two and then makes one huge bet.  If he wins he simply collects his winnings, but if he looses he swipes the chips from the table before the croupier can get them and runs out the nearest casino door.

Electronic Ball Tracking

The most high tech way of cheating at roulette is by using a laser that tracks the speed and angle of the spinning ball to determine when it will land.  By calculating this and plotting against the speed of the wheel these roulette cheaters can predict where the ball will land within a 5 – 6 number range.  While these cheaters used to get caught fairly easily, new smaller electronic devices make this the cheating method of choice for sophisticated scammers.