[SB00]

Which is exactly why the Casino puts the past numbers on display. They want you to bet based on prior spins thus giving you a feeling that there is some sort of strategy involved in the game when it is pure luck. The only control you have is how much you bet, what type of bet you make, and whether to bet or walk away and spend your money on the buffet.

Yup. Ditto for Baccarat - I could never figure out why people have those pads to keep track of past bank/player/ties.

The only way you can potentially win at Roulette starts by over a long period of time studying the "dealer" who sets the ball in motion on the wheel, figuring out how much force he or she puts on the ball, and from there you could possibly have an idea on what range on the wheel the ball will land. That's extremely difficult to figure out and that's assuming the "dealer" uses the same amount of force every time.

[steve-b]

The only way you can potentially win at Roulette starts by over a long period of time studying the "dealer" who sets the ball in motion on the wheel, figuring out how much force he or she puts on the ball, and from there you could possibly have an idea on what range on the wheel the ball will land. That's extremely difficult to figure out and that's assuming the "dealer" uses the same amount of force every time.

It's effectively impossible if the cropier is properly launching the ball in the direction opposite the wheel's spin -- at first contact, the ball bounces hard, and rather unpredictably, in the direction of the wheel's spin.

Of course, all bets must be on the table before the ball leaves the croupier's hand.