A FOOL-PROOF SYSTEM TO BEAT ROULETTE

The Fool Proof System For Beating Roulette
By
Aaron Denenberg


Zero, Green!

The most unpopular bet on the whole table, thought the dealer to himself. He bulldozed the mass of chips, all losers, from the felt, then went into the repetitive motion of chip stacking. The old feisty oriental woman on the right side of the table immediately began re-stacking chips in her usual pattern. She smoked at the table a cigarette too large for her, the smoke forming a milky haze that wafted visually towards him.

The only other player sat at the opposite end of the felt. His pattern was a predictable distribution of chaos. He would throw his chips haphazardly once the ball began its inexorable spin to individual randomness. He was a bald young man, late twenties with a high nasal voice. A seemingly insecure person who had been admonished for bad bets too many times by the old woman. He would have probably complained about her smoking had not the Oxygen Enhancers not kicked in immediately, swallowing any smoke that wafted their way, leaving both player and dealer in a smoke-free environment even while the oriental woman, only inches from them both, staggered along her cancerous route while defying the odds at her age of developing Lymphoma - but not defying the odds of losing at Roulette.

Still, the dealer thought, at least these players had the sense to play at the Double-Zero wheel, even with its higher minimum of $2500 per hand. Most players preferred the low mininum $500 tables with their Quadruple-Zero layout. The casino loved those suckers! Of course, the Quaduple Zero wasn't all bad! There was the en-prison rule at that table. If any green zero, double-zero, triple-zero, or quadruple-zero came up, all even money bets were held for the next spin. If any green repeated, then the bet doubled but was still held en-prison. If any green came up a third time, the bet was tripled but held once more en-prison. The fourth bet was the deciding factor. If the ball landed green a fourth time in a row, the bet was quadrupled, giving the player back a hefty sum.

Of course, the four in a row, while happening with enough regularity for a dealer to remark, was still a rare enough occurrence to make the table a money pit for the casino's. The odds of winning 35-1 while now playing at a table with forty numbers made the steep vig too difficult to overcome. No, the double-zero table's were the safest money bets in Roulette. There had once even been a single-zero roulette table! The dealer had seen one at the museum, and he understood there had once been a zero-less table, but those were from the very early days of the game.

Out of the corner of his eye, the dealer noted the non-descript hook-nosed man standing in the shadow of a pillar viewing and recording the outcome of every single spin. He had been there for almost four hours, the dealer was certain. Not completely unusual. Sometimes it was a sign the person had gone bankrupt but still had hours to kill so they watched enviously other players lose their money, somehow fantasizing that everyone but them was winning.

In this case, the man was obviously one of the sad populace that thought a winning system could be devised for Roulette - a game that been vacuuming up players money without fail for twelve centuries. The man tried to surreptitiously enter the outcome of each spin at the table into his Memory Recorder. Although he tried to sneakily enter the numbers, as if he was scared of being noticed, it was still pitifully obvious. The Memory Recorder was too large not to notice. It recorded the numbers directly onto the man's cerebrum for later recall, which if each spin was not an independent event would make them illegal in a casino. But since knowing the previous spins did nothing to enhance the chances of winning, the casino's allowed their use, snickering at the Gambler's Fallacy that people stuck by.

The Memory Recorder's had first been developed for the military and spy departments of the Government. They quickly had been subverted by College kids to cheat at their exams, shouldering them with an onus of ill repute. But the Memory Recorders were now used for many legitimate purposes. Some fields it was an absolute requirement, like the medical field. No one would utilze a surgeon who did not use Memory Recorders for their practice. They enabled memory retainment of perfection. The surgeon or lawyer or any other high paid field technician that did not use one would find himself regarded as an ancient relic from the twenty first century when people only had x-rays or computers to do their work for them. And Heaven forbid the politician who flubbed a line because he did not use a Memory Recorder would be booed off the stage with derisive catcalls of "Bush, Bush, just like Bush."

Still, most people tried to hide their use of the devices. It was probably due to a myth that Memory Recorders could enhance one's game of Blackjack. But the holo-shufflers eliminated any benefits of the Memory Recorder, turning each game into a completely random, independent event. No, casino security snickered at their use and those people who utilized them.

Tonight, however, security was probably not even paying much attention to the hook-nosed man as a robbery/murder had occurred earlier in the afternoon in one of the hotel elevators. Although gambling continued as usual, a section of wing had been cordoned off and an hour had passed before word came the suspect had been apprehended, sending a sigh of relief amidst the curses of losing gamblers.

The dealer yawned as his shift came to a final close. The Hook-nosed man was still recording his data when the dealer noticed the four burly Casino personnel that surrounded him, although the head of security, Dexter Masterton was noticeably absent. Curiosity piqued the dealer. The hook-nosed man seemed nervous, reticent to go with the motley crew which was insistent they escort him away.

Hmmm, thought the dealer. He hadn't done anything he noticed as being worthy of back-rooming. Still, one never knew. Perhaps he had been connected to the earlier murder? It would make a great alibi to be standing all evening at the casino, being caught on camera, but somehow the dealer didn't feel he would have hung around after such an incident. No, must be something else, he decided. The dealer spun one last spin for the captive audience at his table. The oriental woman won - on Double zero. Hmm, some people do learn.



The hook-nosed man mopped sweat from his forehead with a robo-tissue. The dissolving paper eliminated any environmental waste but left a pungent odor until it had dissipated. He looked at the beefy man seated in front of the door to the room he had been escorted. The guy looked like an ex-con in a suit. Or a former pro-wrestler in a suit.

The security/ex-con/wrestler eyed him opaquely. "Security Chief Masterton will join us in a moment. I understand he's waiting for the police to arrive. Can I get you some caff-coff?"

"No thanks," he uttered. How could he calmly suggest caff-coff when the police were on their way? Sweat re-beaded on the hook-nosed man's face.

"So, what's your name?" asked the guard.

Is he seriously being friendly? "Um, Aaron Tommy Baker," replied the hook-nosed man. But that wasn't his true name. His first name was not Aaron. His first name was Tommy with no middle name. Some inner voice had inspired him to give the falsehood. The guard gave him a sweet saccharine smile that sent a chill to 'Aaron's bones. He had to get out of here. He didn't think he would be in deep trouble for the Memory Recorder, everything he had read had indicated they were acceptable in casino's but his major concern was the piece of contraband they would find if they searched him thoroughly. He had to escape for that reason. He would be in serious trouble with the law, otherwise.

He formulated a plan.

"Can I use the restroom, please?"

"Sure," indicated his captor with a nod.

'Aaron' Tommy Baker stood up and entered the restroom which adjoined the office. It was smallish, a single window open allowing a cold breeze to filter through and rain currently downpouring from the night-sky to splitter-splash on the sill. The windows had security bars and the only avenue of escape would be through the door leading back into the office. There was no fear on the part of security that 'Aaron' Tommy Baker would make a hasty retreat. Tommy glanced out the window at the cold dark night.

Well, here goes, he thought. He flicked the hidden compartment on his wristwatch, took a deep breath and activated the pre-programmed contraband device secreted inside. 'Aaron' Tommy Baker winced at the bright stabbing sunshine of early afternoon that flared into his eyes.

Exiting the restroom, he glanced nervously about. The room was void of life, the place where the ex-con/wrestler security guard had been moments before vacant. Apparently, the room was not occupied when someone was not being interrogated or held for questioning.

'Aaron' Tommy Baker quietly and he hoped inconspicuously left the casino and went home.



"You what???" bellowed Sammy.

"I time-slipped," repeated Tommy Baker, seated over the kitchen table across from his son. Sammy, now twenty years old looked at his dad dubiously. Sam was already a well-rounded and experienced individual. At eighteen, he had signed up with the military, risking his life in the outer space wars that engulfed the planet, being entrusted with heavy military weaponry and first class star freighters to pilot. A decorated war hero, having killed many alien terrorists in the pursuit of freedom, justice and his planet's ideals, he had come home jobless and had made some quick cash as a porn star in some very well-distributed porno cubes.

Nonetheless, Sam still patiently waited for his twenty-first birthday, when the law would finally allow him to make really important decisions about his life, like whether to place his chips on black or red at roulette. He might also be able to rent some of those porno cubes he starred in for the first time - the law being quite clear that he must be over eighteen to star in porno's but over 21 to watch them.

"You time-slipped? But that's illegal. Where did you pick up a device?"

"Black market, of course. Check it out," said Tommy, raising his sleeve to expose the watch that hid the device.

Sammy looked at it with strained curiosity. "So, you won't take hallucinogenic drugs because it violates the law, dad, but you'll use strictly forbidden tech like Time-slippers?" Tommy shrugged embarrassed. "You can get fifteen to twenty for utilising this tech. I only get five days max for my mushrooms."

"Look, it's only forbidden to keep people from going back in time and saving Lincoln, or Obama or Kennedy..."

"Which Kennedy?"

"Either, or worse, Hitler. As long as the past isn't changed, there's no side effects."

"That's not true, dad. Forgetting time-stream impacts, there's the physical health effects. Each time you time-slip, the skipped time is deducted from your life-span. It's only a fraction, of course, but like smoking, it will come back to haunt you later on."

"Yeah, well, that's why I'm done with it. It was just this one time."

"Until you get hooked and need to time-slip to get out of every bad situation in life."

"I will not get hooked. Look, it's just a small jump, one day into the future I did, and then back."

"Got it," said Sammy. "So, you went forward to tomorrow, visited the casino, and used a Memory Recorder to imprint all the winning bets for a four hour period of play, then jumped back so that you can visit the casino, come tomorrow and rake in the winnings."

"You got it. We're gonna be rich. I'm gonna bet high. We're gonna be billionaires."

"If you don't get caught."

"How? Now that I know the winning numbers, I just go up and play them. I've already transferred the Meme's into my head. I know every spin as it's gonna happen."

Sam pondered this for a moment. "I don't know. What makes you think the future is set? I mean, isn't it possible that you change it by sitting down and playing? You'll interrupt the flow of the chips, the payouts, so that the spins are done at different times with different speeds by the dealer. You'll get different results tomorrow."

"I know that the future is not set. That's common knowledge..."

"No, it's common theory. No one really knows. No one has yet been able to prove the future has been changed because when someone claims it, no one else experienced what it was supposed to be in the first place. So, who knows if the future is set or not."

"It is not set! It can change! That's why it's in the future and that's why my plan will work. I will go to the table, knowing the winning bets, and I will change the future by plunking down money where I did not before. But I will always make sure I have my money down on the table before the other players finish so that they are still the ones who instigate the spin by the dealer. That's how I know the spins won't change."

"I don't know. It still sounds like it isn't fool-proof."

"Well, I'll test it with a few experimental bets. If I win, I'll know."

"Okay, I suppose. I guess, at this point, it can't hurt to test the theory with a few spins. So, you didn't see yourself playing at the table?"

"No, of course not. I hadn't changed the future yet. I was just getting the numbers. But there is going to be plenty of space at the table for me to sit. There is an old Oriental woman at one end and another guy on the other. I'll just sit between the two and rake in the dough while they lose their shirts - again."

Tommy barked some laughter. Sammy winced. "Hey, I'm curious. Turn around and see if you observe yourself taking down the numbers while you play."

"No, I really don't want to do that. I don't want to see myself in the corner nervously registering spin outcomes. I'll just sit down and play as if I am not there behind me."

"Hey, so what's the weather like, tomorrow?"

"Rain, all day."

"Damn, I have a game to go to. Guess it'll be cancelled for the weather. Any other important news tomorrow?"

"How should I know? I wasn't paying attention. I just went to record the numbers, then hopped on back."

"Got it. Well, good luck, it sounds like a better plan than the other systems you've used over the years. Better than that Martingale, for sure."

"No, it's not luck this time. This time I win. This time I have the fool-proof system for beating roulette!"



Tommy straightened his outfit in the mirror of the hotel casino. He had rented a room on the thirteenth floor under the names Tommy Baker and Aaron Baker. If and when the camera's caught both him playing at the table and recording the spins behind him, he would point out that was his twin brother, Aaron.

It was a good cover. Tommy raised the images of the spins that were now imprinted on his mind, images no one but he could see. The Memory Recorder inside his wristwatch was removed and left at home in case someone did question his winning streak.

Memory Recorder's were pretty simple to use. Even a child could operate one and in fact, some school districts handed out Recorders as part of their book package to help school age children speed up the learning process. Some traditionalists argued that young people were not learning in this manner, but really it was just a different form of learning. No one really cared.

The Memory Recorder actually recorded its info onto a safedisk. That disk allowed you to re-enter or delete info. Info could be entered via keypad as he had done, or via scanning, download or photographic equipment. Techs were discussing the next wave of Recorders would allow one to Memory Record entire films so you could play the latest block-buster uncut and uninterrupted in your head. This was especially appealing to film-makers with more adult, violent versions of their films as the individual could decide what is good for them, and no one else could see the images. You could theoretically play porn films(hopefully not ones starring his son) while travelling home in a crowded trainship. The studio's were the only ones griping about copyright infringement and the ease of bootleg copying, digital memory records for pirated distribution. But it was gonna happen. It was inevitable.

Once the info was finalized on the Safedisk, then it was uploaded to one's cerebrum where it could be pulled up on recall easier than one's memories and seemingly as if they were. The recorder time-stamped each entry, so Tommy knew exactly when each spin's results occurred(or at least when he had entered them, directly after.)

Well, he was ready. He grabbed his large wad of stake cash, stuffed it into his pants pocket and left the room, locking it behind him.

He boarded the elevator, already occupied by a scruffy, unkempt man who was bedraggled with wet clothes from the rain outside. Strange, Tommy thought, that he was going down if he had just come from outside. Perhaps, he had lost something downstairs?

The man eyed him nervously, almost embarrassed but not quite. "Heading to the tables?" he asked politely.

"Yep," replied Tommy. "Roulette is my game! I don't like slots. Or any other table game for that matter. Tonight is my night to win big at Roulette. What's your game?"

Tommy turned to face him. "Robbery!" The man held a blastgun straight at him. "Hand over all the cash."

Tommy winced. Here he was going to win his big night at the casino and he was being robbed? It was comical. "Stupid security here is pretty bad. First they had a robbery murder yesterday and now..."

A palpable moment of spiraling reality surrounded Tommy. "It wasn't yesterday," he mumbled in an inaudible whisper.

A million thoughts flooding through his head including several hundred outcomes on a small wheel of fate called roulette and Tommy was leaping forward, his murder known to him with full prior knowledge.

Change it!!!

And a pink band of bright stabbing blastlight flared into his eyes!



Head of Casino security, Dexter Masterton collapsed into his seat behind the banks of camera's that followed the movements of all living souls in the casino. His junior assistant, Telly, was glued to the screens as he had been all night. Telly turned to his superior and smiled a sympathetic face. "Long night?"

Dexter nodded. "The crime scene is cleaned up and we seem to be back to normal. The only missing piece is the victims supposed brother. He was registered at the casino but we have no contact info or way to reach him. He wasn't in his room. It's so upsetting when one of our law abiding customers gets murdered for such petty reasons."

"Did he try to resist?"

"Yeah, thats why he was killed. Unless you know you're going to be murdered, you should just hand over the money. Your life's not worth it. So, anything interesting happening while I was dealing with this whole shebang?"

"Nada. Pretty quiet."

"Anyone acting suspicious?"

"No, not out of the ordinary. There's this guy using a Memory Recorder to follow roulette spins, another systems believer."

"Let him try!" Dexter looked at the video screen which clearly delineated the man and his hook nose with the Memory Recorder. "Sonofabitch! He looks like the murder victim. That's gotta be the brother we're looking for. The resemblance is uncanny!"

"Identical Twin?"

"Has to be."

"So much for being able to tell when your sibling is hurt or killed. This guy seems to have not a care in the world except for recording his numbers. He's been in that same spot for almost four hours."

"Yeah, he obviously doesn't know. Send a security detail to bring him to the back-room. I'll go and break it gently to him. And get the detectives back over here. I'm sure they'll want to question him."

"You got it. I wonder if his brother was thinking of him when he was, you know, murdered. I mean, them being identical twins and all."

"I can tell you what his last thoughts were."

"Oh yeah. How's that?"

"The police did an on-site brainscan. Standard procedure in a homicide to see if the victim has used a Memory Recorder within the last month. If so, they leave a psychic flashback at the time of death, which can aid in the homicide investigation."

I see. So, what were his last thoughts?" asked Telly.

Dexter looked weirded out. "'The future IS set. The future IS set.' Those were his last two thoughts, repeated twice. Strange to be thinking that at such a moment."

Telly smiled. "Well, let's hope the future really isn't set. Some Joe Shmoe is gonna grab a TimeSlipper one day and put us out of business."

They both chuckled at the thought as ridiculous as it sounded. "Security has him," Telly informed him.

"I'll wait till the detectives get here. I don't want to interfere with their investigation. Oh, look, that oriental woman won big." Dexter pointed to the screen.

"Oh, yeah," exclaimed Telly. "She won real big. And on Double Zero, too. Looks like she switched her bets. Hmmm, some people do learn."

Good story! I did a search on the title, author, and a random sentence, and nothing came up connected to it. I'd be interested to know more about the author and any other writings he did.

Well, the author is me.

I have a book you can get online which is the sequel to the Wizard of Oz, called "Dark Oz" based on a screenplay adaptation I wrote. I guess you can tell where my forum name came from now.

Here are a few links.

The press release for the film.
http://www.cinematical.com/2008/03/03/pras-michel-gets-dark-in-oz/

A book review
http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2009/08/09/Weve-read-the-novelization-of-the-DARK-OZ-movie

Where to purchase on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Oz-Courage-Witchcraft-1/dp/1442175400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262398512&sr=1-1

I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks, Aaron.

Fantastic story, thoroughly entertaining. I just hope the title of the thread doesnt deter people from reading it.

Yeah, I might repost with a different title. I just thought it would be fun to mis-lead people(in a good way) when they see the thread. A little author fun.

Thanks.

This story is a great example of the grandfather paradox.

I just purchased your book on Amazon. The book description says, "...Dark Dark Oz follows Dorothy Gale, fifteen years after her first visit to the Wizard in Oz. Now in her mid-twenties..." Dororthy looked a lot older than 10 in the movie, so I assume she was younger in the book. Otherwise, was the movie fairly true to the book?

I also see you worked on both Kill Bill movies, which are both among my favorites. So I'm honored to have you on the site.

Thanks.

I've worked on many Hollywood films but as a technician(you know those 500 names at the end that everyone walks out on.)

My real intent was to break into Hollywood artistically but it's been a long 20 year ordeal. I optioned the rights to the comic book series Dark Oz published from 1993-2001, shopped it around the studio's, wrote the screenplay and novelization. It's currently optioned with a production company, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

As for the book to movie comparison, the movie was radically different. The book was more Harry Potter dark with silliness to let it go over.

One example is the origin of the Tin Man. The Wicked Witch of the East puts a spell on his axe causing him to chop off his arm. He rushes (gaily as if it's not that bad, think of the Dark Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and has it replaced with a tin arm.

He doesn't learn his lesson and systematically lops off all his body parts one by one. When he cuts his torso in half, the tin smith replaces everything but forgets the heart.

That's in the original book!

Yes, Dorothy was younger. She was actually six in the original book and the Munchkins were her size, while the movie she looked about fourteen. The book is a sequel to both the book and movie so I made Dorothy approx. ten when she originally went, somewhere in between.

Thanks for purchasing it. I would love to get your opinion of it once you complete it.

duh! till now I never knew Dorothy's last name was Gale

Good job, the story impressed me and gave me a chuckle.

Memory Recorders?
Time Slippers?

Man, what a hack! That's old SciFi technology.


The big question is, when do we get to play on them quad-zero tables?

Just kidding. I think it's a great story.

But I think the time it takes the dealer to pay the winner will alter the moment of release of the ball for the next spin. Therefore, this should not work for more than one wager.

Since it seems that the bettor was planning on making a series of small, inconspicuous bets, a better system would be playing Keno, in a casino where the person pulling the numbers was not involved with registering bets. (I.E. So the betting doesn't change her motions or timing.)



But that quad-zero thing has me thinking. I don't think it would go over too well, but a triple-zero might.

I'm gonna rattle that around a while, and may start a new thread about it....

Consider the other forum where a player wanted to play 00 because it gave him more chances to win, I see a 000 roulette table coming to a slot machine near you.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Memory Recorders?

The big question is, when do we get to play on them quad-zero tables?

Mexican cactus wheel.

Yeah, I was giving the quad zero tables some more thought. I only wrote the story the day I posted it so some thoughts probably needed fleshing out.

So, here goes. Once the ball landed on any green, the money was en-prisoned. As noted, each successive spin that resulted in any green, would double, then triple, then quadruple your bet until it was released.

It the next spin was not green, however, then either your winning numbers happened(you would get back your money at the appropriate amount, even, double or tripled) or if the next spin was a losing number you would lose the en-prisoned money.

But of course I'm just using my imagination. I'm not a actual games specialist so it might be totally ridiculous.

OK, here's the reason I was thinking triple zero would work.

As has been pointed out in other areas of this forum, some people are idiots and think that double zero is better than single zero. Carry that thinking further and triple zero would be better than double zero. Of course, by that way of thinking, quad zero would be even better. But, sooner or later, too many zeros and people will finally realize the error of their thinking.

So here's my thinking about the advantages of triple zero over double zero:

1 - Table layout with the zeros at the top of the columns would look better, and cause people to mistakenly think that the respective zero is part of the column bet. (Duh, it wouldn't be.)

2 - Every bet on a roulette table has the same house edge, except one: The double zero combo of 0-00-1-2-3 doesn't divide properly, so it has a significantly higher edge. Adding the 000 makes that a six spot (two row) bet, and would be the same as any other six spot bet on the triple zero table.

3 - I like your idea of multiplying the bet for repeated green spins. I'm not sure if people would be sucker enough to bet on a four in a row outcome, but a three in a row?

And that's the part of this that I was really rattling around my head. Figuring out the math for a reasonable / sucker bet and payoff, and figuring the house edge is something that makes my head hurt - and becomes fodder for a new thread, in the math forum.


I'll have something posted there later tonight.

Quote: MrPapagiorgio

Quote: DJTeddyBear

The big question is, when do we get to play on them quad-zero tables?

Mexican cactus wheel.

Um....

What?

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Since it seems that the bettor was planning on making a series of small, inconspicuous bets, a better system would be playing Keno, in a casino where the person pulling the numbers was not involved with registering bets. (I.E. So the betting doesn't change her motions or timing.)

I think just one extra person in the casino would change the air temperature slightly, altering the outcome in keno. One extra person buying a ticket might also result in the balls being blown around in the hopper a shorter amount of time, as they might be trying to keep the amount of time between games as consistent as possible.

Perhaps it would work better to buy tomorrow's newspaper, and either bet on the lottery numbers or sports winners. Wasn't there was an episode of the Twilight Zone like that?

Quote: Wizard

Perhaps it would work better to buy tomorrow's newspaper, and either bet on the lottery numbers or sports winners. Wasn't there was an episode of the Twilight Zone like that?

There was a show something like that called "Early Edition." The hero got the next day's edition of a Chicago paper (the Sun Times?) and used it to save people from accidents, death, etc. He rarely used it to pick out lotto numbers beforehand.

I'm also reminded of a story by Cyrill Kornbluth (a very under-rated SF writer of the Golden Age of the pulp magazines), about a man who travels to the future to determine when the next stock market crash would take place. He did it in order to protect his present investments. Things don't turn out as he expected them to (naturally).

Offhand I can't think of a TZ ep on that theme, but there are a lot of the classic episodes done by Rod Serling. I woulnd't be surprised if there is a similar one.

Ultimately, the point of the story was that the "Foolproof system" Mr. Tommy Baker comes up with is not fool-proof. The irony is although the numbers he recorded actually do happen, since the future is set, he cannot play them anyway, hence, not fool-proof.

He had earlier played the Martingale as his son noted so he was someone who tried systems that seemed reliable but didn't work on a regular basis.

Also, if no one got the reference, (you need to know Dr. Who history), Tom Baker was the actor who portrayed the third and most popular time traveling Dr. with a phone booth.

Quote: Wizard

Perhaps it would work better to buy tomorrow's newspaper, and either bet on the lottery numbers or sports winners. Wasn't there was an episode of the Twilight Zone like that?

Back to the Future Part II

Quote: Wizard

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Since it seems that the bettor was planning on making a series of small, inconspicuous bets, a better system would be playing Keno, in a casino where the person pulling the numbers was not involved with registering bets. (I.E. So the betting doesn't change her motions or timing.)

I think just one extra person in the casino would change the air temperature slightly, altering the outcome in keno.

Actually, I was thinking of a satelite Keno booth, or a casino that uses a computer to 'draw' numbers.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Quote: MrPapagiorgio

Quote: DJTeddyBear

The big question is, when do we get to play on them quad-zero tables?

Mexican cactus wheel.

Um....

What?

http://grochowski.casinocitytimes.com/article/the-house-edge-at-ballys-roulette-40560

"I've been told of wheels at Mexican fairs that have not only zero and double-zero, but also a couple of cactus spaces that function as zeroes. Each additional space raises the house edge."

Quote: MrPapagiorgio

http://grochowski.casinocitytimes.com/article/the-house-edge-at-ballys-roulette-40560

"I've been told of wheels at Mexican fairs that have not only zero and double-zero, but also a couple of cactus spaces that function as zeroes. Each additional space raises the house edge."

I've never seen one, but it's highly likely the pictogram in question is a "Nopal." That's a kind of cactus, except 1) it yields a fruit called "tuna," which can be green or red, and 2) it's edible (or so I'm told, I don't like it). You can see it on the Mexican flag, where the eagle is standing. There are also a few at Ethel M's desert garden.

The fairs in question are called "Palenques" and are held mainly in small towns and villages all over the country. There's gambling and cock-fighting, among other things. Much of the gambling is on cock fights, actually. They last a few days or weeks at any given location.

I know I'm late to the party on this, but I did want to add my voice to the compliments to darkoz for a good story.

Possible idea for a sequel: someone "time-slips" and takes a memory device with them, so they can use it to count cards on an "old-style" blackjack shoe game?

Interesting idea, Oneangrydwarf.

I'll see if anything comes to mind.

I remember seeing a short (not sure from what show) on a poker player using some sort of time device -- unfortunately, he eventually ends his run against a mobster boss also using one. Although, various time themes abound in fiction, I'm not sure how many involve conventional gambling.

Nice story!

I enjoyed reading it.

Planning a sequel?

Thanks for sharing.

In the beginning, the recorder records directly on the man's cerebrum, but then later there is a disk.

Other than that, I think, this was really cool (and the sequel I liked even more).

Thanks very much Weaselman. I went back and checked the story and I probably wasn't clear enough on the use of the memory recorder.

I meant it recorded the info directly onto one's cerebrum as opposed to someone memorizing the info the old fashioned way. This was performed by first putting the info on a safedisk. This was simply for expedience. Material could be deleted, updated or added before uploading onto the cerebrum.

I was thinking in terms of digital cameras which record onto a disk, which is then downloaded to a hard drive for safekeeping, the safedisk then deleted and re-used.

It needed to be clearer, I suppose.

Thanks for the entertaining read.

I enjoyed it, read both installments, and was not confused about the memory recorder, or how it functioned.

Good job.

Quote: darkoz

I was thinking in terms of digital cameras which record onto a disk, which is then downloaded to a hard drive for safekeeping, the safedisk then deleted and re-used.

Yes, I understood the concept after I saw the disk mentioned. But describing a camera like that, if you said it was recording directly to a hard drive, I would also have thought about one of those new gizmos, that don't need a dvd. It's no big deal, just a little bump.

Quote: rxwine

I remember seeing a short (not sure from what show) on a poker player using some sort of time device -- unfortunately, he eventually ends his run against a mobster boss also using one. Although, various time themes abound in fiction, I'm not sure how many involve conventional gambling.

This sounds soooo familiar!! Any idea what movie/TV show it was?

Quote: digger

This sounds soooo familiar!! Any idea what movie/TV show it was?

I'm thinking it was a paperback book. Guy found it when getting off a bus, triggered it by accident, learned what it was, and went to the poker game.

The mob boss had "lost" his old one and replaced it.

The title will probably come to me after I log off. LOL

Quote: RoadTrip

I'm thinking it was a paperback book. Guy found it when getting off a bus, triggered it by accident, learned what it was, and went to the poker game.

The mob boss had "lost" his old one and replaced it.

The title will probably come to me after I log off. LOL

For some reason, I think the "item" was a watch or some type of jewelery. The guy used it and won all this money. And then he finally played against this mob boss, but lost because the mob boss had a newer, better one.

But I'd love to know exactly where it's from. I'm almost positive it's a TV show or movie, and not a book, because I can actually picture the scene in my head where the mob boss beats the guy.

"Re-wind" or something like that.

It was a pocket tape or voice recorder.

He was able to "rewind" back in time to see the other hands in the poker game, and win.

He rigged it by taping it to his leg, so when he squeezed his legs together, it activated.

The mob boss outfoxed him, got him to commit all his money. Than the goons held him down so he could not rewind after losing the hand to the mob boss.

Quote: RoadTrip

"Re-wind" or something like that.

It was a pocket tape or voice recorder.

He was able to "rewind" back in time to see the other hands in the poker game, and win.

He rigged it by taping it to his leg, so when he squeezed his legs together, it activated.

The mob boss outfoxed him, got him to commit all his money. Than the goons held him down so he could not rewind after losing the hand to the mob boss.

Yes, yes, yes!!! That is definitely it!! And I think "he" was somebody famous, or at least semi-famous. Like John Cusack, or someone that looked similar to him.

I read the book, definitely a paperback. It was a thin book, maybe 1/2 - 3/4 inches at most.


I always thought it would make an interesting TV story for an hour or less. I do not recall ever seeing the story on TV, but could be wrong.

He was not famous, except perhaps in his own mind. He was a "degenerate" poker player, and usually a loser.

I found it!!!!! It was an episode of the 2002 version of the Twilight Zone titled, as you said, "Rewind."

Quote: digger

I found it!!!!! It was an episode of the 2002 version of the Twilight Zone titled, as you said, "Rewind."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rewind_%28The_Twilight_Zone%29

OK, I'd believe that. I seem to think I read in back in the 90's so it makes sense they'd turn it into a TZ episode.

Now maybe you can find it for broadcast or download on Hulu or other site?

Here is the new story in the series

The Foolproof Method For Robbing A Casino

https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/gambling/betting-systems/3817-a-foolproof-method-for-robbing-a-casino/

Darkoz is a really good writer. I am now reading some of his stuff and I just bought his book.

Thanks, Frank. Guess I'll have to finish that Dark Oz trilogy after all.

I got out of writing because it wasn't paying the bills and everything I did was self-published.

Actually I still write, I just don't pursue it as a career.

For those of you who may be reading the story, this version was written before I saw E-games back in 2010. I updated the story recently so when Tommy goes back in time, it is an E-game version (with a robotic "live" dealer that interacts with the players using Artificial Intelligence and players use virtual 3D chips--think the virtual chess game from the original Star Wars with a countdown clock for placing your bets) so the loophole of the outcome of the bets being altered by the first spin Tommy makes is overcome.

The mechanical table would spin and pay out at the same speed in time regardless of who is added to the table composition.